ON THE TAIERI

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

ON THE TAIERI

PORTION OF PLAINI UNDER WATER FORTUNATE CESSATION OF RAIN - ,1 STOCK REMOVED TO SAFETY 'i Memories of Hie previous disastrous floods on the Taieri Plain made tho farmers apprehensive yesterday when, the waters began to rise in the rivers and .streams, and preparations were at once made to remove stock to safety. Though considerable damage has been, caused, the position at present is not very serious, stock having been removed to higher levels. On the lower Taieri a huge Hood existed this morning. Tlie waters from the Taieri Piver, the contour channel, and the Waipori arc all emptying on to the Plain, and,' if they increase much in volume, a record '(lood will result. Tlie lower end of the Plain does not pet the flood for some hours after tlie northern end. so that conditions last night were not so bad there; but the report tin’s morning was that the waters wore rising and that boats were being used to catch the remainder of the stock missed last night. The J'orlunafc cessation of Iho rain to-day gave a more cheerful outlook to affairs. An old resident of the Taieri stated that the rain last night was one of the heaviest downpours ho ever remembered on the Taieri. Ju keeping with tha neighbouring districts. Tnieri bad experienced a dry spell, and harvest wan in full swing. Tlie threshing mills wero humming merrily right up till dark on Monday night, when the rain began to fall. It was thought at first that; there* would not lie much, and newly-threshed grain was left almost unprotected over night. The downpour will thus mean considerable loss in the way of grain—grain bagged and grain in tho stock.:

The f'crions aspect of the storm w<w not. noticed till 4 or 5 p.m., when tbo Owhiro and Si 1 verst ream water courses, which had been nornmJ at noon, becani® turbulent torrents, and soon overflowed their banks. The rain increased in volume, and shortly after dark it was plain that a flood would result. In Mosgiel township it was thought that the water would not invade th« houses, but by .1J p.m. rescue work had started, and very many bouses, in which there was a depth of water of many inches, bad been vacated. Tba flood waters coursed through lb® streets, washing out the formation in many places. Gardens were stripped of vegetables, these being washed against • fences. By daylight this morning, however, the wafer had fortunately subsided, and as the rain abated consider* ably, the worst seemed to have passed. Around Mosgiel and in the. North' and East Taieri all low-lying land was submerged, and stock was shifted with difficulty. Up to midnight settlers and their dogs could he heard shifting stock in the driving lain io highei paddocks. All roads were blocked, amt in many cases motor cars were surlounded by water, and bad to be pulled to safety by horses. The approach to the, Taieri Mouth bridge on the Bruce County side was bc.c’i washed away. About 7 o’clock last night Mr Kirk* land. East Taieri, reported that the Taieri River showed only lit of rise OVP! normal, hut, by !(/ p.m. it back risen to the. Git mark, and had every indication of a further rapid rise. The weather was very dirty at that hour, anl showed no sign of abating. This morning the river' was still rising. Some Mosgiel residents motored home Iroin Dunedin viii Cors torpid no road, past the golf links, along th® hill, and down into Green Island Borough near the rnan.se, ’ Water is flowing across the Main South road m several places, and at the narrow turn' ol the road near the crown of Saddl® Dili some ol the earth work has been scoured out. f l be quarry bridge neap Mosgiel boundary is under water, likewise the Gordon road bridge across tha Silverstream.