CANTERBURY FLOODS

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXX, Issue 4812, 22 February 1936, Page 4

CANTERBURY FLOODS

FARMS INUNDATED. RIVER BURSTS BANKS. Christchurch, Friday. Bursting its banks at three places near Fernside, the Ashley River, in high flood after yesterday’s torrential rain, devastated thousands of acres of wheat crops, drowned hundreds of head of stock, and caused much damage to the homes of farmers from Coldstream to Waikuku Beach. Fortunately the wall of water did not take a direct course through Waikuku. Had it done so, it is considered by residents that nothing would have saved their homes from destruction. The flood swept toward Woodend, cutting through the Main North Road a few hundred yards on the north side of the Woodend Church, and ran to the north through Waikuku and on to the sea. There has never within the memory of old residents been such a disastrous flood at Waikuku. Thousands of sheaves of wheat were tossed against fences and across roads, sheep, pigs, cattle and fowls were drowned, and houses were invaded, some to a depth of five feet. Standing crops have been ruined. Serious damage to the main railway line and Main South Road followed an overflow of the Ashburton River this morning. The river rose steadily throughout jyesterday and reached its peak at 7.30 to-day, when the water was only Ift. or 2ft. below the top of the bridges, of which there are three close together. The new railway bridge has been in use only two months and the approach at the south end suffered, as the tremendous volume of water rushed between it and the raised approach to the traffic bridge. About 8.30 this morning the railway approach began to crumble, and in half an hour a chain of the line was suspended over the raging torrent.

Transport throughout the province was still disorganised to-day, as the result of yesterday’s floods, and though most of the train services resumed, several main highways and many more secondary roads were impassable.

TRAINS deviated. USE OF OJLD BRIDGE. ONE ENGINE DERAILED. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Ashburton, this day. Express trains are going through to-day by means of a deviation on to the old bridge. The force of the water is shown by the piling up of shingle six feet high at the entrance to the golf links on the low-lying land near the new bridge. An engine on the Methven line was derailed near Lauriston, the front bogie being moved about two feet and slewed round in the scour. Fifteen passengers in the guard’s van, the only vehicle on the train, were uninjured.