TERRIBLE FLOODS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 88, 15 April 1933, Page 2 (Supplement)

TERRIBLE FLOODS.

A NIGHT OF ANXIETY.

(By Audrey Backer, Hunua Hills, Hiku mutu, Tauinarunui.)

I t;liink-1 will try to tell you a little tit about the. reccnt floods which took place. In Taumarmrai last month. Nearly everyone -had gone to bod in the usual manner; every child, wag either sound asleep or else listening- to the rain pattering down upon the roof. The rain continued steadily and occasionally a flash of lightning illuminated the dark sky. Soon the whole sky seemed to open i p and tip the water down upon the sleeping earth in driving sheets, accompanied by claps of thunder and flashes of lightning. For hours and hours this storm continued washing out many paths and causing damage to the surrounding country during the night, but few knew the extent of the destruction. Those coming home from parties late at night or early next morning found themselves surrounded hy total darkness instead of the familiar light of the electric lamps, this causing signs of alarm which were sOon to be confirmed by a distress signal sent out into the darkness.

People living in the lower lying country were much alarmed by the knocking and banging 011 their doors in the early hours of the morning, and were even more so when tliev happened to step' from their cosy bunks into dirty cold water nearly up to their knees. Every house in such situations as the latter soon had their floors and carpets covered with rushing water and filthy silt. In some houses people were soon wakened from slumber, but in other cases things were the opposite, and in such situations the water had risen to quite an extent before the householders knew anything about the floods. It must have been terrible for those who were brought from their houses into the gloomy darkness not being able to see anything and having to hang on to fences and gates to support themselves from the rushing/currents. But despite the fact that people were covered in water, sometimes •up to their arm-pits, not one person was -lost —not even a baby. Other things 'were lost though— quite a number, for on the previous day in the town was held the big cattle fair, and at the yarils.over the night were left cattle and sheep, many of', which were drowned, especially the smaller animals. After the flood had receded, many sad sights met the eye, for the houses were carpeted with silt, the ground (which had previously been green and sparkling) was covered with mud and water, while the roads had many washouts and many bridges had disappeared. The_ river seemed to heave its waves as if it were sighing over all its damage. A flood is indeed terrible.

ping with water and weeds, and now and \ again one' of us would have the sharp pleasure of finding one or two of the tiny, squiggling»fisli, which were transferred into the jam jars. The sky begah to grow brighter, and the first rays of the sun appeared, lighting up the meadows and surrounding country, the dykes, the crystal waters of the river, in which we could see really big fish lazily swimming. . It se&med a long trudge home again with our spoil, and as we arrived long before breakfast we parsed the time in putting the minnows into a large tub of water, counting them fairly and equally. And then, after a careful recount, a.ll unexpected difficulty arose. There were exactly dne hundred gold-bellies, silverbellies and black ones. Three into a hundred left tliirty-tliree and a third —which was awkward. In the midst of our anxious consultation our sister came out to look at the spoil, and, seizing the opportunity, she begged for the odd one. ,j. , , i We all shouted at once, and the discussion became very heated. Finally, in a fit of generosity, we gave her the ugliest black minnow we could find; and this she proudly took indoors in a jar. So much for the one, but what of the niuetv-and-nine ? Probably we overfed them, or omitted to give them fresh water often enough. To our consternation they all died. And still th? one ugly little black fish, which was carefully tended, discreetly fed, and looked, after, was swimming serenely about in the pond on the lawn. He lived to a* good old age.