CANTERBURY FLOODS

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 15 January 1930, Page 9

CANTERBURY FLOODS

LATE EDITION

FARMS INUNDATED

CROPS BADLY DAMAGED

ROAD TRAFFIC STOPPED.

Pv 'toiegi'iph —Preas Association.) ASHBURTON, Jan. 15 The nilain .south road immediate’.y south of Ashburton bridge )® eihsrtl on account of revere flooding following unusualy heavy rain since noon yesterday. The. river rose suddenly it. the night and overflowed! its tanks. Two feet of water on the main road .stopped all traffic. On account of tlie scouring there is 15 feet of water on a sunken road alongside the golf links, which are submerged to a _ depth of four feet. The golf' house is awash, and the entrance gates are entirely submerged. A workman engaged in cohstruction work on the new bridge. had 1 been camped in the riverbed with nis rife. Water surrounded them before they could get awlaiy, and a neighbour had to rescue them, he carrying th r woman to safety. , Two swaggers .sleeping on the n 1 erbed had' a narrow escape. One was located after difficulty and taken to high land. The other wlas not found for some time. Eventually lie. was seen up to 'liis waisjt in water hanging on to the bough of a. tree. Under supervision he waded ashore, being up to his neok in swirling Adapter. Maiiy farms at Tindwalcl have been badly 'swamped. The Hinds river is at its highest . for many years and many farms adjoining rivers are nuclei water. Crops have been badly Damaged!. Four inches of rain fell at. Rakaia Gorge, andl the fuTl effect is being anxiouslv awaiited at the Rakaia bridge. Nearly an inch and a half of ram fell at Ashburton in twelve hours The hill coustry reports a .severe deluge and heavy rail is still falling. s