Old news from Armidale and New England

Friday 4 March 1864, The Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday evening.

All the mail bags were got over by a rope fastened on to trees. The river has been bank high for several days, and is now rising fast. To-day, a man named James McGrath, attempting to swim across the river, was carried down stream and drowned ten yards from the bank. A person named Reid tried to rescue him, but was too late ; the body has not yet been found. Too much praise cannot be awarded to the postmaster, who was most indefatigable-in getting the mails over to the south side of the river. After the mails were passed, about a dozen men crossed over on a rope by means of a ring. A flood expected soon.

There was a great storm on Sunday night, when some portions of the telegraph wire between here and Tamworth were broken by falling trees.

It has been raining for a week.

Races are announced to take place here on the 15th of March.