LEITH ROSE RAPIDLY

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

LEITH ROSE RAPIDLY

VALLEY RESIDENTS UNPREPARED PLIGHT OF FLAT RESIDENTS GEORGE STREET SWEPT BY WATER Although not so extended in duration, the Hood last night was more tenons for the northern and eastern parts of the ciiv than the Hood ul April, 19-Jd. A greater area '"'as covered ■with water, and on the low-lying land near Logan Park the residents spent, a terrifying night. The inmates of every house in the lower part of Harbour terrace were forced to vacate their homes, as the water rose 4ft oaviy in the evening. At high tide (11 p.m.) the tlood was at its worst, ami within an hour a fall of oft was recorded at the Forth street bridge. Throughout the afternoon the Leith stream rose, steadily, , Down the Valley this usually ambling mountain creek, now a. raging torrent, roared its way down into Woodhaugh, the tributaries. too, bringing down vast quantities of water from the surrounding hills. Before d p.m. the river was so tierce and overloaded that, if broke its hanks in several places, and residents nearby prepared for Hoods. By o p.m, the Leith roared ominously under the George street bridge. To regular observers a. Hood was imminent. The river was travelling at a speed of about twenty-live miles an hour, and even so early in the evening the water was finding difficulty in passing under the bridge. To make matters worse, the Hooded stream brought down huge logs, which, battered the bridge and then swung into the banks, causing further obstruction in t lie course of file torrent. Slowly the river rose, and re-ideuts of Woodliaugli made preparation.-, to safeguard their propertie-. At b o'clock the Duke street bridge was just above water, but the river was already breaking through the parapet of the George street bridge and swishing .muddily acres- George street. A- the water was released from tHo obstruction of the bridge and once again found an open channel past Willowbank it gained impetus. As darkne-s was coming over, (lie river started to lap over the high protective soil bank' near I he Hardens reserve, and within a lew minutes hundreds of tons of water were bursting over the bank and Hooding the playing areas. Molori-ts found King street at this point almost impassable. At this hour there was no danger io idie residents of Brooks street, further down the river, but already the bridge at Fdcn street laid been earned away by the Leith, which surged along its confined channel between the protective walls at a terrific rate. The Lcitli street bridge was very shaky, and in Forth street, Harbour terrace. Largo terrace, and other parts of the lowlying district the water began to rise. Remembering the costly and unenviable experiences of the l!)2d Hood, th: residents begun to liL their linoleums and Furniture. But the Lcitli was rising rapidly, and with the rising of the tide tlie water .surrounding the houses rose rapidly. In the Marrow street region many of the people lost little lime in vacating their re.-idenecs for more secured shelter for the night. LINDSAY’S CREEK BREAKS. In the northern cud of Hie city alarm was being caused by the quicK rising of Lindsay’s Cheek, a small tributary of the Leith, hut one which m times of heavy rainfall i- a menace to the mirth end. The first break in the crock’s course took place at 0 o’clock at Calder’s quarry, and with,in a short time the properties in the lovv-Iymg areas from Mechanic street south were covered ankle dee]) in water. With a rush the muddy waters moved down the main road to join the overflow through the Gardens reserve from the Leith. By 8 o’clock the water was knee deep from the King street bridge to Mechanic street. Slowly it moved up in the shops at the Gardens, and the owners lost no time in lifting as great a quantity of goods as possible over the. water mark. .From the Gardens northwards the flood was the worst yet experienced in memory. At a high speed the Leith waters hurled logs and tons of silt across the reserve In the Gardens corner, and within a .short, time the tram lines were not only covered with two leet of water, but also made impassable by heavy deposits of silt. A Jong

lino of trams was hold up, and only the most valiant motorists attempted to force their way through to the Valley. la liethnne’s Gully the water was surging like a river down the road, and the farmers found it impossible to carry out their evening duties. Residents of George street also received a shock. From all observations it would have appeared that they would be immune from Hood, but the Leith brought havoc upon them. In th o Woodhaugh Valley houses were Hooded quite early in the evening, the first break being experienced at about 7 o'clock. Three houses in Woodhaugh street were Hooded, and two in Malvern street marked several inches of water above the floors. The river broke across towards Duke- street, and further overflow's took place in the Woodhaugh Gardens, where the river has a narrow channel. DUKE STREET FLOODED. Quietly the water moved down Duke street, and just about opposite the bishop’s resilience dropped down into the Gardens, 7t spread out across the Gardens, which were soon flooded, and then burst out again at the lower portion into Duke street. AVith the overflow from the George street bridge joining the Duke street water and piling up the silt there, the water was turned into George street. Along the Main street -csidents began to nail hoards outside their gates to keep out the water, and hags cf soil were placed against the doorsteps. But the protective measures were of little avail, as by 9 o’clock nearly all the properties on the lower side of George street down as far as Union treet wire inundated. To make matters worse for ibc public the tram services were suspended. A river was running down 'Pitt sueet, and in a short time the bmetion at George and Frederick streets was piled up with silt and stones. At 10 p.m. the Leith was running very high between George street bridge and Union street bridge, but so far no great cause for concern was given inc nearby residents. But at Leith street handbridge the Hood was serious. The reserve extending from the Tramway loop in Castle street (where Hio water was rising rapidly all the time) to the bridge was under water. The bridge was trembling and out of sliane. A little later, with a loud crack, tlie centre part of the bridge collapsed and dashed away down stream. On the. northern bank the residents were watching the Leith lapping over its hank, but on the southern side, where the protection wall ha- not boon constructed to the same height, the Hooding was serious. A SPECTACULAR RUSH. About Forth street, the water was shooting over the elevated bridge. Great piles of debris blocked the channel, and the water found an outlet by bursting over the bank to career down Forth street towards St. Andrew street. In the house on the bank at the bridge, a mother and her five children, one being a baby, were forced to make a hurried exit. With amazing rapidity, the level of the water rose, and at high tide, it was 6in above the window sills. The riverside fence gave way, and a larger volume of water was released into Forth street, the torrent carrying with it the front fences. To cro.-s Forth street near Albany street was almost an impossibility. Tlie water was ripping down the street with an undertow more dangerous than that experienced on St. Clair Beaeb. Two men waded down the road, and one was caught by the tow and carried under tor 10yd.-. Below the Forih street bridge the Largo street people have always had cause for concern over the rising of the Leith. At an early hour in the afternoon the employees of Gregg and Co. made a protective wall in Forth street, but by 5 p.m. the water was lapping over the concrete banks, and it was realised that nothing could hold hade the How, In Largo street, the houses were completely marooned, but the people had vacated them. RESCUE WORK BY BOAT. Meanwhile, rescuers were pa.\ ing greater attention to Harbour terrace and Harrow street. The collapsing of the structural part of the suspended bridge across Harrow sjrect. owing to the fearful battering from logs crashing their way to the harbour and tlie forceful passage of water, was really the start of the Hooding ot that district. Men in all manner of attire threw themselves into the rescue work, and it was with relict that the announcement was made that everybody was sale. One old man in a tenement near Forth street would not leave his premises, and lie had to be forcibly removed. It was Just in time, as a little later bis home was Hooded mil; and marooned in the ocean of muddy water. Across Union street I lie waters raced to Harbour terrace and then across to Logan Park. Lake Logan of old was once again a lake, am! in a shorter lime than anybody would have prophesied. The dip in Union sired extending as far ca.-t as the last shop was a big basin through which wading was impossible. A rowboat was used hero early in the etching to rescue people. RIVER INTO CITY. Along Castle street a river flowed towards the city. Tlie channels banked up and the water then commenced to spread across the flat, which, many years ago, was reclaimed from the harbour. Castle am! Cumberland streets in the vicinity of St. Andrew street were soon covered knee deep, and the water swirled through the doorways into the manufacturing houses. In the residential part of this district the people experienced a more Irving lime than in 192-”..

So far as the ciiv area is concerned the Hood was more serious than the visitation ot six years ago. The water reached up to the window falls ot tlie houses, and in the manufactiirics all floatable goods on (be ground door- began a tour of tbo building'-. Jn Hogg and Co.’s factors Ihe water was over ;{ft deep at one stage, and a squad of firemen were ordered to remove all damageable goods from the centre of R. Hudson arid Co.’s factory to the upper floors.

Nearly every motorist in Dunedin seemed xo he out fin a sight-iTceing tour, but they found tlie area in the region of Castle, Cumberland, and St. Andrew streets too deeply covered. Several cars were held up till assistance with a tow rope was given them, hut a van which attempted to reach the Highway from St. Andrew street was forced to stay the night in the centre of the road with the water lapping up the bonnet. Nees and Co.’s premises were in the centre of the gigantic lake extending from Forth street, but with the aid of

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the employees and a big goods lift every article of furniture was removed from the lower floor. In Castle street the Hood was serious. Tlie premises of the South Island Motors, Ltd., were quickly flooded, hut before much damage had been done several cars were removed. The water poured into the basement of the railway station block.

But the flood did not end at Stuart street. It continued its way to lower High street, and, flooding the Queen’s Garden and High street to a depth of several inches extended right across to Rattray street. As the Leith is a. man-control led river, in that the approach to its confluence with the harbour is between two walls of concrete, the river is naturally affected by the rise and tall of the tide. Many people had the idea that the Leith would not be atfected by the tide, but they had every reason to completely revise then - opinions about 11 o’clock. The Hood was then at its height in the locality bordering both sides of the river, From every break the water surged with terrific speed, hut within an hour the river had lal!cn at least oft at the Forth street bridge.