THE DESTRUCTIVE FLOOD IN QUEEN. STREET.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXII, Issue 2717, 2 April 1866, Page 4

THE DESTRUCTIVE FLOOD IN QUEEN. STREET.

In Saturday's issue we published an account of the great and unprecedented flood which swept over Queen-stre«t during the heavy rains that fell unceasingly during the greater part of Good Friday. The full extent of the damage done to private property, and to the streets in various parts of the city, cannot as yet be rightly ascertained. One thing is certain, that the damage done has been very great, and quite unparalleled in Auckland. The principal sufferers have been Messrs. Owen and Graham, S. Hague Smith, JNiccol and Co., and J. Copland; and they can only, as yet, give an approximate estimate of the damage sustained. The fire-engines were engaged during the whole of Saturday in pumping the water from the cellars of Owen and Graham, Niccol and Co., and Mr. J. Copland. The cellars of Messrs. Owen and Graham were stored principally with, sugar, about thirty tons of which, have been destroyed. It was completely covered with water. There was a large quantity of bonedust, which has also been destroyed. The pumps were worked from half-past seven o'clock till half-past one o'clock in the morning, in order to diminish the quantity of water. Many of the bags were brought up quite empty, and others half-full of saturated sugar. Their loss is roughly estimated at between £1,000 and £2,000. In the cellars of Messrs. Niccol and Co., ship-chandlers, about £3,000 worth of goods were under water, and will be more or less damaged. Mr. Copland estimates his loss at between £400 and £500. The bonded store of Messrs. J. S. Macfarlane and Co. was packed with an immense quantity of sugar in. bags. Mr. Macfarlane had left the premises about six o'clock in the evening, after the heavy rain had ceased, and the store was then quite dry. The flood had flowed from the rear of the Metropolitan Hotel, and percolated through the side and back walls of the store, and also through the ground floor, until it rose gsome three or four feet high. The lower rows of bags of sugar alone were destroyed. He estimates that between fifteen and twenty tons of sugar have been destroyed. A number of men were employed on Saturday in removing the bags of sugar in order to have the stores cleared of the water. The adjoining premises escaped with comparatively little damage. Mr. Webster had a quantity of salt stored in his cellar destroyed. Fortunately, on that day the cellar door in the shop floor had been opened, and the water allowed to escape into the cellar, thus saving the goods stored in the shop. Messrs. Buchanan and Stewart had a quantity of salt stored in their cellar, "which was melted, leaving the empty bags to indicate the loss of about £50 thereby sustained. The loss incurred by Messrs. Combes and Daldy is estimated at about £100. They had a large quantity of goods in their bonded store. The flooring of the store had been raised about a month ago, and but for this alteration the damage done would have been, far greater. Messrs. Edmonds and Jakins sustained a loss of between £150 and £200 ; and Messrs. Eaton and Dewolf escaped with but a trifling loss. The same thing, we regret to say, cannot be said of Mr. P. A. Philips, whose celler was stored with a large quantity of hardware and other perishable goods, all of which have been more or less injured. The extent of tbe damage could not rightly be ascertained until the goods were removed and examined. In Mr. S. Oocliraue's promises there was about four feet of water, which was carried off by a drain into an empty store in the rear. His loss amounts to about £50. It was feared that a ■ large quantity of goods had been destroyed in Mr. Hobson's bonded stores, but on inquiry we were gratified to learn that such was not the case. The stores were flooded with water, but fortunately any goods of a perishable nature had been removed some days previously, leaving a number of casks which were uninjured. The cellars of the Q.C.E. were flooded, and Mr. James estimates his loss at about £200. The cellars of the Marlborough Hotel were also flooded. Mr. Macready could not state the exact loss he had sustained. A number of music boxes and clocks, amounting in value to between £200 and £300, were stored in the cellars of Mr. F. H. Lewisson, and totally destroyed. We had expected that Mr. Vaile would have been a sufferer to a large extent, owing to the position of his premises, but we are pleased to learn that such is not the case. The basement storey was flooded with water, but it having been properly drained the water escaped into the main sewer. Now this circumstance would indicate that the main sewer, which is about seven feet in height and five feet in width, was not choked up at this point at any rate, otherwise the water could not have passed away. We can readily account for the premises at the foot of Lower Queen-street being flooded, from the fact of the tide being full in, causing the overflow of the main sewer, and the water to escape into the cellars on both sides of the street. The cause of Queen-street— which, thanks to the blundering stupidity of those who planned or laid out the city, will ever be a receptacle for surface water — becoming overflooded was from the wani of main drains to convey the water from the streets adjoining on. both sides. Had there been a main drain continued along the whole extent of Albert-street, it would have conveyed to the river much of the water which flowed down the streets branching from it into Queen-street. We may form some idea of the volume of water . that poured into the principal thoroughfare in all directions, from the fact that the prisonyard of the Auckland gaol was flooded to the height of about six feet. We regret to saythat Mr. S. Hague Smith has been a sufferer to a great extent. Property to the value of £4,000 has been more or less damaged, and will have to be sold by auction at a great sacrifice. In the stores which were closely packed with goods, the water rose to the height of about six feet. The water rushed in an impetuous torrent down Barrack-street and Barrack-hill, there being no drain to carry it off, and was met by a flood in the opposite direction from Grey-street. The water percolated through the brick walls of the store, and forced its way with such violence as to sweep .casks of kerosine oil several feet distant from the stands, and carry large cases of holloware from their position to another part of the store. Mr. Smith had a drain constructed at his own expense which would, under ordinary circumstances^ have been sufficient to carry off the water ; but from the rush of the destructive element in two different directions, it was of no avail. The water in its onward career broke down the fences in the rear of the premises adjoining, which were also flooded. Mr. L. J. Hopkins had a quantity of tobacco, valued at £50, destroyed. Messrs. J. and J. Dickey were, we regret to say, less fortunate. Their store was flooded, and the water reached the height of seven feet in the yard. Sixty cases of kerosene were totally destroyed, and a quantity of ironmongery ■ and hardware goods considerablydamaged. They estimate their loss at about: £300. Mr. Quick, of the United Service Hotel, has also been a sufferer to a serious extent. As we have already stated, the amount of damage done to private property in various parts of the * city cannot as yet lbe estimated. The sea wall * at Freeman's Bay was carried away by the flood. Some of the people residing in Barrack-

street, Grey-street, and other streets in that locality hare suffered seriously, several of the houses having been rendered almost uninhabitable. They were flooded, it is state*d, in consequence of the newly-constructed culvert being insufficient in size to carry off the flow of water which came from the creeks at the rear of Edwardes-street, and between Cook-street and Grey-street. The streets in various parts of the city have been materially injured, and the expense of repairing them will be an additional drain on the funds of the City Board for some time to come. It is manifest that main drains must be formed in Albert-street and other streets similarly situated in the eastern side of the city, and more grids laid, if Queen* street is to be relieved from the surface drainage, and to prevent its becoming ovcrflooded during the occurrence of heavy and incessant rains in future. It would appear that the rainfall on Friday last was local. At the North Shore the rain fell greatly all day. In the neighbourhood of Otahuhu it was of a similar character ; but at Mount Eden and about Cox's Creek it was an even down-pour, and has done more or less damage. Three bridges have been washed away on Cox's Creek. The earth embankments on the railway, as might have been expected, hive been more or less damaged.