TORNADO IN QUEENSLAND

At Avadale, a township about 150 miles west of Charleville, a terribla tornado occurred last month, causing the partial wreck of the place. The violence of the storm wa3 unparalleled in the ex perience of tho olde3t residents. The afternoon was unusally sultry, the ther mometer registering 110 degrees in the shade. About 4.30 a dust storm was seen at the edge of the plain, but no special notice was taken of it, this being a common occurrence. The air waß still, but cloudy, with no signs of thunder. However, be fore people realised the situation, terrific peals of thunder were heard, followed by blinding flashes of lightning. The houses rocked, everything about being blown into the lagoon. Half a minute afterwards tho rain came down with tremendous force. As the tornado swept down the ■treet, verandah posts were torn up or broken and carried through the air, fall ing sometimes on the roofs of the houses. Every verandah in the main street was torn away, and the iron was stripped from nearly every roof. The full force of the hurricane was felt near the Imperial Hotel, one of the largest and most sub stantial buildings of the west, which was completely wrecked, being levelled with the ground, except a portion of the walls. The roof fell, smashing everything. Tho people inside were saved most miracu lously. No loss of life occurred. Sheets of iron were torn to pieces and curled like paper. A piece struck one of Cobb's horses on the shoulder, making a clean cut 15in deep, to the heart, killing the animal instantly. Had the tornado lasted a few minutes longer, there would have been a deplorable loss of life. An inch and a half of rain fell in 20 minutes, flooding the country for a time. The losses aro estimated at over £20,000. It is impossible to say how the country fared west of Avadale, as communication in that vicinity was stopped. A water famine was feared at Avadale, and the rain, therefore, was welcome. Sheets of iron haye been picked up over a mile from the town.
