208 Proceedi)if/s of the Royal Socieft/ of Victoria. 



Wharf, whereas the water ia tlie river was al)Out a foot below 

 the South Wharf. The water in Noniiaiiby Road appeared to 

 tiow out of the ri\ er about half-way between Prince's Bridge and 

 Queen's Bridge. Leaving the river at this point, the water 

 appeared to make its way between a number of streets and lane.s, 

 and flooded Moray Street and Normanby Road up to the level 

 of the top of the South W^harf (wliilst in the river it was much 

 lower), escaping in a cascade at the landing place of the steam 

 ferry, near Clai'endon Street. When the improvements between 

 the Queen's Bridge and Prince's Bridge were finished, this would 

 be entirely avoided ; and had tliese improvements been completed 

 at the time, he did not think there would have been any v/ater in 

 South Melbourne. Besides this, the Queen's Bridge Iiad not had 

 a fair chance on this occasion, it having been com];)letely blocked 

 by the wreck of a dredging apparatus which had been placed 

 there for the purpose of improving the river. 



Mr. GuiFFiTiis said that the data supplied by Professor Kernot 

 seemed to him to point to a danger in the future that had not 

 been discussed so far. They had been given the sectional area 

 under one of the upper bridges, and the velocity and amount of 

 the water that passed under that bridge during the three days of 

 the rain storm. The water that passed under that bridge was 

 estimated to be enough to cover the wliole of the watershed of 

 the Yarra to a depth of two and a quarter inches. It was well 

 known, tliat the watershed of the Yarra constituted one of the 

 wettest portions of Victoria. The rainfall there was always 

 greater than the rainfall in ilelbourne, or any other part of 

 the Colony. The rainfall in Melbourne during the three days of 

 the rain storm was five inches, nearly three inches more tlian the 

 amount of water that apparently must have covei'ed the water- 

 shed, gauging the amount by the quantity that passed under tlie 

 bridge. It was well known that, where rain fell on non-absorbent 

 soil, clear of obstructions, it got away immediately, and with 

 tremendous velocity ; but where the rainfall took place in a 

 forest country, such as the watershed of the Yarra, it got avvay 

 very slowly, and probably took months to be got rid of entirely. 

 Now, it was almost certain that six, and perhaps se^en, inclies of 

 rain had fallen over tlie waterslied, and tlie reason why two and 

 a quarter inches was all that got away during the three days was, 

 that the whole of tlie country was a forest country, that the sur- 

 face was absorbent, and covered with obstructions in the way of 

 timber and bush and scrub, which caused tlie whole surface to act 

 as a sponge, to hold the water and discharge it slowly and spread 

 its discharge over a long pej'iod of time. Now this watershed 

 was being cleared. It was lieing crossed by roads, every one of 

 which had its gutters discharging into it. The land was being 

 taken up for farming purposes ; and the rain got away much 



