South Yorkshire Times July 5, 1958
Boat Came By Road !
To Rescue Stranded Conisbrough Family
A CONISBROUGH family were marooned for more than six hours when their house was surrounded by flood water yesterday and they were unable to get out until a boat had been brought by road from Stainforth (near Doncaster) to Conisbrough.
The lock-keeper, Mr William Webster, his wife and small daughter were marooned in there home at the lock gate house, near home Farm, Conisbrough. A ferry boat normally takes the family across the river Don from their home, but because of rising flood water they were unable to reach the boat and their house, which was recently built and raised on concrete ‘stilts’ to avoid flooding, became an island.
About 3 p.m. yesterday the family were rescued when the boat brought by Inland Waterways rescue men got across to the house to bring the family to safety.
They are nostaying with relatives in Denaby. The lock-keeper’s house is situated at the junction of the river Don and the canal. The lock gates were almost submerged under the floodwater – only about 2 feet showing above the surface.
Nine Cows Swam To Safety
Nine cows were also stranded yesterday in an old house used as a cowshed near the lock keeper’s house.
The cows, however, broke out of the cowshed swam a distance of about 200 yards to safety.
Mr. Stephen Sproxton, foreman at the Denaby and Cadeby Home Coal Carting depot near Ferry Farm who saw them, said “The cows waded out from the isolated building and swam towards the sw ift flowing river Don. I thought were going to be washed the rushing water, but just in time they turned and swam over a flooded dyke and through the flood water. If they had not turn when they did they would most likely have been swept away.”
The cows reached the safety of land at the side of the railway line.