The late heavy rains have caused an immense destruction of property among the huts excavated in the banks of the creek. Some months ago the Patent Copper Company made a roadway across the creek for the use of the carts carrying the ores from the mine to the smelting works. This roadway being raised several feet above the level of the creek formed a complete dam across the waterway, a very small channel being left for the water to flow through. On Thursday morning the creek assumed a very alarming appearance, and the channel through the roadway soon became choked. The water soon rose above the roofs of many of the huts, the inmates being glad to escape with their lives. Upwards of eighty huts were utterly destroyed, the furniture floating about in all directions. The water accumulated so quickly that in many instances large sums of money were forgotten to be removed. In one instance a man dived after his money, said to be upwards of £100, and succeeded in recovering it. It was a sad sight to see the women and children midst the heavy rain endeavouring to save their furniture from the flood which had destroyed their dwellings, and having no place to go for shelter. Many found shelter in the stables belonging to the “Smelters’ Home” public house, and in Messrs Thompson and Kekwick’s stores. The officers of the South Australian Mining Association rendered assistance to the unfortunate sufferers by sending carts belonging to the mine to assist in conveying such furniture as could be saved from the flood to a place of shelter, and as many families were admitted into the storehouses now being erected as could find room.

On March 19 there was some flooding caused by a thunderstorm and the weather failed to clear as it usually did and on each following day there was some rain until on Thursday 22 March it rained through the night becoming torrential on Friday from midday on.

Burra Creek burst its banks near the Unicorn Brewery and formed a second channel parallel to the main one. By 5:30pm it was level with the roadway in Bridge Street and then it broke through to form a channel between the bridge and the Bible Christian Church. Lower Thames Street was flooded as were most houses between Station & Henderson's [Market Square] and the Primitive Methodist Chapel. Fences and outbuildings between Thames Street and the creek were swept away. Houses on the western side of Paxton Square were flooded 6-9".

At 7.00pm the Bridge Street Bridge was swept away which allowed the water level to fall quickly by some 2-3'. The bridge structure remained fixed to the eastern buttress and both ended up about a mile downstream.

At Aberdeen there was a sheet of water from Opie's Hotel to the new railway embankment. And water 2-3' deep with a strong current was flowing up the road between the White Hart and the Aberdeen Hotels. Near Tiver's Corner it was 3' deep and the Aberdeen Hotel was flooded to several inches. This stream reentered the main creek between Orchards and the Burra Mill.

Ridgways store was flooded as were most houses between Tiver's Corner and the White Hart Ford. The Bank of Australasia was surrounded, but not flooded.

Rain.

Heavy rain fell at 4.30 a.m. Wednesday in a thunderstorm that delivered 1½ in about 20 minutes with even heavier falls to the north. Between 8 and 9 a.m. the Burra Creek came down a banker and Mt Bryan Flat was under water for several miles. Low-lying areas of Redruth became a lake and many families were flooded out. The peak came between 10 and 11 a.m. The Temperance Hotel, occupied by Mrs Reed as well as the Redruth Eating House, lately occupied by Mr F.E. Bromley, the house occupied by Mt Thomas Hall and several others were completely swamped. The premises of J. Tiver and B. Preece were surrounded by water. In Kooringa much damage was done to roads and footbridges. The footbridges opposite the Post Office, behind the Burra Hotel, opposite the Bible Christian Church and near the old Pig and Whistle were all demolished. We have not heard of any personal injury.

The Drought Breaks

The rainfall for 1914 was a total of 7.17". In the first three months of 1915 the drought continued with 0.33" in January, 0.02" on February and 0.14" in March.

Then from Easter Monday we were teased with 0.13" and 0.02" on Tuesday and 0.06" on Wednesday. On Thursday there was 0.30" to 3 p.m. after which it began to pour down. Premises were flooded and all the creeks were running bankers. The flood began to be compared with the great flood of 1874 and was generally reckoned bigger. About 1.70" fell in the day and by 9 a.m. the next day 1.95" had been recorded. The flood swept away footbridges at the Burra Hotel and at the Pig and Whistle. The Commercial Hotel cellar was filling up and water was pouring through S. Burns' shop, through Bagot, shakes and Lewis's Office and at E.J. Harris's they were fending it off with brooms. A number of private bridges also went and Mrs Howell had to be carried out of her cottage.

In Aberdeen there was a lake from the railway line to the Racecourse. W.B. Page took a great photo from the railway line near the Bon Accord Hotel, with Mr Robertson's house in the foreground and Drew & Crewes' bulk store surrounded and a great mass of swirling water under the Bon Accord Bridge.

Robertson's was quickly flooded. The two ladies took refuge on the window sill, feet dangling in the water, till swimming snakes made them turn around and close the window. When their predicament was noticed M-C Queale was sent for. Mr Shakes tried to get to them, but was almost swept away at the footbridge leading to the house. Mr McKeogh swam out to them. They were eventually reached from the Copperhouse side and rescued on horseback by M-C Queale, W. Field, C. Rabbich, F. Highett and Shakes. Damage to the house is estimated at £150.

Lionel Oppermann was caught trying to cross the White Hart ford by Gully's house when a sudden wave of water washed the horses round one post of the footbridge and the lorry round another. Oppermann tried to save the horses. He managed at considerable risk to cut the harness and both horses eventually clambered out of the water. The lorry ended up in the creek opposite Walker & Sons Aberdeen shop, where it was secured by ropes. The footbridge was soon after swept away.

About 15" of water invaded A. Thamm's.

Mrs Allen's house was also flooded with furniture floating in the rooms. [The old Bushman's Rest Hotel] Here it was high enough to run out of the windows, leaving cartloads of mud behind.

Drew And Crewes lost 7 cases of benzine, 3½ cases of kerosene and 1 of methylated spirits, along with fencing posts, strainers and the harness and lorry at the ford.

Sara & Co had their benzine magazine flooded and their chaff shed was 3' deep in water.

News from Mt Bryan and Hallett is scarce, but falls there were heavy. At Leighton falls were light only and at Baldina only 1.64" fell, but floodwaters came down the creek. Barker Bros lost 60 sheep and A.G. Gebhardt of Mackerode lost 40. At Hogback the flooding was severe and at King's Well the torrent was half a mile wide and 4' deep. Several miles of the Eastern Telephone line are washed away. Clearly much fencing has been lost. There are also further sheep losses.

Eastern rainfalls were very variable from as low as 0.35" at Glenora and 0.35" at Koomooloo to 1.64" at Baldina and 1.50" at Mongolata.

The Market Square Fire 1883

The most disastrous fire in Burra's history broke out on the morning of 6 January, 1883 when the continuous note of steam whistles roused the town. A fire was destroying four of the newest shops in Kooringa and threatening many others.

The fire underscored the need for a better water supply. Willing workers saved the surrounding buildings, but a reel would have helped greatly. Even better would have been a large supply of water fed by gravity as suggested recently by Dr Brummitt. A reservoir of 80,000 to 100,000 gallons on the hill would supply water for troughs, water carts, pipes to the larger houses and an abundant flow in case of fire. As the supply would only go to those who wanted it there would be a great advantage over a Government scheme where all would have to pay. Furthermore the profits would go to the town. We are glad that the Town Council took the matter up favourably at its last meeting. It now awaits a report from a competent engineer re costs and practicability. This should be a scheme for the whole town and not just one ward. Revenue then would also be the property of the whole town.

At least the purchase of a reel would not be very costly and would protect business premises.

The total loss from the fire is estimated at c. £4,000, almost all of which is covered by insurance. Nothing was saved from the four shops. Drew & Co.'s stores and other large shops on the other side were saved by willing work and the change and then drop in the wind.

Fire in Burra

A Serious Conflagration 1915

The most serious conflagration which has occurred in Burra for a considerable number of years took place last week when the row of old stone buildings forming the south-eastern boundary of Market Square and belonging to Messrs Walker & Sons were completely gutted. About 11.30 on Tuesday, night, 2nd inst., the alarm was given by Mr. Harrap and although assistance was almost immediately forthcoming the flames had so great a hold that, without proper appliances it was impossible to check their advancement.

The fire evidently started in Mr. J. Allen's office. Mr. G. Lord, who was one of the first on the scene, almost had the fire under with a patent extinguisher but the machine became exhausted. The flames were practically subdued in the front room, but the back room continued to merrily blaze away. Mr. A. Walker then had a try with another extinguisher with similar success. Then the crowd got to work with buckets but the supply of water that could be pumped was insufficient to keep the buckets going and finally all efforts were directed to two objectives, viz. to save Pederson and Sons' boot shop at one end of the row and Harrap's pie shop at the other. Underneath the iron roof of the burning building right along the row was an old paling roof dry as tinder and once this started there was no stopping it burning without some appliances, a hydrant and hose, with very little exertion, would have confined the fire to the spot where it started. Fortunately Messrs Pederson and Sons had taken precautions in view of such an emergency. The fire was kept back from their roof by a high parapet wall, and they also had a 60ft. hose running from the water supply which, with the strenuous efforts of hosts of willing workers; was sufficient to keep the fire from doing more than some slight injury to the wall and scorching the verandah.

Adjacent to Mr. Allen's office on the other side the place was occupied by the owners, Messrs Walker and Sons. They had a considerable stock of crockery, tinware and linoleums, etc., in it which was practically all destroyed. Then came Mr. Harrap's private residence. There was no saving this so all the furniture was removed, fortunately with very slight damage, as there was no insurance on it. Across a 12ft. right-of-way was the pie shop.

Had it caught there would have been little chance of saving Mr. W. Truscott's butcher shop or the business place of Mr. E. J. Harris. However, with the aid of wet bags on the roof on which a small hose was kept playing, the fire was confined to the original row of buildings. Nothing but commendation can be expressed for the way the crowd worked. At Pederson and Sons' the toil was strenuous and to save the pie shop those who held the hose on the roof were subjected to the discomfort of dense clouds of smoke which were met without flinching. M.C. Queale was active in superintending operations. There were so many good assistants that it would be unfair to particularize.

The contents of Mr. Allen's office were insured for £30. I also contained the records and guernseys and other property of the Burra Football Club which were all completely destroyed. The buildings were insured for £500 and Messrs Walker and Son's stock for £300.

On Wednesday evening, as will be seen below in the evidence given at the inquiry, the fire started again at the rear of Mr. Harrap's old residence but was speedily got under. As is well known there have been several previous attempts at incendiarism in Burra during the last few months. At the rear of the same row on Sept. 27th a fire was started; on Oct 2nd, what looked like an attempt to burn down Mr. F. Harris's place was made; on Oct 25 a similar attempt was made in regard to Mr. A. D. McLaren's shop; on Nov, 29, a further attempt was made to burn down the buildings which were finally wiped out last Tuesday. In connection with the attempt on 29th Nov. It will be remembered that after the fire was extinguished outside and nearly everyone had gone home. Mr. L. Day noticed a second fire burning inside one of the rooms-------There is one thing that stands out prominently, and that is the absolute necessity that the Council should take immediate action regarding the formation of a Fire Brigade or at least that some appliances should be procured. If the fire had occurred amongst the business places on the other side of the street, with a favorable wind the damage would have been simply enormous. If the council funds will not stand the strain an appeal should be made to the town. As we all know, appeals are only too common just now but his is a mere business proposition. Everyone will surely contribute a quota to provide against fire and if all assist the contribution required from each individual would be small. Is there any other town in the State the size of Burra without a Brigade. We doubt it, and it is anyway just abut time that the town, for its own protection, was brought up-to-date in this particular. It a really big fire occurs in the future and the Council has done nothing but get prices for appliance their position will not be an enviable one.