SWEPT BY THE FLOODS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16822, 12 April 1918, Page 4

SWEPT BY THE FLOODS.

♦—-—_ OPOTIKI UNDER WATEftj ;: i HEAVY LOSSES IN STORESjf', FARM STOCK CARRIED TO 8E1? ■>.. | TOWNSHIP IN D.\RKNESB, '' | [BY TELEIiRAPH.-OWN rOBBESPOK DtoT l ) | OrOTIKI, Thursday." Following the exceedingly heavy »; all the previous day and night the Otan I and Waoeka Rivers, which junction « r . the centre of the township, overflowed , ; yesterday at 6an Backed up fay a, ' incoming tide the f lod waters practicalinvaded the whole of town, and the im mediately adjacent lowlying district {«» miles back, between the rivets app eared \ , one immense sheet of water block in paddocks were cut off from th» , high land and, becoming surrounded by water, were soon s.vopt into the riVe and tarried out to tea. The manager of • Woodlands Lslale estimates his lojj .1 \ ' i upwaids of 500 sl.up, besides other stock I . Oilier selt.crs have lost in lesser propor*. . tion sheep and cattle, while Urge areas of ' ' maize have been serious. affiled. vef ; silt and mud, in some cases several feet ■ deep, has covered many farms, and codec 1 i queiitly owners wul be hard pressed or winter forage. I The township suffered severely. Church ' Street, the centre ot in- town, wy . ' I raging torrent, down which quantities ot ' i tniiLer, logs, outbuildings, tences, and I debris of all kinds passed swiftly to thi sea. All the business people 'will 0M : heavily, as the Hood water forced iuj way into every shop, and in some cases , was many feet deep. It is impossible even appiox.matcly, to estimate the losses sustained, but those of .Messrs. Bridgwe Ltd., drapers, Piatt lit others, store' keepers, J. A. Dalgcty, stationer, C, (J. Courtenay, jeweller, and Shalloon Brothers, general storekeepers, will run into several thousands cf pounds. J,[, Dalgctv early in the Good placed hii valuable stock on the lop of the counters,

but the liood, gradually rising, caused the counters to collapse and the goods were absolutely ruined. The water hooded most most of the business premises so rapidly that in many cases it was impossible to secure the goods beNre they were washed seaward, and almost every home hit suffered, the principal losses being furniture, pianos, etc. Mr. 11. T. Jeffery, who had an apiary in the flat land, hai had his hives washed away. Rescue work had to bo effected by : boats, and many residents had perilous escapes. At one period it was reported that a resident had been swept into tin river, but it was subsequently discovered that he had just managed to save himself by grasping a willow tree as he was rushed past. From his perilous position he was. rescued later. A fine oil launch, the property of Mr. A. P. Day t the local man* ager for the Northern Steamship Company, which was anchored in the Otar» River, broke from its moorings and was carried out to sea. It has since been reported that the vessel has been thrown up on tho beach iu a badly battered condition. The flood water has now subsided, and the town presents a pitiable appearance. Everywhere the roads and culverts have been' washed away, and heaps of river gravel and debris are strewn about. Everyone was busily engaged to-day scraping the slimy mud, from 6in to 9iu thick, out of their premises. To add to the general discomfort the electric lighting installation has been flooded, and the borough water supply is interrupted. Both these systems arc consequently unusable, though repairs are expected shortly. The Mayor, Mr. Piatt, bit telegraphed to the Hon. W. D. 6. MoDonald, member for the district, and hai applied for a Government grant to jlfrt the urgent appeals for food and otktt necessaries. MANY NARROW ESCAPES. ISOLATION OF OPOTIKI. DAMAGE TO ROADS EXTENSIVE. [BY TELEGRAFH.--OWN correspondent.] WHAKATANE. Thursday. Several residents of Opotiki had very narrow escapes during tho height of th» flood. Mr. E. Reese, who is employed by Mr. W. B. Kelly, stable proprietor, was swept off his feet, and was washed down the street seaward. As he was swept past a shop he managed to grasp a door, whence he was picked tip later by a rescue party Dr. ana Mrs. F. C. Forbes were rescued from their home on horseback. An elderly lady named Mrs. Davies, was compelled to take refuge in the Presbyterian Church, while others sought tafety in the convent, various hotels, the post office, and tho school. The people worked heroically to assist those in distress. Opotiki is at present isolated, there being no communications either by sea or by land to Whakatane. The Stanley track,' from Whakatane to Kutarere, will bo blocked for the rest of the winter the road having slipped away in many places. The Wainui Road iii in a like condition, but the Waimana Gorge is not in quite so bad a condition. All the culverts from Puhikoko to Waiotnhi have been washed away, and it is estimated that it will be 10 days before through communication between Whakatane and Opotiki is obtained. Mr. N. E. Collctt, mail contractor, left Whakatane this afternoon at 2 p.m. with a load of mails, but it is feared he will not reach even Wnimana. Tho county engineer reports that heavy slips and washouts have occurred on the road between Tstieatua and Kutarere, and it is expected that owing to the shortage of labour it will take seven days, even with the settlors assistance, to clear the debris. Although it has been practically fit" throughout the day at Whakatane heavy rain set in again tonight, but no damage has been reports in this district. The scow Wanderer endeavoured to reach Whakatane this morning with a load of stock for the freezing works, but could not negotiate the bar at Whakatane Heads owing to the heavy flood water. It returned to Ohiwa, and, en route, passed many live cattle strueclinp in the seaThe dead carcases of sheep and pigs «'e r « ar-o encountered.