IN THE COUNTRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13392, 22 January 1907, Page 6

IN THE COUNTRY.

[from off. OWN COltKi.sfoNtitNTs.J KAUAI A. The flood, which has been the biggest recorded here, rose again until about seven o'clock oil Tuesday morning last : since then it has been gradually going down. The bridge over the Mungawhero, on the Ivai-taia-Ahipara Road, was washed away. This will lie a great inconvenience to the public, as the post office is situated on the Ahi para side of the Mungawhero. There is another bridge over the river on the old hotel road, but it is sft or 6ft under water, and it is feared the approaches have been washed away. Coming from Fail burn on Tuesday afternoon Mr. Fred. Hansen, of Awantii, had a narrow escape. In front of Mr. Forsyth's property the water was so deep that Tie horse had to swim, and on its becoming exhausted Mr. Hansen had to take refuge in a tree, where lie held the horse's head above water until both man and beast were rescued by Messrs. R. V. Johnston and Herbert Matthews with a punt. The flood was a foot deep in the dairy factory on Tuesday, and at Awanui the next morning it was a foot deep over the wharf, and about ntt deep in Subritzky and Hansen's flaxmill. The river is still running over its batiks, but the flood has now nearly run off. the road being clear of water in most places. There are several dangerous washouts on the main road. The culvert and metalled approach to the new hotel have been swept away. The bridge on the old hotel road is still standing, but the approaches are impassable for vehicular traffic. A culvert on the Pukepoto Road near Mr. Hollis' has been washed away. There has been no loss of stock, but crops have suffered seriously. The Pamapuria natives had their crop of potatoes washed away. Mr. Shannon's oats, Dr. Hope's oats, Mr. Hester's corn, and Mr. H. B. Matthews' oats and potatoes have been greatly damaged. if not entirely destroyed. Mr. Forsyth had his pigsty, with 18 pigs, washed away. Six of the pigs landed alive in various parts of the district. Mr. Atkinson's nursery, at Mangatate, suffered considerable damage from wind and rain. Mr. Masters, a county councillor, put a number of men on to repair roads and bridges oil Wednesday, and hopes to have the bridge approaches on the old hotel road temporarily repaired in a fewdays, so that wheeled traffic may be resumed from Herekino, Ahipara. and I'ukepoto with Kaitaia.

POKE.N'O. Unprecedented floods' have occurred in the Maungatawhiri Valley and Pokeiio. Pain It'll, with only out; oi two intervals of less limn halt an hour, for 52 hours on end, causing much devastation. The oldest settlers can't recall such high floods. At. the Valley creamery there were several feet of wafer over tin' floor, the road to the *uranee of the building was washed away. Mr. Keith's potatoes were 3ft under water, and otheis had their crops washed away. The roads were turned into watercourses in many places : quantities of hav lay rotting in the paddocks quite spoilt, and a lot of oats. 1 x>!!i cut and standing, are also ruined. Mr. Shanks' oats are now a bed of mud and rubbish, and he had to rescue his sheep with a horse and trap. Mr. S. (iiaham's place is an indescribable wilderness of logs and rubbish. All the swamp land was under water. The bridge at Mr. Maelntyre's was washed away, also the wall at one side of it. and a small store and house. Mr. .1. Deans' dam was destroyed. Mr. P. Mcpherson's turnip ground and tie- new fence were swept away. Mr. Campbell Jackson's place i-; one mass of landslips, so are all the Pol;.'no lull*, and all the hills towards W'airanui. A lame slip occurred close to the. (ireat South Road. on the Kazorb.uk. where a piece of Mr. I.awry s ploughed ground came away. Mr. Pope was driving some cattle across a btide to safer country, when the structure was swept away, together with six beasts, which have not since been heard of. The railway lines were washed away for 15 chains between Pokeno and Wangarala. While working among tin* '•atll- Mr. Pope's horse ._M,t swept off its left, and the rider on •jetting clear was washed away and caught in a willow tree, Irum which he was with difficulty rescued, as none of those near could swim.

Koill'Kiinr. I'" 1 the t nili days ended Molidav last 15 inches of i a in fell.'and as a result the heaviest Iresh that has ever occurred within the memory of those living here took place. The L takura \ alley was a sea of water for eight

miles. At Mangamuka. a. piano in one house a quarter of a mile from the river was floated on to the top of a sofa ; at \\ aihou and Talieke there were immense floods. The damage done was confined principally to the destruction of the kumera and other plantations in the native gardens on the flats, where the soil was completely swept away. The mail coach road via Horeke was rendered impassable by the depth of flood water 011 the road, and travellers were tinned back. The coach from Opunake to Talieke had to be abandoned, and the driver and one passenger rode the horses, and after the diiver had been nearly drowned in crossing a creek (being rescued by the passenger) they camped in the bush, and came on with difficulty in the morning. Serious slips of land have occurred in various places, both 011 the roads and 011 private properties. The most set ions slip occurred at the Rangiora sawmill, where the whole, side of a hill subsided, causing the mill to move, and thus necessitating its removal to a mote secure and better site. Needless to say that, a very large number of logs have come down, and the creeks are pretty well cleared of timber. The weather seems to have settled down to its normal condition now. with a westerly breeze. THE BAY OF PLENTY. I The recent extraordinary spell of rains* 1 weather is still the principal subject of con--1 versation about here. Residents of 40 Veals' I standing in this town declare that it hai been tie- worst occurrence of the kind he! -'. i and the carrying away of old landmarks i>v j flood waters goes to corroborate this stateI men. Putting aside the question of hiss j of crops the loss to the county as a whole | is great, as bridges have been carried away ] in several cases and in others the approach s ■ have been washed out. and slips on roadj ?ides are innumerable. The mail services : are now pretty well re-established, but the | contractors had a bad time while if lasteit. as all roads Were tendered impassable tor ! wheeled traffic. All available hands are at i work clearing .slips and reconstructing. A ] llounnin which had stood on the banks of 1 tile Waimapu River for years was lifted | bodily and carried a considerable distance I down stream, and deposited in a paddock. : The building was a large wooden one, three i storeys high, and held a quantity of ma- | chinery. The rainfall during the period i from .January 1 to 15 totalled 19.74 in. the [ heaviest rainfall taking place on Tuesday, : the 15ti\ inst., when Sin fell. At To Puke | it is staled that tip to January 15 (iiiclu- ' sj\e) 59.5 in of rain fell in the 15 days. I KATIKATL j With my 30 years' experience of this dis- | tiict I do not recollect such a heavy and *nI cess,-nit downpour of rain as we have experiI enc.d since the Ist of .January, and as [ ! write there is no appearance of any change. | A large quantity of oats is in the stool;, ; and it is expected that it will lie practically ! lost : while the blight has attacked the i potatoes. Many of our (votat o-growei s, I planting on the Hats, have lost their promising crops, which have been washed out by | the* flood water. A WAN UI NORTH. We have had one of the most disa.sttous floods here that has been known for many years; indeed, the oldest settlers cannot teineinber anything to equal it for the extent of damage done. Owing to the continuous rains, oats cut and almost ready for cat ting to the- slack became mildewed, entailing a good deal of extra work opening I out the sheave" and trying to get them dry I enough to ; ait. In tins way a. lew saved j their crops, but not in first-class condition, | and the bulk of the oats ale completely j ruined. Although the Hood is subsiding, ) ill ie is still a consult' area submerged. The Mangawhero bridge on the main road connecting Hetekino, Aliipaia. Pukepoto. and other settlements with the Awanui pot i has been cairied away, thus causing great inconvenience to the settlers in these places. The R'dan btidge, constructed by the Hovernukut at considerable cost about a year I ago. is damaged and twisted out of position, | and four culverts 011 the Kumi Road weie j swept away bodily. A gieat amount of j damage has- been done to fern**-s in the low- • lying districts--- Victoria Yallcv. Fairburii, i Kaitaia, and other placesand many settiers have lost their main crop <»t potatoes. ; The natives also will lose their potatoes, as most of the crops were about- ready to take out. I have not hcaid of any sheep or cattle being lost. KAIPARA FLATS. Continuous and heavy rains have fallen in this locality, lesulting in severe floods in the low-lying lands. The mail coach has bee, unable to run, some of the bridges being Bft under water. Considerable damage. has been done in the neighbourhood, the flood having been the most destructive experienced for some years. Mr. A. I bibb's barn containing his crop of oaten hay was washed away. It. floated over the top of 1 the Hoteo bridge, and is still in the. Hot o River. Some of the tiers were obliged to go out in boats to milk their cows. The navvies have suffered considerably, the dwellings of all but one or two of those near the Tauhoa station being submerged, the men themselves having to take refuge in the hnardinghousp. Food v.-as conveyed to those needing it in boats over what had once been a road. The railway line was under water for some distance, and there was 2ft of water in the Tauhoa goods shed and stationhouse. Several bridges 011 the. service road between Tauhoa station and Way by were washed away. The contractor for the railway bridge over the Hoteo River had several thousand feet of I timber swept away, and only the funnel of ! his engine for pile-driving was visible. The ! cutting which has been giving so much trouble has fallen in, completely blocking traffic for the present. Owing to a slip em the line near Tahikema, the train has been unable to get to the Flats, and great scarcity of provisions prevailed among the men on he line. WAIROA SOUTH. A meeting of ratepayers of the Wairoa road distiict. was held in the Public Hall, Cievedon, on Saturday, January 19. at three p.m., Mr. E. D. McLennan in the chair. The questions of the reconstruction of the Wairoa River bridge, Ward's bridge, repairing the damage to the roads, removing slips off the roads, and the provision of funds for carrying out the work were considered. Mr. James, of the. Roads Department, in company with Mr. McLennan, visited the site of the recent bridges damaged by the floods, and the former had prepared an estimate for five different styles of bridges, ranging from a ferroconcrete bridge (cost £460) to a bridge* of kauri (cost £250). Mr. J. T. Murray pioposed. "That the meeting favour a ferrocrete bridge being erected over the Wairoa River, on the site of the old bridge, at the estimated cost, £460." This was second'd and carried unanimously. It was also decided to put a foot, bridge over the old site as soon as possible, and to strike a special late of ;:d in the £ 011 all ratable property in the Wairoa Road' district, to meet the cost-, and to ask the Government to give a £1 for £1 subsidy. KAUKAPAKAPA. The recent, severe weather resulted in I considerable damage in this district. Fruit, j potato, and hay crops have all suffered severely. Unusually large areas were planted in oats this year, and the crops were good, so hat it is particularly unfortunate that so much should have been 1 i lied. PUKEKOHE EAST. he Piikekohe East Road Board held a special meeting on Saturday last, to consider the question of ways and means of repairi' [ j the damage clone by the recent floods in the district. On making up the estimate of cost of repairing the several bridges and culverts washed out it. was lound that it would require about £900 to put matters straight again. This is rather a serious state erf affairs, as the* rates collected annually only amount to £700. and out of this there is much to be met, besides road making. This year's rates are practical!v all either .-pent 01 contracts Ml .sufficient to absorb them all. It was decided to ask aid from the Government, as all the lull rate to In* levied would not neatly repair the damage. <In alxmt a milei ot road, j known as the Beach Road, leading to the j Tuakau bridge, the are 15 slips. It is estimated thai this road alone would cost £500 t>> put ill repair again. Much damage lias been done to the : lops, and the blight is now getting hold of lie pota--1 toes Fruit has also suffered badly.