THE ARROW.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Volume I, Issue 22, 15 July 1863, Page 4

THE ARROW.

(from our own correspondent.) July 12,1863.

The estimate of the destruction entailed on property of all kinds by the late flood turns out to have been in no way exaggerated. The water was down on Friday low enough to enable a judgment to be formed as to the state of the beaches on the Arrow; they are formed de novo, and not a vestige in any part remains of the extensive works which were being carried on. Theloss of life has happily, as far as we are at present certified, confined to the one poor fellow who met his death here. The hairbreadth escapes are numerous, as might have been expected from the nature of the ground. One party saved themselves by climbing up the face of the perpendicular rock, cutting steps with their picks, and by this extremely hazardous modeofprogressiou reaching the top. In several places the terraces were undermined and slid very suddenly down into the river carrying huts, tents, &c, with them, the occupants with difficulty escaping in time, glad to preserve their lives though losing everything they possessed. The whole appearance of the Flat is altered; the river resuming its old

channel, and the old beaches being developed anew. The Hit or Miss Co. are the greatest snflbrers, their works being utterly destroyed; even of the race only the lower end remains, and that in a very ruinous state. It does not seem probable that the river will again be turned by this Company, as great dissatisfaction exists among many of the shareholders as to the way matters have been conducted; the bed of the river never having been worked though the dam has been built for some weeks. The report of the Surveyor is not very he states that natural drainage is out of the question, as the water in the several holes would only be lowered some six feet, leaving thus twelve to fourteen feet to be drained by machinery; he proposes that the Hit or Miss Company's tail race be lengthened towards the Upper Flat, and the drainage be effected by means of an overshot wheel, worked by the water of the Bush Creek, conducted by flumes. There \ seems many reasons why the above plan would I prove impracticable. The Hit or Miss tail race is no more, and is not likely to be rebuilt ; and the expense of bringing the water, by means of flumes, to work an overshot wheel, would be enormous, from the distance it would be necessary to conduct it. The wheel, also, must be at least 22 feet diameter, and would occupy a considerable space. No doubt machinery of some sort must be made use of to render these diggings available, and probably water-power, by means of an overshot wheel, would prove most economical; i but unless the miners and others interested j will make up their minds to a considerable outlay of time and money, nothing will be done until the summer, when the state of the ground may allow of the work being more se-1 curely carried on. July 13, 1863. j After a short cessation, the rain commenced again yesterday morning, about two o'clock, and continued a steady downpour for twentyfour hours. The Arrow rose a foot or two beyond the height it reached in the flood on Thursday, causing great alarm to the residents in the Lower Township, as there was great danger of the Flat being entirely submerged. The roar of the waters might have been heard for miles, and ever and again in the darkness the rumbling crashes of the enormous landslips from the opposite mountains, rolled like thunder through the air. The river has fallen this morning to a more moderate level, and it is be hoped that we are at last in for some fine weather. Even under the most favorable circumstances, it must now be very up-hill work for the miners, and those without capital must, in nautical parlance, " pipe down." This is evidently not the climate for winter diggings; the most obstinate must now be convinced of this, and make up their minds to be contented with what can be got in the spring and summer, even if they do not wrest all the gold from the unwilling soil

Accounts from the Shotover report the losses as very serious, and in several cases fears are entertained for the safety of parties. Many parties, as on the Arrow, only saved their lives by running, as they jumped out of bed, to the higher ground. In Paterson's claim, two miles above Arthur's Point, the water encroached so rapidly that two of the party were too late to reach the door of the hut, and had with great difficulty to be hauled up through the chimney; two minutes after the hut and its contents were whirling down the stream. Everywhere the story is the same—wheels, sluice-boxes, pumps, all are gone. The whole work is to be done over again. Some beaches have disappeared altogether ; others are thrown up in new places. At the Ferry, on the road to Queenstown, the Ford is entirely altered; there is now an island in mid-stream, making two channels, one of which has to be forded, while for the other the boat is available. As for coaches and drays, they are, it is feared, things of the past. Late last evening the keeper of the shanty on the side of the Arrow at the ford heard voices opposite as if from persons about to attempt the crossing. He snouted as loudly as he could, warning them of the danger. Nothing more transpired until this morning, when a horse was seen standing on a narrow ledge of rock a few yards below the ford, which was with difficulty rescued in a half exhausted state from its perilous position. The bundles of newspapers and leather bags attached to the saddle led to the supposition that the unfortunate rider must have been Mr. Rowley, the celebrated express traveller, but we are happy to say that this has proved ami take. A person reached the township this afternoon who left the Dunstan in company with the man riding the express, and he states that it was not Mr. Rowley, but some stranger who had come up for the first time. A strict search all day has failed to discover the body, which no doubt has been swept into the Kawarau by the force of the current. All letters and parcels he may have brought away from the Dunstan are lost.

THE LATE FLOODS. To the Editor of the Lake Wakatip Mail. Sir, —It must be quite evident to every one that immediate steps must be taken to aid the sufferers in the late disastrous floods. I therelore, through your columns, would express the feeling of many who are willing to aid in this matter, that the raising of a fund should be gone about in a judicious manner, and would propose that the Warden should immediately be requested to call a meeting for the purpose of bringing the matter before the public ; and that as far as possible disinterested parties should be appointed to distribute the fund that might be raised, and that at the same time Government should be petitioned to aid in the matter. By giving this a place in your columns, you will oblige A Lover op Order. Queenstown, July 11, 1863