TELEGRAMS. THE WEST COAST FLOODS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 13, 16 January 1909, Page 9

TELEGRAMS. THE WEST COAST FLOODS.

SEVERE DAMAGE. COUNTY COUNCIL SUFFERS HEAVILY. [BI TELEGBAPH — PRESS ASSOCIATION.] REEFTON, 15th January. It is stated from Black's Point that the volume of water in the Inangahua River has rarely been eclipsed. When the boom at Murray's Creek burst, the water carried a huge mass of mining debris, trees., etc., right before it, ploughing its way through the mining tailings, and, causing a greao stench from the disturbed waste sands of ths cyanide process. The road bridges at tho Energetic mine are under-mined, and rendered unsafe for traffic. Not a single trace of the recently, constructed aqueduct piers is left, and a large number of concrete pipea have been swept clean away. The enginear and other workers tried to save them, but the river rose in ten minutes over the" level of the works, driving them back. Opposite Reefton, at Rosstown, the river simply sluiced away strips of land. All trace of the road has vanished. The wonder is that the traffic bridge stood the weight oi tho flood as it did. Below the bridge, all protective gromi protecting the lower-lying lands from the rush of water were simply swept away. These were strongly lot-in groins, made of huge boulders covered with a network of wire. " The left br»nch of the Inangahua River rose even worse than the right, but did not cause much damage except to tho aerial tramway ot O'Donnell'a coal-mine, which was utterly wrecked, entailing considerable loss to the unfortunate proprietor, and rendering ths mine useless possibly for two months. Lower down, the river ruined a large area of low-lying lands, spoiling potato patches, etc. A number of sheep were drowned at Lawry's, a settler's place. Further down, the flood was confined to the river channel, and not much damage is reported. The Inangahua County Council is the cnicf sufferer. That body has lost all the value of aU the work dono in extension of the waterworks scheme in putting in pier 3, and also tho derrick and plant. From every side comes news of landslips. The one between Crushington and Black's Point is two or three chains in length. Other heavy slips are reported. A large quantity of concrete work has been rendered useless, and culverts ha\e been washed away. No estimate can yet bs made of ths damage.