THE COAST FLOODS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 4458, 27 January 1917, Page 5

THE COAST FLOODS.

SURVEY OF TOKOMARU. HEAVY DAMAGE DONE. SETTLERS’ GREAT LOSSES. {From Our Own Correspondent.) TOKOMARU BAY, Jan. 24. Further reports of the damage done on Monday by the flood continue ,±o come in. Every stream, great and small, which empties into the bay, did some damage, and in several cases enormous damage. Commencing with the Kaiwha stream, which flows under the bridge at the foot of the hill on the road to Tologa, and winds along the roadside past Mr. Oates senr.’s house, one now sees the creek occupying the road for about 50 yards. The poundkeeper’s stockyards were swept clean away, as also was Oates’s cowyard further down and Wilson's fences and some outhouses behind his blacksmith’s shop. Much .of the timber from the stockyards was caught m the suspension footbridge, with trie, result that the deck of the bridge was tilted over almost at right angles, and a corrugated iron tank from Mr. C. Williams’ whare coming down was hurled by the torrent clean over the bridge. This bridge lield, and has since been cleared and righted. Bejow the bridge the flood waters roared through the Maori orchards on the left, and for a time aven ran down the road between the Native school and the pa. Mr. Day and Mr. C. Morse have suffered some damage caused by slips behind their houses, and Mr. Wilson’s newly erected fence has been levelled. From the Bank of New Zealand to the Mangaliauini bridge the street was under water to a depth of about four feet in places. Burdett’s ' private hotel was surrounded, and between it and the school the water poured through to the sea. cutting a big gash through the sandhills behind Pepper’s hoot shop. Pepper’s shop must have had two feet of water in it. judging bv the quantity of siltdeposited. Burdett’s stable had the flood waters right through it. and a fine lot of logs dumped inside and piled high all round outside as well. The dwellings of Messrs. Binder, •Ramsay, Rev. Williamson, iSanvpy, and J. Oates were for a time on an island completely cut off in every direction. though the water did not enter any of the houses. Mr. Keane is one of the heaviest losers. Not onlv is his new house undermined, considerably damaged and half in the river, hut three-parts of his acre of land have gone. When it was seen that the river was rapidly cutting its way nearer and nearer to his house, eight or nine neighbors assisted him to shift the furniture and all belongings out to a place of safety. where they were covered with the linoleums off the floors. When this work began there was a space ot about six feet wide between the house and the river, and by the time everything was shifted the river was twelve feet under the house. Immediately above the house one could see the bank tumbling into the flood in tons —great pieces ten or twelve feet long and five or six feet wide. Die rain slackened, and it was thought that the house would not fall, but about three hours later,with a smashing of flooring timbers and joists, it fell half over into the liver. Between Burdett’s Hotel and the bridge huge logs two and three feet in diameter are stranded on top of the road, and the fencing round the paddock on the lower side has almost all vanished. J. Oates had 60 sheep in this paddock, and succeeded in saving about 20 of them. He had great difficulty in getting clear himself at the finish. The cottage next hut one to the bridge belongs to Mr. Hanlon and here happened one of the saddest accidents imaginable—the loss of Mr. and Mrs Hanlon’s 18-month s-old son, . as already reported. The gallant effort of Wi Pewhairangi, who galloped into the swirling waters and sprang from his horse in an attempt to save the child was frustrated by the awkward position of the fence and the two-roomed cottage m front of Hanlon’s. This cottage, which ■belongs to Mr. C. Morse, was about fifteen minutes later shifted by tile water right against the fence, a distance of about 30ft. . . The Mangahauini valley road is in a much worse condition than after the May floods.. All the new groins that were in course of erection are destroyed, and the road has been torn out and absolutely swallowed up in places. Box culverts have been washed out, and in other places blocked with enormous bouMei-s ana timber and silt which are piled high on top of the road. . - f The streams on the right or the Mangahauini on the way up have cairied down and piled enormous masses oi rock and boulders as big ns U « mail coach, on top of the road. Jt is now necessary for travellers to nde jvlono- the bed of the river to get through. Mr. McCracken the contractor, states that practically all th work he has done this summer and last in the Mangahauini valley is Along the beach road the small bridge at Morse’s timber yards is blocked up, and the creek is running over the road. Mr. Morse s house further along had a torrent of mud and water through it. This house will require a considerable sum ot money to make it again fit tor habitation. , . , , The Te Puke Hotel is the nut scene of disaster. Most of the outbuildings have either been smashed or twisted or carried away, the concrete wall in the creek at the rear of the hotel is smashed up The fowl-house and 100 ducus and hens are washed away. The drying ground torn up and piled with timber boulders and rubbish, and .the bridge is buried and the creek running across . the road. The hotel kitchen and dining rooms were flooded, and t*~ hack yards and passages covered wita nearly a foot of silt. Hie damage at the hotel will probably run into several hundred pounds. . . There are land slips of various sizes all along from the hotel to Te Aiiuiu settlement, and one or two wash-outs on the road, hut not impassable ones. The greatest scene of desolation is at Te Ariuru. where the creek ha* hurst its hanks, uprooted trees torn ill the soil away Horn the cuLtna tions, a fid h-nt>ed masses of .stone ™d boulders >f all sizes—weighing tons, some of them—on to P before were haver and vegetable gardens, kumar and corn patches orchards and crass Pa ddo , ' ¥ the footbridge caused a block and tlie debris pilin'- against it heaped the Ip » to* tor.ran jt right angles down the roan m both direc „a;, ir r o-ront lo°"s up where the S Kfi J™ befo«. Below* this bridge and near i„V and machinery were, wrecked, and a understand^^s f loser to the extent of about £loo°. Ariunl settlement from e tbe hill, one could almost imagfronts at to were it but a Photograph toU fo c ”"to n a of ,lfe itlemmfc and I intend to this little settiem aper an op . : - . toh a Pho.o- ---' graph.

The creek on the other side of 'ie Ariiiru has carried down such a quantity of earth and silt that a small reclamation of part of the mole bay has been made. Next we come to the Waima creek, the mouth or wincii is surrounded with a great lot 01 driftwood, smashed timber, wreckeu whares and the demolished bridge. , The Tokomaru Farmers’ Company s branch store had a narrow escape from going to sea, judging by the piles of logs round it, as did the little church alongside. , The street in front of Oates Bros, s branch store is strewn with logs, and one or two small' dwellings and tents that were too close to the bank ot the creek were swept away. This was the scene of the otliei tragedy, and though it was rapoited yesterday that the body of the man named Lewis was found out on the rocks under the wreckage ot the bridge I learn upon inquiry to-day that this is not so. Therefore neither the man nor the child has yet been found. ~ , The Waihi creek, which runs out beneath the new addition now being erected to the freezing works, cud very little damage beyond depositing a good deal of silt, which may make sonie little alteration to the depth ci water at the wharf. DAMAGE AT WAIPIRO BAY. (From Our Special Correspondent.l WAIPIRO BAY, Jan. 24 The rain storm ended on Monday afternoon, having lasted about 24 hours, during which a total of 17.21 inches of rain fell. Little local damage was done. The main street was badly scoured out in places, and every house, of course, discovered a new' leak. The Taiharakihi creek rose to a great height, and the slaughter-house and yards were washed away. , . ' A , Monday’s mail arrived to-day by pack-horse at noon, having been three hours and 40 minutes on_ the journey from Tokomaru. Two of the five pack-horses had been down, and were literally covered in mud. Ihe northern part of the mail goes on tomorrow. . . The immense new stone groin in the Maungahauini valley, about four miles this side of Tokomaru Bay. recently erected by Mr. C. McCracken, was washed away in the recent flood.