THE LATE FLOODS.

During Monday evening the Oamaru Creek rose rapidly, and Boon became a deep rushing river. It rose eight or nine feet in a few hours, flooding several houses in the valley, Mr Payne rescuing his own family and that of a neighbor by wading up to his waist in water. By eleven o'clock the stone bridge over the creek in Severn-street was carried away, leaving scarcely one stone standing upon another, and the debris rolling down the stream carried away the wooden bridge at Mr BickuelPs property, and that recently thrown across the creek at the Esplanade. The water also greatly undermined the Itchen -street embankment, upon which a slip has taken place, and which at one time looked likely to be en lively 6wopt away. There have also been two _shp3 upon the letty load, and as indications ot further danger are apparent, both this and a portion of Itchtm-stroct have been closed for traffic. On Tuesday morning news reached town that the Waiareka, near Totara had risen immensely, and carried away a blacksmith's foi'ge and two houses, drowning nine persons. Subsequently it proved that the news was only too true. The houses in question are situated next to a blacksmith's forge at Totara, closo to tho bridge which crosses the Waiareka, opposite Messrs Douglas, Alderson and Co.'s station. One of them, built of stone, was occupied by Thos. Loudon, a carpenter employed on the station ; his wife ; and James Loudon, his son, also a cai'penter ; there was also a little girl about eight years of age stopping with them. The other house was a wooden building, and there were under its roof at the time tho following persons, viz. : — Peter Dunn, farmlaborer j Thos. llichardson and James Waddell, farm-servants ; James Glass, blacksmith j and Eobt. Young. About eleven o'clock on Monday night they were all sleeping in their beds, when the creek, which, according to tho testimony of some masons who live farther up the stream rose suddenly fully four feet in as many minutes, burst upon them in full flood, sweeping away both houses with their occupants, and also carrying away the blacksmith's forge. Every soul was drowned. The Waiareka has also carried away the approaches to the bridge — tho water, which \\ as ten feet above ordinary flood level, rolling right over it. The circumstance that the bridge itself was not carried away, is apparently due to the creek having cut a fresh channel for itself through the London's garden, the bridge being thus left in comparatively still water. The scene at Totara is described to us by an eyewitness as almost beyond description. The garden and nursery around the station, which a few days ago was the admiration of all who saw it, is now a perfect scene of desolation. Travellers betweon Oamaru and Dunedin will remember that the Waiareka is, in its ordinary condition, a mere prill of clear water. On the side nearest to Oamaru tho bank of the stream is very precipitous, but by a cutting in the road was carried down to the level of a timber bridge across the stream, crocted about six years ago. Tho road then crosses a flat about 100 yards in width, and winds up the hill towards tho Kakanui. On the north side of tho road the flat- was occupied by exceedingly prolific gardens and extensive nurseries of young forest and other trees, intended to form plantations on the estate of Messrs Douglas, Aldorson and Co. Great pains had been taken with the gardens, where all the vegetables necessary for their lai-go establishment were raised. Tho fruit garden was especially the admiration of all who saw it. This season it produced so plentifully that not only was there abundance for all the employes of the station, but as many as twenty bucketfuls at a time have been gathered and given away to other persons. On the west side of the garden was the residence of Mr M'Aulay and his family, and beyond that, farther up the hill, were the oifices, store-room, and stabling of the establish meut. The floor of the honse was fully twenty feet above the level of the streami On the opposite side of the road, at about 10ft. above the level of the creek were the blacksmith's forge and the two houses aboveroferred to. About 100 yards farther up the road, and about ten feet above this level, was the stockyard. On Monday night, about 11 o'clock, the creek suddenly rose with fearful rapidity, coming into Mr M'Aulay'a residence, and rendering it necessary for tho family and furniture to be immediately removed. This was about the same time the other houses must have been washed away, and their occupants drowned. The Loudous were very old and valued servants of Mr M'Aulay, and had followed him from Scotland to Southland, and from Southland to this district. Everything that could be done was done by Mr M'Aulay. MrLouden's entiro family came with him from Scotland. He had a grown-up daughter, who recently died in Southlau<* on the eve of her marriage, and now the vest of the family have been hurried into eternity. We hear that tho Mr .Richardson who was drowned at the same time wa3 a son of Dr Kichai d L o:i, of Dunedin ; and that Mr W.ulilell was tho 3 on of a tett lor in tho Taien. In addition to tho dread Ail lo* 0 of life, t'no destruction of property has been euormou-, i'oucob ben:_; toru up, the posts broken off like reeds. iuiinense

numbers of sheep haTe been drowned, the banks of the sWeam being literally strewn with dead bodies of sheep brought down the Serpentine, the Kurow, Island Stream, and Kakanui rivers;' wrecks > of buildings, pumps, tanks, station requisites, '&<;.,• strewing, the country in all directions, especially oil the banks of the estuary in which all these rivers meet. Mr Teschemaker's water-mill on thdWaiarcka ; Messrs Lees & Crowther's, and . Mr -Farrer.'i extensive wool and drying sheds, on the Kakanui, have all beon washed ,away, with large , quantities of wool which tholatterostablishmentscontained — something over 1000 bales haying been lost from Messrs Lees aud Crowther's alone. Some of this, which was in unopened bales, will be recovered, but all that was under process of cleaning will be irrecoverably lost. In the Kakanui Flour Mill, the property of Messrs Douglas, Alderson & Co., the water rosoifour inches above the upper floor, being a distanoe of fully 20 feet above the ordinary lovol of the stream, which, when the flood was at its height, was nearly a mile wide. It is feared that very extensive repairs will be required to the mill and mill-race. The escape of Mr Brown, the miller, and his family, and other persons employed at the mill was almost miraculous, they having to walk along the wire .fences, supporting themselves by poles, to a place of safety, the fences by which they made their, escape being a few moments afterwards carried away. Further up the Kakanui, at the sheep yards of Mr M'Aulay, a party of four men employed in cutting thistles on the station, were encamped on the bank. When the flood came down suddenly on Monday, all but one escaped by wading and Bwimming alternately until reaching the- high land, the other, being uuable to do so, was found the following morning clinging to a cabbage tree, and rescued from his perilous position. A newly-erected house in the Chelsea die trio t, on. the flat 'near Island Stream bridge, occupied by Mrs Newland and family, was swept away by the flood) the family, as we understand, and hope correctly, providentiallv escapiug. The magnificent crop3 in the Incholme and Chelsea districts must have suffered immensely, if not ?>eon completely destroyed) as they must have boeu to a great extent undei* water, and in many places completely submerged. All tho rivers are quito impassable, at least so fa* a9 can be learned, the telegraph wires being- down both North and South. Cobb's Coach, which left Dunedia on Monday, has not yet arrived. News is coming from all quarters of further mischief done by the receut terrible visitation. There has been no coach from Christchurch or Dunediu sinco Saturday. The north coach returned from the Waitaki on Tuesday, having been unable to cross that river, which wa3 represented to be flooded to an extent never before known, and fully two miles wide* The ferry boais are all washed out to sea, and the telegraph is down m several places, communication with tho north being completely Btopped, both by road and telegraph. Tho driver of the coach, in returning from the Waitaki on Tuesday, found the road so much under water that his horses were several times swimming. The south coach, carrying the English mail, on Monday managed to reach Pal* merston, and the mails were delivered to the driver of the coach Lhenco to Duuodin, which we hope will have reached its destination in time for the steamer. Mr Sayers, the driver, started on his return trip to Oamaru on Monday afternoon, reaching Chatfont in uafety. Here one of the fore-wheels broke, and he returned, intending to go to Palmerston for another coach, but on reaching the valley of the Shag River he saw nothing but a foaming sea before him, and although he had only crossed it about two hours before, it was now of course utterly impassable. He then returned to his passengers at the Kartigi Hotel, Chalfont, among whom was Mr France, M.P.C., and on Tuesday morning tried to come on with the mails to Oamaru, but found the Rookery also in flood and impassable, that river being something like 30ft. deep. He again returned therefore to his imprisoned passengers, and on Wednesday the rivers having gone down considerably brought the mails across the Rookery and Otepopo by swimming his horses across at considerable danger to himself, being accompanied on his perilous trip by one of his passengers, Mr Shipton of this town — and succeeded in reaching Oamaru the same night. ,ijHe started yesterday for Dunedin with a pack-horsq£o*arrying the mails. He reports that Mr ftunciman's mill near Palmerston, has been swept away, and wo have reason to fear that many of the houses in the Shag Valley must have shared the same fate. Mr Sayers who rode back to the summit of the Horse Range on Monday, describes the valley as being one broad sheet of water. Ho also states that the approaches to the bridge over the Kaka, at Hampden have been carried away and that the bridge itself is in jeopardy. Capt. M'Kinuon, who came through from Dunedin yesterday, having started at 3 o'clock on Wednesday afternoon, supplies the following additional particulars. The gale was felt very heavily both at Port Chalmers and Dunedin, but so fur as he can inform us no accident occurred at either port. There has been a land-slip of some 400 or 500 tons of earth about a quarter of a mile above Carey's house afc Blueskin. Tho Waikouaiti bridge is almost entirely carried away. Capt. M'Kinnon and another gentle* man who accompanied him having to swim their horses across. Several houses in Shag Valley have been carried away, and some nine or ten persons drowned. The occupants of the mill at Palmeraton (Mr Runsiman's) some nine persons were eight hours upon the mill wheel, and were taken off by a whale boat. Cherry farm, afc Waikouaiti, has been completely inundated, and at least 1000 sheep drowned. The bridge over the creek at Pleasant Valley has been carried away. There have been numerous landslips along the road, which cannot be passable for coaches for weeks. The coach from Dunedin yesterday stuck in the Waikouaiti River, and the passengers had to bo taken off by boat. Tho damage dono to the crops is. we fear, very extensive ; and if that fear bo justiCed by iact, we are afraid to attempt to compute the amount of mis* chief done by the late disastrous gale.