THE FLOODS ON THE WEST COAST

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1604, 8 July 1887, Page 3

THE FLOODS ON THE WEST COAST

The following graphic acoount of thej havoc mcde by the floods at Greymouth I* forwarded to the " Prefla " by its local correspondent : — Gbbymouth, July 6. ( Eor the past eighteen hours Greymnuth tas been submerged feet deep m muddy w*ler. Hsavy rain hati been falling continuously from Monday morning. The night looked veiy black, the sea was rolllog heavily ever the bar, and the high ■prlng tides filled the river full with b3ck water. The river was unusually high with flo d water from the ranees, and at ten at night some of the low-lying partß of the town adjacent to the tidal creek were tinder w»ter. Still no Berlous dam^e was anticipated. Soon after high water was out, II p. m , the ilvcr had risen to a great height, and forced the tidal creek over the roadway into Preston ro&d and Its vlolnity ; its banks were from a foot to 18iu deep In water. Thfo rose rapidly, autl by two o'olook many residents m the low pact) of the town had to remove their furniture and other effects to a place of B-tfety. One family I met with had to perCh all night on a narrow plank, rf iting from the table to the window sill. The flood kept rising all night, and at daybreak this morning was running level with the top of the wharf ; it kept on In creating till high water, when a heavy flood poured m on the tumultuous muddy itreun over the breastwork of the wharf and the main street and Mawhera Qaay, By noon the water on the quay was from 4ft to sft deep, and rmh ; ug at high speed along Tainul boundary and other pa-e'!el Streets, and expended up the main South ro*<V a long distance past the Public HalL The Mayor was early on the scene and lent carts and boats to all the low-ljlng parts to rescue the citizens, who by that time were crying out piteouely for help. Many of them had not been able to aecu r e their clothing and were hudiled m groups m their night dresses. Some hundred 'houses were submerged. The Mayor ordered large fires to be prepared m the State School, rid a raid Was mvie neon the two or threa bakers' shops which had escaped the floodj and all the bread that could be secured, with provisions of a' 1 kinds, and all the spare blankets *that eculd be gathered up, were sent to the ■ohool, and some forty or fifty famines found a temporary resting pKce. The Hospital, and Honors, Albert, Herbert, Maokay, Boundary, Gretsson, Auey, Johnston, and Preston streets were entirely depopulsM. Every hotelin town Was crowded wl A h fugitives, and a 1 most •very private house m the upper portion, of the town threw open is ooora to the , poor sufferers. Fouur itely the rain held ; off, althocjh the c^y wes dark and gloomy. : The railway line along the wherf bad all i its ballast swept a* ay, r\d and but fo ; .the long string of cc it laden wf^goos the • whole line, sleeps; 3 and i ile, would have } gone. The s'T^metß St Kilda and Hosi-l ■ mond, with the local tugs, pat out extra j oab'es and took the precaution to keep j iteam op to relieve the strain upon their ( moorings. ] A 9 far as can be ascertained no fatal < eases are report 3d-, although several par- ( row escape's from drowning occurred. ' The current sweeping up Tatnni Etreet, ! pact the Post-office, was a wild eddying j flood, turning with terrific force around , the Hospital, and 1-. ien with floating , debris, large »nd dangerous. Several j persons, endeavoring to crocs the streets i In the water bre:st deep were rushed off ] their feet, and only rooued by the timely < •xartion of men on horseback. I Nearly every store m town has suffered considerably, and although it is impossible ye!; to estimate the dpmc?e accurately, it cannot be !o'j than £20,000. The nocd txtended from the town end of Oobden bridge right along to tbe beach, and inwards a long distance past the public hal on the quay. Gi'naer's Hotel had at noon nearly five feet of water m tbe bar, and several streets towards the Fire Brigade itiiion had the water to the top of the vtrandahs. About nuon .the scene was one of wild •xcitemeat ; the doll Bwish and deep roar of the mud-colored water rushing headlong irom the river up the lower level of the ■♦re its, the hoarse cries of the boat and draymen as they urged their respective Vehicles on their er.and of mercy — the gabbing of women and children — and the Heartfelt groans of the 3 who li.d suffered ,iuch heavy lossss— formed a scene of misery that will make a bli ik pr>7B i r the evuntful history of the town. The older residents say this flood 's conalde ably higher than the famous one of 1872, which •wept away the greater pottle a of the town, and resisted m several lives being lost. On the Cobden side of the river, which lies high,. not much drmage was dene to harbor works m oour c of contraction, but at the time of writing the water is still deep over that portion, and It is impossible to tel l really what dan?-"re hts been done. At dead low water, which was about 6 a.m. the fiord m the streets h»d gone down over 2ft, bot It is fn'ly expected by midnight- the tide will be backed hhth, and a repetition of [the morning's flood wi.l ensue. To-ufght the weather looki dark and threatening and apparently it has t m raining heavily higher op the Grey Valler, and as the tide : will be extraord?'- \r:ly h'^h it is probable that the fl>nd will be much higher. The loss amongst the wort : ng. classes will be very great while every merchant and storekeeper wi'l suffer considerably. Toe telegraph office wn unapproachable all day, the water be^ng nearly level with the instruments. AM business and work is suspended, and it will be a week or more before the railway •line along the wherf wi'l be m a fit condition to run coal traffic along. The Herald, from the South, ?s outside, but will not be able to get m for two days. July 7. The town at daylight this morning looked deplorable ; fortunately, the river WBS not so high m the night, and tbe water did not ovrifhw the town. The streets are m a frightful xneßs; opposite Oilmer's Hotel m Te'nui street a hole some 28ft lone And 4^ deep has been washed out, while tbe riph&lt pavements In mauy parts are U'ted completely pp. Nearly ever? street m town will requi-e remaking, la tbe Btorrß on the quay the mud is inches deep, and furniture and stock ?s more or len <?aro- led everywhere. The roidents of several houses near the beach had n; ?row escapes j woman and children were up to their waists m water nearly the whole of the night, the men firing gnns as signed of distress, Boats . putr off from the vet^ls m port and rncued them at daybreak. No buildings have been washed away, but whole rows of fences and verandahs and out-offices have d'esppf ait d. It Is reported at noon that teveial nersors are missing at Coal j Creek, on toe other «id[e of the river. The daUymen have lost all their oattle and horaes,. It is supposed that all the Iridjea up the Main Grey Valley road have beeo washed *way< It will be ti3vernl days before anything can be done on the wharf; the whole of the line from Oobden bridge along the wharf will require relating, a 1 ! the balleast being goue. The » uided warehouses h? \ 4ft of water m them, and tea, tobacoo, *>nd other goods are destroyed, The losa pmongei the working olasses will be very great, m many eases all clothing and food aod much furniture being spoiled. Several acoidenM occurred; Mr Bradley, engine di vet, while lifting some heavy goorlg, pllppei and fell tb/oqgh a window, jpfl'ot'ag serious gashen on his h'%c\ Mr 'Jatnes Gofnk'jj of Crllocer's Hotel, broke hfs leg while eavi ?% pro^ei'ty, The town '■? upset for baseness for a long truae, and the loss, it to feared, will be very Mrfow.

A Frees Association telegram, dated Greymouth, July 7th, says :— Between threa and four the water was flow : ig m and out of the Argus premises. The paper was made up with the floor 4ln under water By the time it was put to press the water had put the fire out and the paper was worked off by hand, the water then being over the men's knees. The bo»ls then came into rtquisiiion, and tho issue was not distributed Thousands of loads of Bhingle are piled up m some of the streets, while great boles are sccu ed away m others. The town,wt<i cut <ff iVom ali nostal and te'egraph commu icatioo dur<n? Wednesday and the greater part of rhursday, Christchhkoh, J< 8. The weather ia threatening with shouera. Tho floods are rapidly subsiding. The works ereoted at the south branch oi the Waiimkarirl fo? the protection or Chiiatohuroh are damage i to the extend of £305, por iona of two conci.te einharkments being we shed away. C mtiderable damage to roc da and bridges U i sported .*om all over -the northern district, but no loas of l'feyet.