SUMMARY FOR EUROPE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXV, Issue 7863, 19 May 1886, Page 2

SUMMARY FOR EUROPE.

(Continued from Supplement.)

the floods. Under this head we give the complete information supplied by our staff in reference to the floods in the oity and suburbs, and by our country correspondents, as to the state of affairs in other districts. The floods have been rapidly subsiding during the past twenty-four hours, and the glass steadily rising. After midnight qf Tester* £ajf the wtwel' Improved v«Hy fast, and in the early morning the moon shone out Fory clearly and ligated up the City its environs, throwing out into bold relief the localities most affected by the floods. Although no sensational damage has been reported, a great deal of distress and pain have been caused in the smaller quarters of the City, and it is satisfactory to learn that active steps are being taken to alleviate this. THE CITY. In the City of Christchurch, the damage to property was chiefly confined to the eastern districts. Several willow and poplar trees on the banks of the river fell, and, floating athwart the bridges, constituted a serious risk to these structures until removed by the City Council employees, under the direction of Mr Walkden, City Surveyor. None of the bridges have sustained any damage. The whole width of Cambridge terrace east, from Manchester street, was inundated by a swiftly-flowing stream, which, at the open space at the east end of Peterborough street, expanded into a lake of some couple of acres in extent; and some of the buildings fronting on the river at this point were flooded, causing great damage to carpots and furniture, and even to bedding. The trees and plants in the Cemeteries were very badly broken down and some of the paths washed away. On the Oxford terrace side, the Bricks Wharf was almost dismantled, and the boats in the shed half filled with mud and festooned with river weeds. The dwelling-house had more than a foot of water in it, and the damage to the furniture will be a great loss to the occupier, Mr Samson David. There were pretty nearly 10,000 gallons of water in the cellar of the Star and Garter Hotel, but no further damage, although the.house was surrounded by water for nearly 24 hours. On the lower side of Avon street, and in Willow and Queen streets, and Oxford terrace east of Barbadoes street, not a house escaped flooding to depths varying from one to three feet, and the roads, paths, and gardens, and even the floors of the houses, were covered with sludge. The inhabitants were, in a few cases, on the watch, and removed their chattels and themselves to places of safety; but the majority went to bed, trusting that, as the river had not encroached upon them during the previous storm, they were safe from its ravages, and were first apprised of the flood by finding it surrounding their beds in the morning, and boots, bandboxes, and other light impedimenta floating on its surface. Many of the houses here are the property of the occupants, who will feel very acutely the cost of putting them, and the furniture they contained, into repair. The muddy water has stained most inartistic dadoes upon the walls; carpets, curtains, and other soft goods within reach are saturated with-slimy mud, which has also penetrated into the lower drawers of wardrobes, and into trunks and boxes. About sixty houses in this district were submerged, and Mr Kiddey, of the Star and Garter, with Mr David and his boats, were busy from break of day, as were the City Council men and drays subsequently, removing families to places of refuge. Those who could not invite themselves to friends’ houses were harboured At the Star and Garter, and when that was full, at the Foresters’ Hotel and Hall further up Oxford terrace; and Mr J. Bailey, A.D. of the newly-formed Star of the Avon Lodge of Druids, entertained five families in the Worcester street Druids’ Hall. Capt. Francis, Mr Massey, and many others were also most assiduous in rendering assistance to the storm-bound in this locality, though it involved wading waist deep in ice cold water for the greater part cf Saturday. The Avon at Barbadoes street bridge on Saturday morning showed a rise of about 7ft, but began to subside towards noon, and last night was only about 2Jft above its usual winter level. The Union, Avon, and Canterbury Rowing Clubs’ boat sheds were surrounded with water, but the boats escaped damage, though they were adrift in the sheds. EASTWARD. On the East Belt a little damage was done to shops and dwellings near Hereford street; but between, and in Tuam and St Asaph streets, and over the Belt in Drain road and the adjoining streets, the residents were driven from at least fifty houses, and tbe usual damage to houses and effects experienced. So little was a flood anticipated here that some of the inhabitants awoke in the morning to find themselves without a dry stitch to clothe themselves with. Many were storm-bound until the milkmen arrived on their morning rounds and rescued them; and later on all tradesmen driving carts lent cheerful assistance. Below Vincent’s Brewery the road was impassable. St Asaph street west, between Montreal street and the Lincoln road, was completely submerged. Montreal street, from St Asaph street south right into Sydenham, was completely flooded, and the houses on either side were to a considerable extent isolated. The river opposite the Royal Hotel far overflowed the left bank, and the houses in Cambridge terrace there were surrounded by water. At the Hospital no damage was sustained, although the grounds were overflowed. At Montreal street bridge the water was almost up to the roadway, and Cambridge terrace was under water, the overflow extending along Montreal street towards the north for some distance. The boat sheds were inundated, and the river course at the City Baths could be traced only by the willows. At Cashel street the water was over the roadway in front of the Drillshed; and the Y.M.C.A. building, the Public Library, &c., were cut off from communication with the street in Cambridge terrace. ; The Hereford street bridge roadway was almost awash, while the Worcester street bridge, with its sharp rise, was inaccessible, the two terraces and the river being one unbroken sheet of water. At the Armagh street bridge, near the Courts, the water wasneailyuptothe road level,and the Courts could be only reached over the Victoria bridge* Lincoln road, opposite the West Christchurch School, was heavily flooded, but traffic was not stopped. Hagley Park, both north and south, was submerged—all the way from the Cricket Ground to the Lincoln road being a complete lake, and communication between the City and Riccarton was a matter of difficulty. The Public Gardens, in many places, were deeply flooded, and many plants and trees broken down, but until the water vanishes, the extent of the damage cannot be ascertained, although it must be serious. By the overflowing of the ponds and races at the Acclimatisation Society’s gardens, considerable damage has been done. In the north-west ward\some floods accumulated, but no sariouSvdamage resulted. Some inhabitants on North Belt were storm-stayed, but no damagq happened to any property beyond gardenSx and badly roofed premises. In the central parts of the city the damage was confined to the flooding of cellars, and, where gas-engines had been fitted, pumps were kept going since Friday morning.

THE DRAINAGE WORKS.' Since the Drainage Board have been in existence, their works have never had to .carry off so much water as daring this heavy rainfall j and it is not to be wondered at that,, with a fall of over six inches in .twenty-four hours, the pipes of all the sewers were filled. Not only those for storm water, but also the deep sewers became positively choked, as the street floods poured into the gratings above the ventilators and manholes in such volume as to be altogether too much for the capacity of the pipes. This was obvious by the fact that the water was forcing its way through the grating of the syphon at Madras street bridge. The engines at the pumping station were kept at their highest speed during the night, but at eight o’clock 0Q Saturday morning the wateif into the ventilators of the flues of the furnace. an<J the engineer was compelled to stop his Ofigmes. Up to the pfesehi time no damage to the S6wers has been reported, but this can only be ascertained after the floods have subsided. Yesterday afternoon steps were being taken to get the water out of the engine-house, in order to resume pumping as spee3ily as possible. ADDINGTON. Though no serious mischief was done at Addington itself, some of the surrounding districts were not so fortunate. At the Wilderness road 25 pigs, belonging to Mr Clarkson, were drowned, and a family named Marston were compelled to leave their house. They found shelter, in Mr Hansmann’s hotel at Addington. SYDENHAM. The Model Borough did not fare particularly well, though the mischief wrought within its boundaries by the floods was not so widespread as in some other districts. Colombo street, from the Agricultural Show Grounds to the railway crossing, was flooded at intervals. Water came over the concrete bridge on Colombo road. A considerable portion of the approach on the south side sunk after their subsidence, and it is supposed that the bridge itself has been injured. It acted in some measure as a dam, and kept back the waters above it, with the result that Mr Dawson’s house was invaded by the stream, and his family compelled to take refuge in the adjacent malthouse. The paddocks along the river were submerged to a depth of several feet. A good deal of loss was occasioned among cattle and sheep. Some of the residents had to leave their houses, and one woman, who had only just been confined, became dangerously ill in consequence of the exposure to the cold and wet. The cross streets between the Waltham road and Hawdon street, were all more or less flooded, and the paddocks extending between Waltham and Wilson’s roads were transformed into a lake. The occupants of several houses in Carlyle street and some of the neighbouring lanes were driven from their houses. PERRY ROAD/ WOOLSTON, Ac. At the Radley bridge a cart and horse were washed away and the horse was drowned. Again, in the Heathcoto Valley the flood was very high, and the drowning of some ten or a dozen head of cattle is reported. The police did good service in the way of rescuing the people whose houses were flooded. Sergeant Wilson, with Constables Leahy and Lewis, were despatched in a cab about ten o’clock on Saturday, but when they reached a point opposite the Heathcote Road Board Office, the cabman became frightened at the depth of the water on the road, and refused to go further, as he had heard that the drains had burst. Constable Leahy then got into a milk cart, the driver of which said he knew the road well. On reaching about half way between the Road Board Office and the Radley Bridge, they met another constable in a boat. In tins boat the constables embarked and turned in to the left of Ferry Road, where they tried the streets in Ashbourne and found that all the one storeyed houses had been deserted, only the two storeyed having any inmates. The people who had left had for the most part gone up to Christchurch. There was one exception, however, to the general rule, and this was an old lady who was found lying in her bed with everything afloat about her in over a foot of water. With great difficulty she was persuaded to come away, and the constables took her in their arms and put her into the boat, locking up her house and sending her eventually to the Police Dep6t, whence she was subsequently transferred to the Armagh street Home. The boat was then taken back to the Ferry road, where a number of children and young people were rescued, and afterwards sent, by the tram or by drays, up to town, where they found refuge in several boarding-houses. The boat was next taken into the streets on the right of Ferry road, between the Radley bridge and Heathcote. In a house here were found a mother with a number of children, who were standing on chairs to keep themselves out of the water. One of the children of this family had the previous day been taken to the hospital with his leg broken, and his father had been to see him and had not returned. The poor woman, who was suffering from asthma, was waiting for her husband, and, but for the arrival of the constables, would in all probability have waited too long, as the house was surrounded by very deep water, in which there was a pretty strong current. The family was put into a dray and sent into town, where they soon found themselves amongst friends, at the Caversham Hotel. After visiting Radley bridge, over which the water was running, the constables returned to the Heathcote Road Board office, where they left the boat, after having certainly done a good day’s work. The office they found filled with refugees. ST ALBANS AND PAPANUI. The St Albans district, especially in the Knightstown quarter and in the vicinity of Abberley road, the Papanui road (near . Dr Mickle’s and opposite Norman’s lane), and various roads branching off to the west were all heavily flooded. On the Papanui road, in the vicinity of Merivale lane, the water stretched from one side to the other to a length of over a chain ; and in the centre of the roadway it was six inches deep. At Norman’s Lane, the water was up to the fire-boxes of the tram-engines. In Knightstown the most serious damage, apart from the inconvenience which resulted from the partial flooding of several dwelling - houses, arose from the destruction of a number of fences. At Harrison’s land, which lies low, Messrs Davis and Chamberlain lost a number of pigs, and Mr Joseph Rountree was flooded out. The fact which struck an observer most forcibly yesterday was the rapid subsidence of the water in most places, but in some localities, where the drainage was not by any means perfect, this was not the case. Notably, all the land from Abberley road to Chappel road, to the south of St Albans lane, was still flooded yesterday, and Mr Foss, of Abberley road, who was driven from his house when the flood was at its highest, had not been able to return to it. Merivale lane, BHgh’s road, Aikman’s road. Office road, and Norman's lane were still covered with water, and as the Borough Council offices had evidently been surrounded. In Papanui the floods meant much more than inconvenience to many of the residents. The farmers there have lost heavily through the destruction of their potato crops, and in the aggregate the loss will amount to some thousands of pounds, for there is a large extent of land in this district planted with the tuber, and in but few instances have the crops been harvested. One farmer has lost over 200 tons of potatoes—a splendid crop sacrificed to the flood. Mr Hawkins, of Rhodes’ swamp, had little better fortune, as nearly

all hia crop was in the ground at the time! Mr Borgefeldt had about 150 tons on the ground, which were flooded over and lost. Mr Veitch had about ten acres in potatoes, and reckons he will not be able to save more than two tons to the acre. Many others suffered in like manner. The Papanui church was not accessible for pedestrians, and the Rev J. O’B. Hoare conducted service on Sunday morning and evening in the Papanui Town Hall. EASTERN SUBURBS. Seen from the tower of Ward’s brewery, the country between Christchurch and New Brighton presented almost the appearance of a series of lakes. In Richmond no damage occurred, although storm water collected a foot deep in some pilaces, the light, porous soil quickly absorbing it. About eight o’clock on Saturday morning, a light tram car, iu charge of Mr A 1 Sv&hS, manager of the Tramway Company, proceeded down the Ferry road, as far as Woolston. It was drawn by a powerful horse, and Mr H. Whitfield went on horseback, in advance, as pilot, to see if the road was safe. On the return journey the car received about 20 persons, including many women and children, who were rescued from their flooded dwellings, and brought them on to Christchurch. Special praise is due to Mr Roberts, a roadman in the employ of the Tramway Company, who, at great risk to himself, with the water above his waist, carried out an old man of seventy, and his aged wife, from their house near St Peter’s Church. No one can speak too highly of the conduct of the rescue party on the tram, and the two policemen in the boat, who co-operated with them, all of whom were working up to their waists in chilly cold water, while removing the occupants from the flooded houses. Most of those rescued were able to find some place of shelter through the kindness of their friends; but an aged woman and her daughter, who had a family of several children, who were not so fortunate, were taken to the Tramway Company’s office, and made as comfortable as possible. Mrs Warner kindly provided them with dinners, and afterwards they were accommodated by Government with board and lodging in the city. LYTTELTON. Here the Council have notified the public that all the roads on the outskirts of the Borough are unsafe for traffic. An accident was reported from Governor’s Bay about noon on Saturday. The house of William Cowling, a coach driver and resident of Governor’s Bay, was shifted by a land slip; the stable, in which was Cowling’s horse, was washed away by the water from an overflowing creek close by. The horse was washed some distance down the hill and killed. The tanks and outhouses attached to the house were also washed away. The accident happened about nine o’clock on Friday, May 14. The inmates of the house were obliged to escape through a window, the door being blocked up by the slip. The house is said to be completely wrecked. The fruit trees were also washed away. The bridges on the road close to the Bay are reported to be impassable, being either washed away or blocked by slips. It continued showery all day yesterday, but at the time of writing (5 p.m.) it appears to be coming on as bad as ever. NEW BRIGHTON AND SHIRLEY. These districts, extending from the sea to St Albans and Richmond, are more or less inundated, and present a pitiable appearance. On Saturday, the Avon overflowed its banks from Dallington to the estuary, and half-a-mile below the schoolhouse it was nothing but one sheet of water almost as far as the eye could reach. Mr Corser’s farm on the north side of the river, and Mr Gaskin’s on the south, were completely submerged, and the New Brighton road, for almost a mile and a half to the seaward of Windsor, was under water. Horseshoe Lake overflowed its banks and the bridge over the cutting, through which the lake empties itself into the river, was three feet under water and nearly washed away, while traffic on the road was attended with great risk. The suburbs of Windsor and Lockleys, which are divided by the main road, looked more like two lakes than townships, and two or three of the houses had eighteen inches of water in them. The potato crops in the districts have all been completely spoiled by the flood, and a‘ considerable amount of other damage has resulted, besides causing a great deal of distress. [from our own correspondents.] KAIAPOI. The recent tremendous rainfall in this district has occasioned much damage, particularly among the potato crop, whole areas of country being under water. The river Waimakariri is in flood, and the protective works at Stewart’s Gully are in rather a precarious condition. So far as the town is concerned, most of the water is away, except in a few low-lying parts. The violence of the wind can be estimated by the quantities of branches of trees which are strewn about. The still threatening appearance of the weather here makes it impossible to predict with any certainty a termination of the rainfall. (Latest news from this district states that the river is still in heavy flood.) RANGIORA AND SURROUNDING DISTRICT. Our Rangiora correspondent writes:— Since the great flood of 1868 Rangiora has never presented such a watery appearance as it did on Saturday night. The Ashley river was, at midnight on Saturbridge—a wonderful contrast to its state two months ago, when there was not a drop of water at the spot. On the rain ceasing, it soon commenced to drop, and by the morningit was going down fast, butas far as Southbrook the fields were more or less under water, the farms in what is known as the Rangiora Swamp being the worst off. Southbrook was considerably flooded during Saturday night, but the damage done was small. I noticed that several of the large pines in the plantation at the railway station have been either uprooted or broken off close to the ground by the wind. Visiting what is known as the Church bush, I found many of the farms under water, and here, as well as elsewhere, the farmers will lose the major portion of their potato crops. I noticed one field of about twenty acres almost completely submerged, the filled sacks in some places being half covered with water. Although the south-wester hasbeen one of the heaviest experienced for some years no stoppage of traffic has resulted on the North line, which has always suffered before. Between Flaxton and Kaiapoi, where so many breaches have been made in the railway line in former days, the water was up to the permanent way in one or two places, but the piled opening made after the last flood, proved adequate to let it away, and thus saved the line from damage. The fields in the vicinity were one sheet of water, in some places up to the hedgehops. Here and there tlje locality of potato crops was marked by the filled bags standing up out of the water. Many of the crops which were only slightly damaged by the previous heavy rain will now, undoubtedly, be quite ruined, as it will be several days before the water can be let off the land. Fears were entertained at first that before very long the main drain would overflow and cause a serious flood, but, although quite full, the water kept within bounds. Between Flaxton station and the junction of the Eyreton branch with the main line, six or seven telegraph poles were blown down yesterday afternoon, and communication with Rangiora and stations on

the Northern railway line was stopped. One of the posts fell across the line, and the cow-catcher of tbe engine attached to the evening train came into contact with it. The train was at once pulled up, and the officials, with the assistance of some of the passengers, quickly cleared the line. An attempt was made during the night to restore communication, but owing to the quantity of water at the spot nothing could be done, and the wires were still down when the train passed this morning. The north branch of the Waimakariri was much swollen with the immense quantity of water discharged into it from the main drain, but there was no appearance of danger of an overflow. At Kaiapoi, as the train passed through,Targe sheets of water could be seen in many parts of the town. The main stream of the Waimakariri and Stewart’s Gully were only slightly in fresh, not sufficiently so to cause any apprehension of danger. Heavy snow has been falling on the hills during the past two days, therefore, it is not likely that this river will be much affected by the present storm. Between Chaney’s Comer and Papanui there were few fields that were not more or less under water, there being in many cases quite small lakes to be seen. The potato crops in this locality are not all collected, and those that are not will in all probability be ruined. It is still raining heavily (2 p.m.), the, weather being, if anything, worse than in the morning. The Borough is fairly free from water, except in the south-west portion, where the land is considerably flooded. Telegraphic communication with Christchurch was restored at 10 a.m. by propping up the poles on the fences. The Ashley River is in heavy fresh, and still rising. ASHBURTON. Rain has fallen almost incessantly since Thursday, May 13, and as a consequence everything is as wet and sloppy as can be. All the low-lying lands in the Waterton, Flemington, and Longbeach districts are flooded, and on this side of the river the lowland farmers |have had a similar experience. On the plain between Rakaia and Chertsey there was the usual accumulation of water, which, in past seasons, has been such a source of danger to the railway line; but, thanks to the action of the railway authorities some time ago, in widening the culverts under the line and increasing their number, the sting has, to a certain extent, been taken out of this danger, and the great pressure taken from the permanent way, which the huge body of banked up water used to bear upon it. I hear of no unusual flooding in the Rakaia river; but the Hinds is up a bit, while the Ashburton, though far higher than hi has been for weeks, and its water as thick as pea soup, is not at all dangerously high. The many water-races that scour the plains have, to a great extent, relieved the Ashburton, which seldom comes down now in high flood, bursting its banks and inundating the neighbourhood, as it used to do. TBMUKA. Heavy rain has fallen during the past two days, and the weather has been piercingly cold. The rivers are running high, but as yet there is little danger of a flood. The Temuka river has set in steadily towards its northern bank, and has undermined a large portion of the paddock, near the Linseed Company’s works. TIMARU. A sou’-wester was blowing all Saturday, with occasional squalls, but the sea has moderated a little. The contrast between the waves running mountains high outside the breakwater and the calmness of the water inside the breakwater attracted a number of spectators on to the wharf. The Union Company’s steamer Wanaka, from Dunedin, had anything but a pleasant passage. It is curious to note that on Friday last. May 14, the anniversary of the Timaru wrecks, as heavy a sea was running as on the occasion of the disaster. Then there was but an open roadstead with a small jetty ; now a massive structure stretches its protecting arm round a secure basin, and a steam tug is at hand, and a repetition of the great calamity is virtually impossible. Advance Timaru ! , LINCOLN. The rain of a fortnight ago in many cases proved most disastrous to the potato crop, but it was hoped that the weather would then hold up and allow the digging to be complete before any further damage was done. Now, however, it is impossible to say what amount of injury will be sustained, especially by those upon low lying land, but it is certain that a very large proportion of the crop will perish before the ground is sufficiently dry to allow of its being raised. The train from Little River could not reach Lincoln on Saturday, owing to the bridges beyond Kaituna being washed away, and traffic on this branch is now at a standstill. From the first, fears for the safety of the mill dam of Messrs "Wilson and Son’s flourmill were entertained, and it was anxiously watched until 4 o’clock on Saturday morning, when those fears proved themselves to have been well founded, the immense pressure of water causing the dam to give way, and it is now a total wreck. Mr J. B. Stansell’s record of the rainfall for.the 24 hours ending on Sunday morning was l - 12in. From 9 am, on Friday, May 14, to 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 15, the amount of rainfall registered was no less than 6 - 98 inches. This is remarkably heavy, and its unprecedented nature may be gathered from the following fact: The heaviest monthly rainfall recorded in Christchurch since 1863, was for April, 1872, when the record was just 698 inches; so that a specially wet month has been equalled by the downpour of twenty-four hours. The - rainfall registered for the twenty-four hours ending

at 9 o’clock on Monday morning. May 17, was only 008 of an inch. In connection with the recent rainfall, it is of interest to note that the barometer chart is almost identical with the diagrams of 1885 and 1884.