GALE AND FLOOD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11533, 19 November 1900, Page 5

GALE AND FLOOD.

BRIDGES DAMAGED IN OTAGO.

A NARROW ESCAPE.

RAILWAY TRAFFIC INTERFERED WITH.

[BY TELEGRAPH.PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Dunedin, Sunday. Tim recent showery weather culminated in the steadiest fall of rain experienced for years. From half-past ten o'clock on Friday night till half-past two p.m. on Saturday, rain fell steadily, and the break which then occurred was only for a few minutes, when it set in again, but wind having risen it was more in the nature of heavy showers with continuous drizzle between. All the creeks and rivers rose rapidly, and, serious floods seemed imminent, when a charge occurred. The water of the Leith, running like a mill-race, damaged some of the bridges over it in the city, and swept away a portion of the concrete wall erected recently. The. Waitati was in high flood. Rogers, a groom, was nearly drowned in attempting to take three men across the creek. A horse and the vehicle were swept away, and the horse, a valuable one, drowned. The groom became entangled in a wire fence and was rescued with difficulty. Some damage was done in the Leith Valley and North-east Valley, but it was not serious. Silverstream rose rapidly, and flooded a considerable area, causing stock to be removed, but no serious damage occurred. The Taien River rose slowly but surely, and at Outram, at five o'clock, portions of the branch railway were a foot under water, and the main line between Owhiro and Allenton flooded. All the trains got through, however. On the north line a slip occurred a mile and a-half beyond Purakanui, and the goods train from Oamaru, due at three a.m. on Sunday, could not get through. Fully 2000 tons of stuff have fallen, but the lino is expected to be clear this morning. CniusTCH,TJRCH, Sunday. A strong south-west gale with heavy rain, set in yesterday morning, and still continues. The weather is bitterly cold. No cricket matches could be played yesterday afternoon. \ Lyttelton, Sunday. A strong south-west gale has been blowing since Saturday evening. The Swedish barque Asterion, anchored in the stream, dragged her anchor during the night, and drifted a mile down the harbour. She brought up half-a-mile off the shore, and dropped another anchor. The tug visited her twice and found all right. A strong north-west gale was blowing all day on Saturday,- raising a very heavy sea in the harbour, accompanied by frequent heavy rain squalls. During one of the squalls, the new yacht Matua, which was anchored off Bailey's yards, Custom-street West, had a very narrow escape of destruction, as she dragged her anchors, and came on to the breastwork. After some hard work the little boat was got out of her dangerous position, and was sailed over to the North Shore. A small fishing boat, which was anchored near the Matua, was not so fortunate, however, as the heavy wind and sea carried her on to the stone breastwork on the western side of the Hobson-street Wharf, and she received so much damage by feeing pounded on the stones that she eventually sank. A small yacht was also sunk in Judge's Bay by the heavy sea.