TUESDAY MARCH 16TH continued: Early am. Thursday,  amid strong howling wind and driving rain, cattle driven to higher ground and cabs, carts, vans and other vehicles carried household contents away, scores of men, women and children trudged about wet and miserable looking . Wind howled, moaned, and tore in terrific and ever increasing gusts, driving heavy sheets of rain before it with irresistible force, old hands compared storm with that which sank the “Dunbar” in August 1857, water over farms at Bolwarra, embankment near Moran’s washed away, much surface water in Carrington Street Horseshoe Bend, Benders been through it all before, people carrying twinkling lanterns hurry through rain to inspect river, Oakhampton farms covered with water, river topping banks, people packing up, police, labourers of the Borough Council and the Flood Brigade with their boats were ready with aid where necessary.

Early am. Thursday, amid strong howling wind and driving rain, cattle driven to higher ground and cabs, carts, vans and other vehicles carried household contents away, scores of men, women and children trudged about wet and miserable looking . Wind howled, moaned, and tore in terrific and ever increasing gusts, driving heavy sheets of rain before it with irresistible force, old hands compared storm with that which sank the “Dunbar” in August 1857, water over farms at Bolwarra, embankment near Moran’s washed away, much surface water in Carrington Street Horseshoe Bend, Benders been through it all before, people carrying twinkling lanterns hurry through rain to inspect river, Oakhampton farms covered with water, river topping banks, people packing up, police, labourers of the Borough Council and the Flood Brigade with their boats were ready with aid where necessary.

Water backing up into High St.from drainage pipes to river. Dagworth and Fishery Creek areas covered by sea of water,  backwater creeping towards town, country beyond Potts Point towards East Maitland deeply flooded, here, rail line, raised after 1890 flood, still above water, Singleton express detained at Farley, wash aways between Church Street and Farley stations, water  well over lines between Church Street and High Street, line broken towards East Maitland, line washed away about Thornton . No connection Sydney, Newcastle and North.

At Bolwarra embankment burst, water flooded the low flats, Mr. R. Jacob's house washed away, orchard of young trees destroyed, all furniture broken up.  Mr. Mead’s residence carried away, all fencing swept down.  People found refuge in Mr. John Rourke's Bolwarra House and Mr. Cobb's.  Messrs. Geo. Worboys, Eli Vickery, Geo Bowden, and – Patten, had a narrow escape when their boat capsized as they went to the relief of a man and three women who had been three days without food,.  The other unfortunates were afterwards relieved.  Mr. James Dean’s body recovered at Fishery Creek Saturday afternoon, remains were conveyed to West Maitland in a coffin, which had been taken out in a boat, burial at Campbell's Hill, coffin taken in a boat to the foot of the Long Bridge, water very deep, about six feet in Mrs. Logan's house.  

Back water floods Bend, less than 100 people still left out of fifteen hundred to two thousand, men reared in floods were nonplussed, water three to four feet higher than known before, Pender’s villa on bank in Bella St. topples into river, house of Neil Watt, occupied by Emsley goes also, as does Mrs. Lord’s house, and another owned by Mr. Watt and rented by Mr. York, the back water and the river water, level from Hunter St to High St., embankment collapses from Port Maitland Inn downstream, taking part of street and house of John Doherty, only a miracle will save homes of Messrs. S. Swiney, Simons, O'Connor, Fenton and Morris.

At Branxton the Greta Coal Co.'s tunnel mouth was in danger of being entered by floodwaters from Anvil Creek, when Messrs. Cater and Heath, with a staff of their employees, put in an appearance, and with slabs, bags, clay, etc., soon had the tunnel mouth sealed against the now rushing fury of the waters, and the pit is safe, no work until no danger of flood waters entering mine. 

THURSDAY 16th MARCH

Mr. Lyne is very poorly informed when he talks about the feasibility of erecting the administrative machinery for the work of mitigation, by virtue of the provisions of his poor little bill to amend the Public Works Act.  We entirely concur in the application of the betterment principle to this business of dealing with Hunter River floods.  But it must be applied under a special Act of Parliament, framed to suit the circumstances of the district, and creating a body charged with the administration of the scheme, and having plenary powers.  This scheme, and everything, that respects mitigation, is however matter for future thought and arrangement.

The Editorial, showing great insight and prophetic words, would not see their fulfillment for over 60 years when the Hunter Valley Flood Mitigation Act was established by an act of the NSW Parliament in 1956.

Some statements can be read as applying to the 1955 flood as  “--------words fail to describe the pitiless completeness of the destruction.  The flood has dislocated everywhere the course of activity and industry which in men and women were following.  For the present many must adapt themselves to new and comfortless conditions.   And in the future, when they can return to the old conditions, they must toil with a sense of loss, must begin again the task of saving and the arrangement of comfortable homes and pleasant domestic surroundings.”

Much talk of relief committees ensuring that only those in need had access to funds as “many persons who can dispense with aid are shameless enough to claim it if they are not sternly checked.  We repeat that what relief committees are called on to do now is to ensure the supply of daily wants to a large family of refugees; by and by will properly come consideration of how and to whom a wider help may be extended.”

“The little cottage of Mrs. Lord, which last week stood in the Horseshoe Bend, swept by Hinton intact, and from it was taken a chest of drawers bearing the old lady's address.”  Twenty four rescued from small house, East Maitland flood boat wrecked against a fence, water 2ft 7 inches in house of John Bowden on Trappaud Road, in his barn, 13 persons take refuge on hay, there for three days and nights before being rescued, Mr. H. James lighting plant covered with water, dynamo had been removed, endeavours being made to have light tonight.  Mr. Sutton lost all his drays and horses in cutting. This would have been the cutting started to cut across the “Horse Shoe” of the river which the flood finished, later some dispute re payment to Sutton.

Over fifty people sheltering in East Maitland Courthouse, being supplied with milk by Mr. D. Clark who had his cows on the higher ground near there, water knee deep near Walli House, offensive odour from decaying vegetation and dead animals, over six hundred men working day and night on repairing extensive breach on rail line between East Maitland and High Street stations, ballast trains running every few hours, traffic restored in few days,

Rev. J. A. Lamont of East Maitland Manse loses over 200 valuable books, Mayor and aldermen of Morpeth were very busy during the flood as were seven flood boats, thirteen fever cases at Hinton School of Arts doing as well as possible, Brandon, Seaham, 13 feet water in highest houses, family of ten rescued through roof,  Luskintyre, water ten feet higher than known before, Mr. Wenholz very kind to families in Superior Public School.

Provisional flood relief committee formed, consisting of the Mayor and Aldermen, Mr. Superintendent Meares, and Messrs. B. W. Thompson, J. D. Prentice, and J. W. Pender

 Alderman Crothers urged need of clothing for children, there were families with seven or eight children who only had the clothes they stood up in, three births had taken place among the flooded-out people, and the ages ranged from them up to 13.  In many cases the parents would be unable to earn wages to buy clothing for some time, ladies' clothing committee formed Mayoress (Mrs. Young) elected President and Miss Hyndes Secretary, and a committee comprising :- Mesdames N. D. Cohen, Birkenhead, Yarrington, Craik, J. D. Prentice, Tucker, E P. Capper, Alfred Cobb, Dines, Misses Rourke, Wolfe, Crothers and Gorrick.

Messrs. J. H. Brunker, E. Brunker, and J. T. Tegg did good service in a boat about Fishery Creek and Dagworth, rescued Mr. James O'Hearn and eighteen others off a haystack and also Mr. George Crothers, stationmaster at Farley, and Mr. John Swan off the bottom of an overturned boat.  Water four feet in Tegg’s house, Mr. William Moore, swam across the cattle track to the station house roof and thence to Hamilton's Hotel at six o'clock in the morning.