A French woman, Mrs Eliza Robinson, who had come to Maitland from Nottingham was among the victims.

She had been a cotton lace spinner and in the French revolution of 1846 was driven out of France.

A number of them came to the colony to settle in Maitland.

Mrs Robinson, aged about 60, lived with Mr and Mrs Fairfield and their three children along with John Boyle (known as Jack the fisherman) and his wife in two-storey houses built on the river’s edge.

The Mercury reported how the two houses built on the river’s edge had fallen into the stream and their occupants were struggling in the midst of the rapid waters.

It was described as “the saddest event that has marked the history of any of the floods in Maitland.” 

The houses had been built on the river’s edge at the western end of the opening to the river where flood waters first break into High Street.

They had been built on a slope of the riverbank with their fronts resting on the ground at street level. 

The families were not driven out by flood water, but had lingered in the upstairs rooms until the last moment, intending to come out when the river fell again.

With scarcely a sound to warn them at 4am, the houses, which were bound together to keep them stable, gave a sudden lurch as if they were about to topple into the river.

Boyle sprang into action knowing the only chance of safety in the rapid steam flowing landwards from the river was to jump with his wife from the front balcony – a height of 13 feet.

Despite the darkness and heavy fog they could see a gas-lamp burning at Mullens house close by and after a sharp struggle both reached a place of safety.

Fairfield and his family were not as quick and they were swept away with the houses which fell backwards with a loud noise into the river.

They were swept down by the current and their screams and the crash of the falling houses were first heard by Mrs Mullen.

She fired two shots for help.

Among the dead was five-year-old Sophia Fairfield whose body was later found.

Mr Fairfield was unable to save her but gathered in his arms his 13-year-old daughter who had a serious foot injury and his youngest, a two-year-old who was unharmed.

The bodies of Mrs Fairfield, 39, and Eliza Robinson were found buried in debris against a stump on a flat only 100 yards from where Mr Fairfield landed safely with his surviving children.

The women’s bodies had been found by a farmer named Joseph Rice and a labourer named Michael Godsave.

George Fairfield gave evidence to the district coroner at an inquest.

“I called to my wife to get the children onto the balcony. She brought them all except the youngest.

“I heard a cracking all round the building and I went to the back room to fetch the child and the building fell backwards into the river.

“It floated a short distance and I got onto the balcony. I kept to the building until there was only the roof and ceiling left for myself and two children.

“My wife and Mrs Robinson were at the other end of the balcony when the big gate below sprung up and knocked them off.

“I caught the eldest child and held her by her clothes with my teeth and held the youngest in my hand.

“I tried to catch the other child. I held onto the wreck and drifted off with the current.

“I perceived a point of land so I grasped the clothes of both children in my mouth and struck out for shore about 200 yards off.

“I swam with them and grabbed a prickly bush. I threw the children ashore and scrambled up myself.”

The verdict given by the jury was accidentally drowned by the houses in which they lived falling into the river during the floods.

SOURCE: Death In The Hunter compiled by Maitland Family History Circle.