THE 1906 FLOOD.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 10473, 31 December 1927, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE 1906 FLOOD.

SETTLERS HAVE NARROW ESCAPES.

Following up a lengthy spoil of dry weather, Poverty Bay in July. Ifk.iS, experienced » disastrous rain storm which caused the *\ aipaoa river to overflow into the Tanihe' a river, which soon began to run through Gisborne with lorce. oi a mighty river,'earning with it dead stock and drift wood, and occasioning great alarm. Nelson Bros.’ bridge at Taruheru carried away, 1 Mt, fortunately, it was secured at Carnarvon Street, where it broke down about a quarter oi tile structure at that point. The morning train could not proceed further than Alakamka. Bouts were at once supplied bv tiie Harbor Board, tlie Union S.S. Ob. and Nelson Bros. From Makaraka te Matawhero the country was a sheet of water. The Willows Settlement was in a similar plight, as ji'so was the low-lying couur.ry beyond the bridge towards To Aral. Eli route to Patutahi the waters were in some places as high as the fences. Drowned stock were to he seen in every direction, ixs nell as cattle and sheep swimming in search of a. dry knoll. The Ileuses in the vicinity of Ala kauri school were invaded to the extent of several feet. At YVacren-ga-a-hika and Makaraka, in particular, much rescue work required to 1,? dour. At Ormond. the flood did not reach as great a. height as on the occasion of the 1876 flood, but several settlers had to 1 e removed to places of safety. Whntatutu and To Karaka also suffered from flood waters. whilst Morel'© was in a similar plight. As far as the town was concerned, neither the Taruheru nor the Ivaiti bridge was damaged, but some of tlie flood waters got into.tiie AVaikanae and did damage to tlie Grey and Lowe Street bridges. Subsequent river protection work has prevented a recurrence of trouble of a serious character.