THE FLOODS.

Lake County Press, Volume VII, Issue 386, 3 October 1878, Page 2

THE FLOODS.

During the week the in our last issue have continued and proved to be, without exception, the most disastrous ever known in the Colony. The rain held up for a short time on Friday, but in the evening came on again in torrents, continuing almost without intermission up to Monday night. The snow, which had become thoroughly rotten, rolled down from the ranges, and on Saturday night and Sunday morning what are ordinarilysmall creeks hadassumeddimensions beyond what had ever been known before. The Arrow, Shotover, and Kawarau rivers filled to overflowing their beds, and rushing down with terrific speed and strength bore away all standing in their courses. Sunday daybreak found numbers of men standing along the banks saving a portion of the immense quantities of timber borne along by the torrents, and in some cases removing their goods and chattels to places of safety. Monday morning it was discovered that the telegraph line was down between the Arrow and Cromwell, so that no information could be obtained from down-country as to the extent of damage done. It was, however, ascertained on Sunday that the road was quite impassable, a mail having started from Cromwell and being compelled to go back again. Telegraphic communication was restarted on Monday afternoon as far as the Teviot, and then news of damage to an extent at present incalculable came to hand. At the Queens town end of the County things are looking infinitely worse than at the Arrow, the township getting, between the creek and the Lake, almost entirely submerged. So far as we can at present learn the principal damage in this County is as follows, there being no loss of life reported:— The Township of Abrowtown has escaped, we believe, as lightly as any place in almost the whole of the up-country districts. As reported previously the Corporation dams are much damaged, although they have done a deal of service in saving the town. About two acres of the reserve have been carried away, and extensive slips have occurred on the sideling facing the township. A bad slip has also come away on the Cemetery hill. In Berkshire street on one side a lot of the bank has become detached, and, falling into the water channel, caused the waahingaway of a portion and the cutting of a deep fissure in the centre of the street. The residents on the Bush Creek Flat were flooded out, the creek running clean through the houses. The premises occupied by Mr Locke at the corner of Buckingham Street have had & narrow escape, the river having set right on to the foundations ; they are not yet out of danger, and will need strong supports to keep them in an upright condition. Rocks at the rear of Mr Perrelle's and Mr Barker's never seen before are bared, testifying to the violence and extent of the flood. No great expenditure on the part of the Borough Council for repairs will be called for ; but it will be necessary to at once devise some means for stopping any further encroachment of the stream. The Roads throughout the County are in a perfectly indescribable state. Culverts sre burst inall directions, and it was a matter of utter impossibility for a horseman to get even as far as Queenstown. Steps will be taken

immediately to make the Arthur's Point j road fit for traffic. The road from 'he punt round the Bluffs is carried in many places bodily away or so smothered as to be undistinguishable. A gang of men are already at work endeavouring to open it, but we fear some time must elapse before any appreciable improvement can possibly be made. On this road the bridge at the JKoaring Meg is destroyed. The Shotover Bbidge is again rendered impassable. This time a portion of the bridge itself has been carried away, and the road up the Shotover hill —leading from the bridge on the Queenstown side—has slipped down in a lump into the river. The folly of expending so much money upon patchwork at this structure will, we should hope, be now demonstrated, and the question of a new bridge at the roeks be looked fairly in the face. Enough money has been thrown away in the rain attempt to make art idiotic piece of engineering an apparent success, and we hope the County Council will endeavor to get the blunder rectified instead of perpetuated. The greatest point of interest during the flood has been The Moeven Feeey Punt owing to the expressed determination of Government to erect the Kawarau bridge at that site. It was well known that at every flood the flat was in danger, and, as a rule, under water, and it was felt that the one present was bound to convince even the most wilfully blind that it would be sheer madness to carry out such a proposal. If a disastrous flood can be opportune,, this one was so, for it proved beyond contradiction that had a bridge been at this site, it must have yielded to the torrent — the proposed level being some feet under water. The declivity leading to the punt, and known as Pritchard's hill, has slipped away ; as likewise has the Idll down which the new road to the bridge was proposed to be cut. In fact, the whole of the punt flat assumed the appearance of a lake, with a seething torrent at its outer edge. We feel sure the public mind may now b p set at rest on the subject of the Kawarau bridge site, the elements having finally settled that it will not be at the punt whatever the difference in cost. Bush Ceeek on Sunday morning presented the appearance of an immense raft, so thickly was it covered with floating timber gathered in its course. Some 50 or 60 cords must have been caught and landed on the flat at its junction with the Abeow Rivee, which also brought down heavy consignments of mining and rough timber, gathered from the reefs, Macetown, and mining claims and gullies in the river itself. From a few miners who made their way down at great risk on Sunday we learn that the track has in many places been carried into the river by extensive slips. Mr 0. Hein, who had erected a most substantial stone house near the Sons of Fortune claim, was compelled to leave it owing to the boulders coming from the hill above, and has little hopes of finding it intact on his return. I he full extent of the damage done in the river will not be ascertained for some time to come. Hayes Ceeek has been swollen to an alarming extent and the settlers along its whole course will suffer considerable loss in crops and property. At Mr Butel's mill the water took entire possession of the whole premises, washing away bridges, fences, and all that was moveable, and seriously damaging a quantity of flour and wheat in the mill. A similar clearing process took place at Mr Gilmour's mill. Mr Paterson had considerable difficulty in saving his woolshed and stables, which are built alongside the creek. The Cbops in all the low-lying farms are under water, and a deal of loss will fall upon the settlers in consequence, as in many cases there is no possibility of draining it off, but it must soak in. Macetown. Our correspondent at Macetown writes : —" L'homme proposer mais Dieu dispose ! " A practical illustration of the force of this saying has been afforded us during the past week. Everyone was looking forward to a speedy solution of the doubts and fears expressed about our reefs, or a successful realization of the hopes of the more sanguine; but, alas! for human judgment, Jupiter Pluvius stepped in with a "No, you don't! " enforced by a tremendous downpour and consequent flood, and the fair visions of handsome dividends almost within our grasp disappeared in the seething torrent of the Arrow amidst the flotsam and jetsam of bridges, tramways, flumes, and miners' tools. Truly the destruction has been very great, and some time must elapse ere mining matters can resume their onward course. Fortunately the place is not like " Humpty Dumpty " of nursery memory—albeit a good many horses and a good many men will be needed " to put it in the seme shape again." On Tuesday last a heavy gale of wind blew all day, culminating at 5 o'clock in a steady fall of rain, which continued without intermission for nearly 4X3 hours. From every gully in the steep ranges there issued a torrent, swelling the volume of water in the Twelve«mile Creek until it became " a banker," but no damage except the tearing-up of ro;ids and tracks occurred, parties being stationed at the Public and all other batteries to resist the invader, which was done successfully. Alternate sunshine and showers supervened until Saturday evening, when another tremendous downpour set in, the already swollen creeks burst all bounds, and a raging, muddy, resistless stream poured down the valley, sweeping everything before it. The Public Battery, and those of the All Nations and Homeward Bound, fortunately again escaped, but considerable damage was done to the water-races and tracks.

The road up Seanlan's Gully and th Twelve-mile, lately constructed at grea cost, have almost entirely disappeared where not washed away they are covers by immense land-slips—indeed, for t| past two days the country has seemed al on the move and hastening tc« form a net continent elsewhere. '1 he Home wan Bound office and stables, both very sub stantial structures, melted away before th conquering element, the old battery w» silted up with, several feet of drift, an the new tramway was seriously damagei Several huts in Bush Creek succumbed t the flood, and many weeks must elapse er, the water-races can be restored and uti lised. Such a visitation has not beei known since the historical " Old Man' flood, and I shall not be at all surprised ti learn that a considerably greater araourj of damage has been done this time ; it i especially the case up here. Queenstown. , .M has, we believe, suffered more than any other place in the County. TO damage commenced with the of the town creek, which burst throusl the town, on its way to the Lake, destroj ing all before it. The houses, were under mined and, coming to the ground, w«r swept away; the whole block from (Jam Street to Hees Street being almost a hea of ruins. To complete the destruction o Sunday night the Lake rose to a terribl extent, and on Monday there was four fee of water running in Rees Street. % destruction of property then became dii astrous in the extreme. The water dashini floating timber about smashed in tli fronts of a number of buildings, and, ii receding,, carried away the pulling them dowu in a heap.. The seem was and is indescribable. Large number of persons went from the Arrow to set what was doing, but all hope of renderini assistance was vain. All that could b done was to stand and watch the destrac tion of property, saving any chance article that might float within reach. Boat! were plying as far up the town as Powell'i hotel, and panic was depicted in even face. To attempt to picture the scene in words is futile, but we believe that in tto midst of the destruction two good photo. graphic views of the township were got We must content ourselves with tie following list of the principal places destroyed, although a number of other buildings are undermined and ruined:The Wakatip Brewery and stables are i complete wreck. The front of Messn Williams and Archer's store is smashed in ;,and we hear that a valuable piano,tie property of Miss Byrne, of the Arro«r,ie amongst the goods destroyed. The doori and windows of the Masonic Hall were carried away, and the plaster and smaller stones commenced falling out. Mr Williams' house adjoining was completely destroyed- The gable of Ross's stablet bulged out, and left the walls flapping like sheets of paper in. the wind. At Kichardt'i hotel the doors and windows disappeared and furniture and stock floated about Messrs Eobertson's jetty was lifted offiti staging, and, floating about, destroyed s cottage adjoining belonging to Mr Fraser. The loss sustained in stock and furniture by the storekeepers and others it is il present impossible to estimate, but manj thousands of pounds will be required to replace the general loss. This calamity will, for some time to come, almost run the township ; and. indeed, it is hard Is see how many of the sufferers can retrieve their losses at all. The town at the present time bears the appearance ot having passed through a terrific earthquake with its fissured streets> wrecked housei, and general ruin. Skippebs, At Skippers Reefs a heavy slip cam! down from the fiat below Mount Oram, carrying away the Phoenix fluming, d covering Southberg's house almost to tin eaves, the occupants only escaping will their blankets A large stable also hj longing to Mr Southberg was destroyed A weathor-board cottage of Mr Edwari had to be taken down for safety ; and tli roads and tracks are rendered impassable While so much damage has been door in Lake County it would seem to be bi a drop in the bucket compared to whei has occurred down-country. It is onlybj telegraph we can learn anything of will has transpired—no papers having cornel hand for more than a week—but froms scanty information furnished that the Clyde suspension bridge, a md handsome structure, referred to in on last issue as having had a narrow escape gave way early on Sunday morning, id has left not a vestige behind. The Bannockburn bridge has also gone don the stream in fragments. The Roxburgl bridge, a good structure, has been carrin away; and the Beaumont bridge »1« Further particulars of down-country ii mage will be found in our telegrams.