1894 – Albert Cummins and the Buchanan family refused to leave their houses when the waters rose. They changed their minds when rescuers came, only to drown before reaching safety.
The highest floods yet recorded at Ingham in Far North Queensland came early on a Sunday in April.
The town had already had 111 inches of rain that year, when on Saturday, April 7 word came by telegram from Herberton, about 160 kilometres inland, of heavy downpours of about eight inches (200mm). This could only result in flooding of the Herbert River at Ingham.
The water, rushing with terrific force, was miles wide, according to the Northern Miner. It was preceded by a gales, then a hurricane, and flooding was exacerbated by spring tides.
Only a very small portion of the town remained as dry ground.
The water diverted through the paddocks of the Colonial Sugar company, carrying away hundreds of cattle and horses.
The early warning on Saturday, issued by the Postmaster and the police, saw some people take refuge with friends or in the town’s hotel, others at the Divisional Board Hall.
A second, and then a third warning, was issued.
The papers reported that Albert and Mr Buchanan “remained obturate’’, saying the flood would not rise far enough to do any material damage. After all, it had not done so in the flood of 1881, the worst in the past 30 years. Albert, 48, had a wife and five children, who were possibly moved from danger.
But by Sunday morning, Cummins and the Buchanans had hoisted distress signals, Cummins was ensconced on his roof, while the Buchanans had rigged up tables and chairs to keep the children dry.
The only boat available for a rescue effort was “really a small punt’’. It had already been used in a rescue effort that morning and then beached as it was “leaking like a sieve’’. Running repairs were made with white lead and rags stuffed into leaks .
It only had to travel half a mile from the banks of Palm Creek across the flooded plains to reach the marooned eight.
Four men from the Palmer’s Rest hotel – Wickham, Anderson, Selby and Rogers, set out with two men rowing while one baled out water. They struggled hard to reach the houses, and had to make more repairs with white lead before setting off for the return journey.
The boat, with 12 weary and bedraggled people on board, was then swirled across the terrific current through a forest of pandanus.
“Just as open water was…about to be reached they were smashed against a tree and capsized.
“The force of the blow and pressure of the water almost lifted the occupants into the air and the unfortunate occupants were in less than a second struggling in the roaring torrent.’’
northern miner
Mrs Buchanan clutched Anderson around the neck but was swept away.
The eldest two Buchanan boys “got hold of Wickham and held him under for some time with their struggling”. Wickham was “thoroughly exhausted’ when he was dragged back onto the punt by Selby and Anderson. No further mention is made of the boys so it can be presumed they had also been washed away.
Rogers, meanwhile, was holding on to a pandanus. Fighting against the surging waters, he decided his best bet was to make for the punt, which by then was quite a distance downstream. He was a strong swimmer and managed to make it.
“Cummins evidently lost his presence of mind, for when last seen he was wildly fighting against the water instead of trying to swim with it.
brisbane courier
The rescuers were now badly in need of rescuing themselves. They hung on to the remains of the punt – although Wickham was twice washed off as they battled the water for another three hours until, exhausted, they were washed up at J McDonalds farm. McDonald and two other men swam/waded out with a rope and pulled them into his house, which was awash with three feet of water.
None of the Buchanans or Albert Cummins were seen alive again.
The bodies of Cummins, Archie and Martha Buchanan, children Archibald, 10, Marian, 8, William 7, and Robert, 4, were recovered by the next Wednesday, and almost the entire town attended their funeral on the Thursday.
Baby Jemima’s body was never found.
Sources: The Northern Miner, Saturday 14 April 1894, p3
The Queenslander, Saturday 21 April 1894, p27
The Brisbane Courier, Wednesday 25 April 1894, p6
Way to go Australia 