THE FLOODS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8932, 26 June 1905, Page 3

THE FLOODS.

AT WANGANUI.

£fbisb association.]

WANGANUI, June 26.

The weather is now clear, after two days' incessant rain. The water in the river is subsiding. A serious washout occurred yesterday on Brunswick Hill, and a gang of twenty men was sent in the i afternoon. The line was cleared at three o'clock this morning. Business people on Taupo Quay had a scare on Saturday night owing to a false alarm from Pipiriki that the river had risen four feet above the highest flood level. They remained up all night shifting the goods from the cellars and lower floors out of harm's reach. The flood was considerably lower than last year's.

FARMERS LOSE HEAVILY.

CHRISTCHURCH, June 26. Judging from tlie deposit about the hedges and trees there must have boeoi from eight feet of water at places on tho roads and in the paddocks. Stock suffered severely, although it is impossible to glean any definite tidings of the amount of losses, but some farmers will be very heavy losers. The damage to crops is also very great. In haJf the paddocks the feed will be spoiled for the winter. Thceo who suffered most will probably be those .who had their potatoes in pits. The mangold crops are also mined. Roads as well as fields are in a dreadful state and haw i been scoured out in a!ll directions. It will be a matter of considerable expense to tho local bodies to effect- tho repairs. Fortunately the flood happened in the day time and in many cases stock was saved j which at night would have, been lost. The general opinion is that the flood was the heaviest experienced in the distrcit since 1868.

TWO MEN DROWNED.

FURTHER LOSSES REPORTED.

| MURCHISON, June 26. . A continuous warm rain caused the largest flood known for years. The Buller dredge at Fern Flat broke from its moorings when the flood was at its height- at dawn on Saturday. There ware four men -aboard, and two (Liddicoat aud Craig) attempted to get ashore, but were drowned. The other two (Errick i>nil Menzies), managed to swim r. shore Liddicoat, who was manager of the dndgc, loaves a widow and child at Westport. The flood in the Buller river was the highest that has been known. The town was slightly flooded in places and sevenil families had to leave their homes, but not innch damage was done in town. ' Settlers in the country lost a considerable quantity of stock.

THE GREYMOUTH FLOODS.

GREYMOUTH, June 26. The loss in the town is less than was at first expected, but in the country it is very extensive. Most of the dredges are moreor less affected. The Buller Junction, Hlackwatc*, an.l Aldinga arc stranded. The approaches to the Blackball bridge are washed away. There was no damage to shippers, and operations have been resumed.

ELECTRIC LIGHT WORKS IN

DANGER

I A very anxious time was spent by tho Llcctnc Light Company on account- of the rise in the Waingongoro river, and tho water approached perilously near tha machinery in the power-house. Fortunately the water began to recede before any damage was done, but the logs that came tumbling down required constant j watching. The water rose about eight I feet, above normal winter level, and great ! difficulty was experienced im keeping the' grating free from the debris to permit, of '' Hie water passing through. Tlie result. ! ot tho scraping was that a quantity of I small scraps found its way into the turbines. The carcases of a couple of cows and somo pigs wore scon to pass down i the river. i 1

AWATUNA EAST.

STREAMS RUNNING HIGH. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

The heavy rains and the north winds which melted the snow on the mountain had the effect of raising the streams on Saturday to a greater height than has been known for some years. As to the unliridged stream near Jvaponga, known as Kelly's Creek, travellers who know the placb well say that it has not been so high for six years as it was on Saturday, which would fully account for the unfortunate' accident which happened there on that day. The Mangawhero stream, now happily bridged, was higher, it is said, than when the coach accident took place two years ago, when a valuable life was lost. The Awatuna stream was in high flood all day, and two young ladies, who did not know the dangerous nature of the ford when it is in high state, in attempting to cross in a light gig were nearly overturned on account of the horse not being able to maintain its footing. One shudders to think what might have been the outcome of such an accident had it really occurred. Mr Win, Robertson, one of the proprietors of the mail coach, when he heard of the accident at Kelly's Creek, when a buggy was capsized, and when one of the occupants had a narrow shave of his life, immediately got a horse and rode out to the stables at Awatuna and made arrangements with Mr Jack Searle to meet the coach at the creek if the rain did not cease, and take the mails through to Opunake. Fortunately, however, the rain did stop, and the creek fell a good deal, and by coach time the rush of water was not so great, and the driver with his fourhorse team managed to get through, although in doing so the water reached his feet, perched up though he was on tho box seat. Mt Arthur ttobevtson, wiic was the driver, met a hearty reception at Awatuna East from more than a dozen settlers when he drew up with the mails and papers only five minutes late. Two young ladies at Eiverlea, who were unaware of the high and dangerous state of Kelly's Creek, and who were going to Kaponga to attend choir practice, were advised by Mr Robertson not to proceed on their journey, and this advice they gladly accepted. All this shows how urgent it is that "both the unfordable creeks between Kaponga and Awatuna East should be bridged at once. When we think of the narrow escape's there wore on Saturday last in fording these two places the urgency of this matter is more fully understood. Jlad there been an urgent case of sickness here requiring immediate medical attention, such as a bush accident, it would have been quite impossible for the doctors to have crossed the streams in their light gigs, although both doctors at Kaponga are known to be experienced horsemen.