Flood At Hawkesbury from the Sydney Gazette, Sunday August 6, 1809 Accounts were on Tuesday last received in town of the Hawkesbury Settlement being again flooded; and in the course of the following day those accounts were unhappily confirmed; A Mr. BULL of Sydney, who was at the house of Mr. John BENN, down the River, at the commencement of the flood, informs us, that little or no rain fell in that quarter until Saturday evening the 29th ultimo, when a heavy rain set in which continued without intermission until Monday morning. That a rise in the water was perceived between 10 and 11 on Sunday night, and continued for some hours to rise gradually, but afterwards with an astonishing rapidity until the whole of the surrounding farms were laid under water. About noon on Tuesday it was at the highest; and in the course of the afternoon abated 5 or 6 feet; but, in consequence of the deluges of rain that fell in the evening and night of Tuesday, the water rose again several feet. On Wednesday it began again to fall, and by the noon of Thursday had decreased 10 feet from its greatest height. Among the principal sufferers that we have heard of down the River, is Mr. BENN; he having lost upwards of 300 head of swine, 100 sheep, about 1000 bushells of wheat threshed or in stack, and a stack of barley, besides a valuable property contained in his dwelling-house and barn, among which were two chests of tea and a ton of sugar, but a few days prior received from Sydney. >From the Green Hills, the following report contained in a private letter, dated on Tuesday night, 11 o'clock, was received in Town on Thursday; "With regret I inform you of the dreadful scene that at the present moment chills me with excessive horror. The whole of this extensive settlement is one uninterrupted sheet of water. The lower range of houses upon the Green Hills is immersed; and the River has formed a juncture with the South Creek, across the Hills, through RICKERBY's grounds upon the River side, and those of the Rev. Mr. MARSDEN on the Creek. Yesterday and last night was a most dreadful season ! The danger encroached with a rapidity never before witnessed; and the cries of the numerous families who were more imminently exposed were rendered still more agonizing by the impracticability of affording them immediate relief. In one alarming instance, a young man a settler, his wife, and three children, were seated on a ladder lain across the fork of a tree, in which situation they contrived to sustain an equilibrium for nearly three hours, the man a great part of the time clinging by his hands at the end of the ladder; but alas; yielding to fatigue, he forsook his hold and all were in consequence precipitated into the deluge. The woman and children were picked up; but the fate of the unfortunate man is doubtful. A settler at Cornwallis passed the Hills this morning on the top of a small wheat-stack; his fate is unknown; but it is much hoped he may have been preserved by some of the boats employed in this humane work. In another, and truly melancholy instance, eight persons are supposed to have perished in one spot. The names of those supposed unfortunates have been mentioned; but from this I must refrain, hoping the account may be erroneous, or at the least exaggerated. At present all is uncertainty and dread, all terror and astonishment. Some lives are lost; many have been saved by the exertions of the mere enterprising, directed by our Magistrates, who by their example encouraged the toil of rescuing whole families from the very verge of fate. And I cannot omit to mention the active and indefatigable exertions of Messrs. THOMPSON and BIGGERS, to whom, under the direction of Divine Providence, many are indebted for their lives ... to be continued Diane

Hi Diane and listers, I cannot help wondering whenever I read this, whether the man who slipped from the ladder was William Kentwell who drowned during this flood. His wife was Elizabeth Morris, and he did have three children that I know of, John 5, Maria 3 and Harriet a baby, although I think Harriet may have been born later in 1809. Does anyone have any other reference to who the man on the ladder was? Regards, Russell Orchard > -----Original Message----- > From: Diane [mailto:dianep@optushome.com.au] > Sent: Tuesday, 20 August 2002 9:32 PM > To: AUS-NSW-HILLS-HAWKESBURY-HUNTER-VALLEY-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [H,H,HV] Hawkesbury Flood - 1809 (Part 1) > > > > Flood At Hawkesbury > from the Sydney Gazette, Sunday August 6, 1809 > In one alarming instance, a young man a settler, his > wife, and three children, were seated on a ladder lain across the fork > of a tree, in which situation they contrived to sustain an equilibrium for > nearly three hours, the man a great part of the time clinging by his hands > at the end of the ladder; but alas; yielding to fatigue, he > forsook his hold > and all were in consequence precipitated into the deluge. The woman > and children were picked up; but the fate of the unfortunate man is > doubtful.

Thanks for your two-part story of the Hawkesbury floods. We've had similar disasters in NZ. My folks were NSW settlers and I had heard about these tragedies during my research. I've kept a copy; thanks again. > From: "Diane" <dianep@optushome.com.au> > Reply-To: AUS-NSW-HILLS-HAWKESBURY-HUNTER-VALLEY-L@rootsweb.com > Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2002 21:32:04 +1000 > To: AUS-NSW-HILLS-HAWKESBURY-HUNTER-VALLEY-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [H,H,HV] Hawkesbury Flood - 1809 (Part 1) > Resent-From: AUS-NSW-HILLS-HAWKESBURY-HUNTER-VALLEY-L@rootsweb.com > Resent-Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2002 05:31:14 -0600 > > > Flood At Hawkesbury > from the Sydney Gazette, Sunday August 6, 1809 > > Accounts were on Tuesday last received in town of the Hawkesbury > Settlement being again flooded; and in the course of the following day > those accounts were unhappily confirmed; A Mr. BULL of Sydney, who > was at the house of Mr. John BENN, down the River, at the > commencement of the flood, informs us, that little or no rain fell in that > quarter until Saturday evening the 29th ultimo, when a heavy rain set in > which continued without intermission until Monday morning. That a rise > in the water was perceived between 10 and 11 on Sunday night, and > continued for some hours to rise gradually, but afterwards with an > astonishing rapidity until the whole of the surrounding farms were laid > under water. About noon on Tuesday it was at the highest; and in the > course of the afternoon abated 5 or 6 feet; but, in consequence of the > deluges of rain that fell in the evening and night of Tuesday, the water > rose again several feet. On Wednesday it began again to fall, and by > the noon of Thursday had decreased 10 feet from its greatest height. > Among the principal sufferers that we have heard of down the River, is > Mr. BENN; he having lost upwards of 300 head of swine, 100 sheep, > about 1000 bushells of wheat threshed or in stack, and a stack of > barley, besides a valuable property contained in his dwelling-house > and barn, among which were two chests of tea and a ton of sugar, but > a few days prior received from Sydney. >> From the Green Hills, the following report contained in a private letter, > dated on Tuesday night, 11 o'clock, was received in Town on Thursday; > "With regret I inform you of the dreadful scene that at the present > moment chills me with excessive horror. The whole of this extensive > settlement is one uninterrupted sheet of water. The lower range of > houses upon the Green Hills is immersed; and the River has formed > a juncture with the South Creek, across the Hills, through RICKERBY's > grounds upon the River side, and those of the Rev. Mr. MARSDEN on > the Creek. Yesterday and last night was a most dreadful season ! > The danger encroached with a rapidity never before witnessed; and the > cries of the numerous families who were more imminently exposed were > rendered still more agonizing by the impracticability of affording them > immediate relief. In one alarming instance, a young man a settler, his > wife, and three children, were seated on a ladder lain across the fork > of a tree, in which situation they contrived to sustain an equilibrium for > nearly three hours, the man a great part of the time clinging by his hands > at the end of the ladder; but alas; yielding to fatigue, he forsook his hold > and all were in consequence precipitated into the deluge. The woman > and children were picked up; but the fate of the unfortunate man is > doubtful. A settler at Cornwallis passed the Hills this morning on the > top of a small wheat-stack; his fate is unknown; but it is much hoped > he may have been preserved by some of the boats employed in this > humane work. In another, and truly melancholy instance, eight persons > are supposed to have perished in one spot. The names of those > supposed unfortunates have been mentioned; but from this I must > refrain, hoping the account may be erroneous, or at the least > exaggerated. At present all is uncertainty and dread, all terror and > astonishment. Some lives are lost; many have been saved by the > exertions of the mere enterprising, directed by our Magistrates, who > by their example encouraged the toil of rescuing whole families from > the very verge of fate. And I cannot omit to mention the active and > indefatigable exertions of Messrs. THOMPSON and BIGGERS, to > whom, under the direction of Divine Providence, many are indebted > for their lives ... > > > > to be continued > > > Diane > > > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go > to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 >