ENORMOUS STOCK LOSSES

Grey River Argus, 12 October 1936, Page 5

ENORMOUS STOCK LOSSES

GREYMOUTH BUSINESS AREA Heavily Inundated WORST FLOOD FOR 50 YEARS. The expectation that the Grey River would, add yet another disaster to its T'.ot inconsiderable list of devastating floodings, became an alarming reality when the river .surmounted its banks and overflowed shortly before 4 a.m , on Saturday, and the town experienced what is considered to be the most severe flood since the year 1887. The rising flood walers, backed up bv the tide, soon forced gaping holes ,n (he railway ballast and protection walls at the lower part of the wharf, and within a comparatively short, space of time, the waters had reached as far as the railway line, extending from Tainui Street to Karoro. For over five hours the raging river continued to overflow. Then, with the fall of the tide shortly after nine o’clock, the situation eased, the waters reced'ng until at noon little remained on the°treets in the business area. No lives were lost, but many narrow escapes have been recorded, rescue work being done by many who secured row-boats.

When the waters cleared, a thick layer of silt covered the inundated area, whilst the worst damage was sustained by the Borough Council in the streets adjacent to the waterfront. The cost of repairs will probably run into some hundreds of pounds. Great as was the loss in Greymouth, it was merely a fraction of the enormous damage done in the Grey Valley. Thousands of pounds worth of stock was swept down the Grey River and its tributaries, some farmers being losers to the extent of some hundreds of pounds. Yesterday rain continued throughout the district, but. the extent of the fall was not such as to cause any undue concern.

After the “Argus” went to press on v Saturday morning, the flood waters in a Grevmouth continued to rise for some >- hours, and presently the whole town '* area bordered by the rialway line, from the vicinity of Bevington’s Hotel « became one solid sheet of water, the I’ depth being up to five feet in some t places. . e The most affected area was in the s lower portion of the town from Herbert I Street towards the Blaketown Lagoon, t ]u William, Leonard. Boundary and Arney Streets, the police rescued many residents by boats. The loss to most of these residents through damage bv the waters, coming so soon after their recentx heavv losses in the tornado, becomes doubly severe. a BUSINESS PREMISES INVADED. * a '■ Very few of the business premises in Alaekay and Boundary Streets, and Alawhera ' Quay escaped flooding, but . an earlv warning had given the oeeupiers of most premises ample opportunity of removing goods to higher levels in their shops. In some cases, however, the loss will be severe, as opportunities of lifting stock could not be availed of HEAVY EOSERS. Amongst the heaviest losers will bo Messrs Cotter and McKenzie and Griffen and Smith. Due to the absence of Mr Cotter, in Christchurch, no one was available to lift the stock of general merchand’se in the firm’s premises at the corner of Gresson and Boundary r Streets. The water reached a depth of I fifteen incites in fhe building, ruining s a large proportion of the stock kept a on the ground floor. This included T eases of baking powder, dried iiui.s, c condensed milk', salt and other goods, c whilst the water also d’d a consider- 1: able amount of damage in the firm’s a office. Mr Cotter, who returned on <■ Saturday evening, estimates his loss ( at £l5O. Fortunately, the staff of ' Messrs Griffen and Smith was able to I raise all the general merchandise in f the front, and centre portions of the c building above flood level, but time i d’d not permit of similar action in the t general hardware section of the firm’s i business. The hardware store, at the t rear of the premises was invaded to a 2 depth of over two feet, and much 1 damage was done to the stock. An t approximate estimate of the damage I was not available yesterday, when the i staff was engaged in cleaning up tho ( silt and debris deposited by the flood < waters. 1 HOTELS BLOODED. : All the hotels in he aria bounded by Tailin’, Guiness a.id Herbert Streets i were flooded, the depth of the water beinrr greatest in Bevington's, Park and "Golden Eagle Holds. where carpets had been lifted in anticipation : of events. At Bevington’s Hotel, the water rose high enough for the chairs in the din'ng room to float around. 1 Cellar trap-doors at most of the hotels, are placed on the footpaths O ut=ide, and under the pressure of the rising waters, most of these rose and floated away. Pedestrians, owing to •, he lesser depth of the water, mostly confined themselves to the footpath*., with the result that many fell into the cellars, before boards and ropes were placed as a protection. Apart from the complete ducking received, no ono was injured. Throughout yesterday, the services of the Greymouth Fire Board’s motor engine and pump was utilised in pumping water from the hotel cellars. DAMAGE AT GARAGE. Despite efforts to remove the S 3 buses and ears parked in their garage at the corner of Guinness and P.oundarv Streets, Messrs Kennedy Bros, were able to remove only five ears before the flood waters rendered impossible further access io their premises. Oh three buses the water rose more than half-way to the top of the bonnet, whilst on the smaller types of vehicles the engines were in some cases completely submerged. It will bo necessary to remove and drv many of the engine parts of the vehicles, a work wli"eh will take some time Included in the vehicles were commercial travellers’ ears, in one of which a large quantitv of linen goods were damaged by water, whilst printers’ .samples in the other vehicle were

alm H'vcrclv damaged. The lessen of both travellers will be considerable. theatre flooded. The Regent Theatre, at the junction of Herbert, Mackay and Boundary Streets, was flooded to a depth of some inches throughout, whilst the water reached the seats of the front row of stalls. A considerable amount of damage was done to the carpets in the fover. The entrances to the building had been blocked with soap by the manager, Air J. Emsworth and staff, when it became apparent that the water would rise further, but the water filtered through the floor hoards, being fairly free of silt. The theatre had been cleared out in readiness for the matinee held in the afternoon, whilst the evening performance took place as usual.

Streets Damaged ° i BY RUSHING TORRENTS. h f During the height of the flood, the p waters crossed the wharf aud Mawhera a and Richmond Quays, rushing down v Johnston. Boundary and Albert Streets j and to a lesser degree down Tainui ’.. Street. This continued for some time, v the volume running through Boundary v ami Johnston Streets being particular- v ly large and flowing at a fast pace. n The swelling waters forced their way up under the road near the timber i, berth, and in consequence the asphalt J over a wide area was broken up and o carried away. Tn wide sections of ) Boundary and Johnston Streets, the t rushing 'torrent ripped up the asphalt. h and when tho waters receded the streets were covered with fine gravel, t silt and loose asphalt. . a From the junction with Tainui f Sta'eet. Mawjiera Quay was coviered r with a heavy layer of fine gravel and t silt, much of which entered the busi- y , ncss premises on the waterfront. When the waters had receded just before noon on Saturday, business staffs in the area affected became busily engaged with hoses, buckets, brooms and shovels, removing the deposits from the shops. RECORD LAGOON HEIGHT. J The Blakctown Lagoon, which holds 1 a great amount of backed-up water. - reached what is believed to bo a record he’ght on .Saturday, and residents of Preston Road, and the town side of Blakctown had many unpleasant experiences as the flood level increased. • Many house-dwellers in Preston Road * were marooned’ for some time, road access from Blakctown and Boundary 1 Street being cut off by the flood. The 1 water was over five feet deep in Col- 1 lias Street, whilst, several residents ’ at the lower end had to be evacuated ' by boats. The new road connecting '• tlie Hospital and Blakctown, was flood- ' ed near its Karoro terminus and res’dents had to proceed almost to the Karoro stone-crusher before being able to reach a higher level. < MOTOR-CARS HELD UP. t i Numerous motor vehicles were trap- ( ped in various parts of the flooded , area and their owners had to seek the ; assistance of motor lorries to pull t them to more shallow water. Scores ( of vehicles were to be seen, parked in Tainui Street when the news of the < flood became generally known, their f owners paddling their way through the waters in the vicinity of the Post t Ofliee and proceeding to view the dam- r age on the waterfront. Cars in garages were hurriedly removed, but in a number of eases it is reported that the water reached almost to the hoods of some cars. t — i c Thrilling Rescues 1 WOMAN AND CHILD AT COAL 1 CREEK. c Perhaps the most thrilling rescue t recorded was affected by Air Walter y Batv, of Coal Creek, who, at great per- < sonal risk, saved the lives of a woman , < and young child, at Coal C’reek. Alt c Batv had come to Greymouth to pro- < cure a boat to rescue the woman and •' child, but later on, learning that one had' already been taken by the police > and Harbour officials to rescue the. oe- 1 eirpants of a ’bus marooned on the I Coal Creek Bridge, he returned to the I vicinity to procure the use of the boat. Rowing the boat himself, he undertook and successfully accomplished a diffi- 1 cult trip of three-quarters of a mile in spite of the current, wind and trees, reaching the house in time to find Mrs Cowie, the occupant in a numb, condition, and the child, named Morris, apparently beyond human aid. He gained access to the house, which is , on the northern end of Winghain Park, by rowing the boat into a window. Airs Cowie had been sitting on a chair on top of the table, but through the collapse of the table had been forced to remain on the floor, holding the I child above her head, the water being almost up to her neck. Air Baty removed the occupants to his own home, on higher land, and sent for Dr. W. J. Dickie, of Runanga. With the assistance of Constable E. J. Hay, Dr. Dickie applied artificial respiration, and after a long delay, was able to restore life. The child, who was suffering from the effects of exposure and water in the lungs, made a satisfactory recovery, ; BUS PASSENGERS REMOVED. J Air D. Coburn, a ’bus driver, returni ing from Runanga, and Air E. Ven- , ning, driver of Gibbs’ freight lorry, were held up on Coal C’reek Bridge bef fore 9 o’clock on Friday evening and the police and Harbour officials were . summoned early on Saturday morning and arrived on the scene about three o’clock with a small boat. Nearly three hours elapsed before a rescue ! was effected, the boat having to be taken up the railway line for a considerable distance and steered through the torrent to the vehicle. The men had been on top of the ’bus tor nearly „ nine hours, and the vehicle was for J hours rocking dangerously as the e water rose. The plight, of the men was rendered worse by the occasional G cold showers experienced. e e “ ELDERLY MAN’S ORDEAL. n I? Residing in a small bach in Preston ls Road, an elderly man, had an unenviable experience during the flood. When he awoke he found that the flood e walers were a considerable depth in 1< his hut. and' that any attempt at leaving the bti'lding would be fruitless. He 1- therefore climbed to the rafters of his ffjhiit. and remained there for some Is (eight hours until the waters receded. I-Hie was able to look out of the t°p of tel a window, and calling out to the oc-

cupants of a pas.ing boat, wiHtm'l, avail. AT THE AERODROME. The Blalcetown Aerodrome was covered, over more than half its area by the flood, which deposited' a. heavy layer of beneficial silt. The surging waters, carried away a lavatory, some timber and a quantity of lime, and also removed much rubbish which had not been cleared away. Yesterday the aerodrome appeared to bo in good order. COBDEN’S VISITATION. Residents of the lower portions of Cobden experienced a night of terror as the rising waters invaded their homes, in some instances reaching almost to the windows. Many residents of Peel Street and Nelson Quay, and other low-lying streets left their homes with the approach of the flood waters, but others, knowing little of tho danger. went to bed as usual, and later had to be rescued by boats. Constable Bayers and two others were proceeding bv'boat to the rescue of Airs Manning and' other resdenls in Nelson Quay, when the boat rammed some object and promptly sank, throwing the rescuers into the water, some twenty yards from the house. The water there was over six feet deep. Another boat was procured and the rescues safely accomplished. Water was of considerable depth in lower Bright Street, and even yesterday. thee was a vas- expanse on part of Mi- At. Minehan's property near the beaeh.'. Blood marks indicated that the depth of the water in this vicinity must have exceeded six feet. The securing of accommodation for the remainder of the night for evacuated residents was attended to by Air A. H. McKane, Deputy-Mayor, wfln rendered yoeman service in obtaining temporary homes for the unfortunate victims.

ON COBDEN ISLAND. ( The stock owned by Air F. Higgins, t butcher, of Cobden, and grazing on 5 Cobden Island, in the Grey River, suf- , fered severely in the flood. Out Of a if flock of 89' sheep, only three were G found on the Island yesterday, the re- ( mainder having been washed out to sea. In addition, Mr Higgins lost ar. least three head of valuable cattle. , Some anxiety was felt for fhe safety of Air Neil McCarthy, who resided in a ; hut on tho Island, but he was brought , safely to the mainland shortly jrefore , 9 a-m. < Two brothers, who live in a bach | ( near Cobden Domain, refused proffered j assistance to reach safety and prefer- , red to remain in their predicament i until the waters receded. They were ( unharmed, although the flood reached i j a considerable distance up the walls , of their home. CARCASES ON BEACHES. , 1 Many carcases of dead animals have < been washed up on the beaches north '• of Greymouth, and it is probable that. , the numbers will greatly increase within the next few days. Several cattle were seen lying on Cobden Beach yesterday, and reports from Seven Mile and Nine Mile Beaches indicate : the presence of increasing numbers of ; dead animals. 1 Two dead sheep were noticed yester- ] day entangled in the barbed wire ; fences of the Cobden Domain. ; The removal of the carcases will, in the interests of public health, be a ! necessary precaution without delay. ’ i RAIN CONTINUES. i For an aH'too-brief period after the ( waters subsided on Saturday, Grey- ( mouth experienced sunshine, which. , coupled with the wind, rapidly dried up the deposits of silt in the streets, so much so that a dust n'tiisunee was created. However in the early evening, the sky clouded over and showery , conditions were again in evidence. i Some heavy' falls occurred, during | the night and for the 24 hours to 9 a.m. | yesterday, 65 po'nts of rain were recorded. Yesterday was again a wet day, the fifteenth successive Sunday on which Greymouth has experienced rain, the fall being 56 points from 9 , a.m.. to 7 p.m. i The Grey River remained at nor- . mu! flood level yesterday, but wasagain rising slightly last evening, duel, probably, to tin electrical storm which passed over the Paparoas in the Grey: Valley direction during the morning. . Last evening at 7 o’clock, a six-knot current 'was recorded. RAILWAY DAMAGE. A considerable section of the railway line ballast along the wharf, between Tainui and Johnston Streets, was washed away, and in places adjacent to Boundary Street, the rads and sleepers were suspended two feet in the air. The breaches made by the rising waters accentuated the difficulty and gradually the water enlarged tne gaps until raging torrents became evident in several places. This was particularly so at Boundary Street, where the gaps extend in all about twenty feet. It is fortunate that the waters receded when they did, as their force was eating away the ballast very rapidly. No sooner had the water ceased to overflow the wharf, than gangs of men were on the spot readjusting sleepers and lines and preparing to replace the ballast. For a lengthy portion the stone wall holding the ballast was also washed away. WASHOUTS ON BEEFTON LINE. The amount of damage done to railway lines throughout the district was much less than would have been expected in a major flood. It was necessary to close only that portion of the Reefton line between Ngahere _ and Ahaura. due to two washouts, neither being of a very serious nature. Passengers were conveyed over the closed section by motor-bus. Repair gangs set out early in the' morning and splendid work saw the line ready for use by 3.20 p.m. The train services to Christchurch, Hokitika. Rewanui and Blackball were , maintained without interruption. TRYING TIME FOR SHIPS.. It was a fortunate, circumstance that only two vessels and the dredge “Mawhera” were in port at the time, and only one vessel was in any way i endangered. The “Waimea,” which was at the i timber berth, needed extra precaut--1 tions to prevent her breaking away, ) and, many ropes, coupled with full - steam ahead, gave her sufficient 2 'strength to maintain Iter position s against a current wh'eh at one stage P I reached approximately twelve knots. The motor vessel “Hokitika”, berthf ed some distance further up, utilised her engines for a lengthy period' but

Wn:> in ('('mpara 1 ivc salcty throughout I he flood. The trawlers “Nile” anti f “Waitohi” tied up near the top of ' the berthage, were endangered only by the height of the water, and railway sleepers were tied to the mooring posts as a precaution. The captains and officers of the vessels in port had an anxious night, a s ' also did the Harbour officials. ! i BUSINESSMEN’S COMPLAINT. < Several businessmen, including i some who suffered loss, complained yes- < terdav of the delay in issuing a warn- ■ inrr bv the usual method of ringing 1 the ti'rebell. They stated that, after i working, in some cases until ten i o'clock,' they went home and to bed entirely unaware of the danger. By > the time the fire-bell rang after the I waters had commenced their invasion, | little time was left in which to come < to town and effectively deal with an alarming situation. 1 The contention of many of those ' spoken to was that the alarm bel. should have been sounded at least an hour before the river broke, or when the authorities were reasonably sat sfied that the position was likely to be 1 serious . Alention was made by several, of file ' splendid - assistance given by Air Al. ESpiers and the staff of Station 3ZR. ' who kept listeners .fully informed of ( the progress of events, and pra'se was given the staff for maintaining an allni<Tht vigil. Several commented al so on i he fact that tho forecast of the impeding disaster had come from Ikamatua. where Air G. B. AlcTmroc’s report shortly after ton o’clock, indicated a grave situation locally. r rodents and fish. 1 As the waters rose in the v cinity of the wharves, hundreds of rats and ' f mice made hurried exits to safer posl- j ’ tions and were to be seen scampering ■' across Mawhera Quay in the direction I of Boundary Street.' Quite a number were killed by people on and about ’ tho wharves. . , Alany eels made their appearance in ] the streets with the r.sinsj waters, some finding their way as far as Guin- ’ ness Street. Youthful fishermen made ’ 1 some good “ f eatches” ot eels up to -A ; feet in length. Several trout were also to be seen in the streets. DAMAGE AT OIL DEPOT.. The Shell Company’s oil depot, in Herbert Street, adjacent to the rail-I way line, was flooded to a considerable depth, and cans and cased oil were seen floating about in the water. Two lot' three o'l tanks were floating, placing a heavy strain on the pipes connecting them. No damage appears to have been done to the Company’s largest tank, but water may have forced I its wav into the other one. Considerable damage was al=o done to the office fittings. It is quite probable that many of the bowsers in the affected areas will have had water forced' into the under- ( ground tanks. To ascertain the effect, testing operations will be commenced to-day. TO WORK BY BOAT. It was the unusual experience of many Greymouth business people to go to work on Saturday morning by boat. A number of dinghies, rowboats and canoes made their appearance in the streets at an early hour, and their youthful owners replenished ( their pocket money by taking passengers to and from their destinations. , The majority of the staff of the Post Office were conveyed to work in this fashion, the depth of the water allowing the boats to collect their passengers from as far as the Grey Alotors’ corner, within a few yards of the rail- < way line, and from Alackay Street. POULTRY LOSSES, Heavy losses of poultry occurred in the lower areas of the town, and in a number of eases, residents report the loss of the whole of their feathered flocks. AT VICTORIA PARK. Victoria Park grandstand was in the . centre of a vast expanse of water. The most serious damage was in the horse : stables, where the floors were lilted by I the force of the water, and' swept j away. Great quantities of small driftwood and p'eees of timber were de- ■ posited in various parts of the Park, ; particularly in the vicinity of the grandstands. Some horses were deep in the waters for a time. The ailway RAVorkshops in the vicinity, were not .affected by the flood. The Borough Council’s horses, stabled behind the swimming baths, had an uneasj' morning, and had' very little high ground upon' which to stand. Sawyer’s Creek reached a great depth, when the t’de backed up, and the whole .area of lawns in the vicinity of the Swimming Baths were covered. TELEPHONES MAINTAINED. The flooding at Um Post Office of the underground compartments containing telephone wires caused a little trouble for a while, but when the waters receded the compartments were pumped out and the .staff soon had the telephone wires and connections dried out. FAULTY TELEGRAPHS. Faults developed in the lines between Reefton and the Lyell early on Saturday, but the lines were restored by 11 a.m. Trees aud a slip between Otira. and Jacksons were cleared to enable normal traffic to be handled to Otira by 10.30 a.m. Telephone services to Nelson and Christchurch, which had developed faults on Friday morning, were put ( back into full operation shortly after eleven o’clock on Saturday morning. Normal telegraph traffic was hand-’ ■ led to time on Saturday afternoon. i' “ABEL TASMAN” UNCHANGED. The stranded steamer, “Abel Tas- , man,” seen yesterday, appeared to t have made no change, despite the heavy southerly seas which have pounded her for the past two days. Good progress is still being made with the salvaging operations. - The North Tip Head .appears to t have been damaged by the force of , the seas and the piling on the nortli- ■ ern end was yesterday in a very loose position. If, would appear that a good J quantity of stone has been washed ■ aside. ', A'iewed front the North Tip Head, I Cobden Beach was strewn with huge t quantities of debris, some logs being I I up to -10 feet in length. Alany reside ents were busily engaged collecting logs aud also pieces of coal carried - down by the flood'. 1 A birch tree was left, lying across t the railway line to the Tip Head, and

Ihi: prized picec of firewood was being sawn up yesterday by several youths who had a trolley to assist them in the hork of transportation. BAKING UNDER DIFFICULTIES. Those employed at Shannon and Glen’s bakehouse in Guinness Street, had a measure ot worry during the rise of the water. Two ovens were full of bread when the water entered the bakehouse, and before long tne men were working thigh-deep. The greatest danger was whether the water would reach the ovens, and it was fortunate that the flood began to recede with the water within three inches ot: the ovens. An electric motor used for the bread mixing machine, was put out of action, and the staff had yesterday to prepare to hand-make to-day’s supply of bread. Fortunately a suitable motor was procured and' installed, thus saving much unnecessary toil. No flour was damaged l.»y the water. ABOVE 1913 LEVEL., Old residents, who had retained marks on the walls of their homes, indicating the height of the 1913 flood, stated yesterday that Saturday’s visitation exceeded the pre-war flood by nine inches. This record was confirmed :n several quarters, and also at the Om'oto Racecourse. BOAT DELIVERY OF PAPERS. The “Argus” publishing and delivering staffs, had difficult tasks on Satuiday morning, due to the height of the water in the vicinity of Alackay' aud Taraptth: Streets. The water rose rapidlv shortly after the delivery boys arrived to perform their usual rounds and some were late in leaving the ofliee. due more to the flooding in their delivery areas. The boys, hovever, accomplished their tasks as quickly as possible. To get the “Argus” to the early tra'ns and buses for country subscribers, it was necessary' to secure a boat taking the papers to the corner of Mackay and Tainui Streets, where they were loaded on to a hand-cart and taken to the railway station and buses