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Extracts and Reports from Mine Managers Letter.

Floods around Bulahdelah Bridge.

EASTER RAINS

The rain started Wednesday 13th April, 1927 and from 9 a.m. on Good Friday the 15th to 9 a.m. Saturday the 16th, 1980 points of rain was recorded and a total of 31 inches fell in a week.

PUNTS WASHED AWAY

A big flood came down the river, some time on Friday night, the punt broke away from her moorings and drifted down river. At 12 noon Saturday I boarded the SS Myall River to go and find her. In this we were successful and tied the punt to the bridge.

There she was moored and still is there, the punt had a good deal of water in her and sustained some damage to its roof. She drifted half a mile down the river and brought up against a clump of tea trees, it took 3 hours to find the row boat which was tied to the punt. It was several miles away and just recovered with damage.

There were three lines out when the punt broke away, a bow line, a side line and a stern line.

Relf's punt broke away higher up the river, and bringing up against some trees in a paddock, she was later moored to a fairly large tree.

DAMAGE TO TOWN AND FARMS

Many houses about the town were flooded, a good many head of cattle were drowned but fortunately no lives lost.

DAMAGE TO THE MINE

On Saturday afternoon, I went and inspected the mine and fairly extensive damage had been done.

The mouth of the tunnel for a distance of several feet was washed away. I can not say how far the tunnel is blocked, as it is filled to the roof with material, portion of the tram way between the tunnel and the incline were washed out, and in two places clay and stuff had been washed over the line, also a large section of the incline was damaged.

A fairly big slice of the north side of Kimberly Quarry fell, filling the quarry one third full. The quarry then filled with water, and then down the shaft and into a tunnel that was put through years ago. The outer shaft (No 1) was filled with material washed down by the rain.

It is impossible to see the full extent of the damage in the tunnel, this can only be ascertained when the mouth is cleared, it will probably take four men two months to make good the damage. It was the force of the water that washed the tramline clean out of the short cutting. Altogether we have had a very trying time, old hands say the present flood is a few inches higher than the record flood in 1893.

26 April, 1927, water is still draining out of the tunnel.

9 May, 1927, water still coming out of tunnel and the river rose about 3ft.

FLOODWATERS FALLING

16 May, 1927, the river is falling very slowly.