HAVOC AND RUIN

Evening Star, Issue 20129, 20 March 1929, Page 6

HAVOC AND RUIN

NORTHERN END UNDER WATER DAYLIGHT REVEALS SERIOUS DAMAGE FLOOD RUINS WOODHAUGH FAMILY Morning revealed a scene o" havoc and desolation in the eastern and northern ends of the city. From the outlet of the Leith at the boat harbour to the Leith Valley bridge, the flood has wrought its damage. Premises, both residential and commercial, visited by the flood waters have their floors covered with a loathsome coating ov slime, the roads are torn, bridges are down, huge pieces of the banks have disappeared, many bouses are still surrounded by water, one home is ruined, and a big slice of the Leith Valley road has gone with the flood waters. Above the street lending to the late Bishop Nevill’s residence in the Leith Valley, the river has scoured out the road "and the telegraph poles. For 200yds, the road, stretching back to the footpath in one place, has disappeared to a depth of 20ft. The bridge leading to Air Jeff Clark's residence on the lleservoir side of the Valley road has gone. But just below there, at the junction of the Pine Hill Creek with the Leith Stream, Air Ft. Davidson is the worst sufferer in Dunedin. His property is ruined. And not only is Ins property wrecked, hut his saw-mill, close by, ia also devastated. Of the two and a-half acres of green paddocks surrounding his residence, at least half an acre has been carried away by the flood, while the remainder of the property is now practically valueless, as it is covered with huge boulders, in one place to the depth of 12ft. The water has gouged great channels out of the centre of the land. In his home, the silt and water have almost ruined his furniture, ‘ Mr Davidson lives in the home with his daughter, Mrs H. Kirkwood, and Mr Kirkwood, and a child of five years. When Mr Kirkwood arrived home last evening about 5.30 o’clock, the Leith, which flows hut 50yds awny,lrom the front door, was rising rapidly, and less than two hours later the water was creeping up inside the home. “ iYs werp frightened, and my daugh-

ter, the kiddy, and t left lor my son’s home in the city.’’ said Mr Davidson. But Air Kirkwood, who was associated with the Magistrate's Court staff in Dunedin two years ago, stayed at the house. THUNDER FROM RIVER BED. In the ID2.S Hood, the river did not cause any great damage at Al.r Davidson’s property and Air Kirkwood had then protected the house front an inflow of water by cutting a trench round the front and building up a wall of sods. While at this work last night he had cause for worry, as from the river there was a deafening noise like thunder, caused by the boulders pitching their way down the bed. But his concern was not great, as a protective wall of concrete had been built below the .sawmill to harness the river to its bed. Ilcturning from a visit to the paper mill, where the failing of the river level was reassuring, Air Kirkwood continued Ids protective works, but with surprising .suddenness the river broke through the concrete wall. With a crash it smashed down a shed in which was stored furniture, valued at LIUO, and owned by Air Kirkwood. Mo more has been seen of the shed or its contents. The water rushed across the green fields towards the house, and Air Kirkwood lost no time in beating a retreat to the paper mill. When lie returned in the early hours of this morning he could hardly recognise his home. LIKE A SPALLING PIT. The area of land on the (river trout resembled a spalling pit. Piled to a height of 12ft in one place, boulders, some over 4ft square, covered the whole of the ground, where, in a small plot, some poultry were housed. Trees were smashed down, and for 25yds the water had .scoured out a great basin sft deep. Nature had also cut deep channels round the house. The verandah supports were carried away, and inside the house the water was 2ffc deep. The river was sweeping through the home; its force was so great that a piano was capsized, and when the water subsided this morning the silt was lying thick over the floors. The Leith itself had thrown up a great pile of boulders on the hill side of its bed, and this bank caused the river’s course to be deviated into Mr Davidson’s property. His sawmill, an old landmark, has had its days of usefulness ended. The flnming and intakes have been carried away. “It is terrible.’’ said Mr Davidson, who is seventy-eight years of age. “ Both properties are absolutely ruined.” To make matters : worse for the families, they had no 1 time to remove any personal belongings, .and this morning, their only : clothes were the ones they wore. Through Mr Clark’s property above the paper mills, the Leith has cut a new'" channel. The river altered its course for a while after the 1925 flood, but it soon swoojred into its old bed.

QUARRY ROAD GONE, The water first started to rim seriously at the Paper Alills at 1.15 p.m., and by 10. JO the whole oi the property was covered by 2it ot water None of the machinery was damaged, but near the mill serious damage has been caused. The bridge leading off Woodhaugh street to the quarry road lias been washed away, and the road itself, to a depth of 12ft back from the hank, has disappeared. The protection wall by the paper mill was also seriously damaged, and when one big block wont down the river a part ot a shed accompanied it. In Woodhaugh street no houses were flooded, but in one near the bridge the occupants had an anxious time, as the water lapped the doorstep. In Malvern street the water entered three small houses, after smashing down the fences. in Duke street, above the Gardens, the residents barricaded their doors, hut their gardens were thickly covered with silt and slime. The rush of water also knocked down two fences and ripped up the footpath outside Bishop Richards’s residence. AT THE GARDENS. Save for silt in their gardens and an anxious time watching the water rise, the residents in George street have escaped lightly. Vv illowbank, although dangerously close to the Leith, lias apparently missed the over flow. The Gardens reserve is in a terrible state. The water is lying about in lakes and the surface is strewn with driftwood and logs. The Gardens corner had a bad time in the flood. In some parts of the road, the slime and silt is nearly a foot deep, but in the shops the water does not appear to have caused any considerable damage. Most of the shopkeepers took every precaution when they saw the danger. Along the Main road the silt is thick and some of the houses have experienced slight flooding. Considering the huge and forceiiil volume of water which _ passed through the Botanic Gardens from the Leith and Lindsay's Creek, the Gardens have escaped with small damage. Alany of the flower beds are wrecked, however Although at one stage last night, the bridge from Castle street into the Gardens was in grave danger of collapsing, it is still intact. PROPERTIES FLOODED, Brook street escaped any serious visitation. The small houses there are low-lying, hut the Leith takes a wide sweep at the corner. The flood missed the nouses, but on the opposite bank it lias torn down many trees. Danger threatened the properties in Leith street, with the back gardens facing the river, but few reports ol flooding are mode. The gardens, though, are ruined, silt covering them. The Durulas street bridge, a. narrow structure, is wrecked. On the city side the flood wrecked the foundations, and

a big pari of Lite bridge collapsed. There is a big gaping bole at that end of the bridge now. The bridge crossing St. David street is sound, but the bank near the house opposite the professors’ residences has been scoured away. The University will he a heavy loser. Great blocks of the bank have been carried away, taking with them portions of the ’Varsity war memorial walk, One part of the bank was 25yds long and lift or 711 deep. The Leith street bridge is no more, and the Clyde street bridge lias crashed. The properties in the locality this morning appeared little the worse for their deluge, but Largo terrace is still under water. At 11 a.m. the water was still tumbling over the wad, and the. houses were still isolated. LAKE IN UNION STREET. In Union street there is an expensive lake, and nearly thirty residences in Harbour terrace are surrounded by water -lit deep. The Hood is a tragedy for those residents, as it is apparent that some time will elapse before they will be enabled to visit their homes other than by rowboat, let alone live in them. As an area, the Harrow street and Harbour terrace district has suffered the worst. The inability of the channels to carry the Leith water is the cause of the plight. Other parts of the city which were flooded last night are now dry; but in Cumberland, Castle, and St. Andreev streets the water was' still lying deep this morning, and passage by motor vehicle through the Hood was impossible. A strange sight was a dinghy on the hard road within a foot of deep water in St. Andrew street. In every part of the town visited by the water there are thick deposits of silt and slime. Roads are ripped badly. Tons of firewood were brought down by the water, and Inst night hundreds of residents laid in a mouth’s supplies, while tremendous quantities of bring were to be picked up this morning.