HAWKE’S BAY DISASTER.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVX, Issue 3107, 20 April 1897, Page 3

HAWKE’S BAY DISASTER.

Confirmation of the Reports of the Devastation. A Sketch of the. Journey from Wellington to Hastings. A Word of Praise for the Railway Department, BY OUR SPECIAL COMMISSIONER^ Hastings, April 19, 11 p.m. 1 arrived at Hastings at 10.30, the train haring been delayed At faiiffietDVlS places along the lin'd-, and A odaCh being required to complete the journey from Kaikora to Hastings, a distance of about 30 miles. IN TUB MANAWATU DIBTP.i'CT. Along the ManawatU lirto great damage to property And Idas df Stock hds ododrred, and as thd tratii Went along to-day, thottgh thb flood-waters had subsided, the tops of the posts and the wire fences were just peeping out of the water, which spread for miles and miles over the large • wastes df swahips id the vicinity of Hereto And Shannon. Inboard that sobie bf tile settlors in those fliltriete had sufflered severely from the Hodds, and that in several cases the losses Instanced would mean ruin to the sufferers thereby. Eight throughout the ManaWatu district the floods have been higher this time than in the mbmory of the oldest bottlers, and a glalioe at the GdrgH shows that the flood waters Ihidte tfcdtoed it rihehdmailai height, and the sight when the torrent was rushing through this confined space must have been a very grand one; Several small slips Had odcured in the Gorge, Hilt wetb repaired without rnUdh bbstrUctioH to traffic. Theta ire a number bf small slips dH tile toads of the Gorge; THE first SfiEAK. iho first real delay of the train occurred dn the 'Wellington side of Takapau, where several piles of the siflall railway bridge HaVe been scouted fight out. Herb the a ledgers df fcfls tHrorigH, train td-ddg kffif oVer the bfiugb on planks And got into the train on the Opposite Side, which todk then! to Kaikora. THE EXCURSIONIST^. , Thq very large ereivd el egaaraiouisto [left , WeUiHgtoa., aml. violalty for toq Hawi'els JBaJfj difitrljfc vicissitudes which net ffldnbs Uioy will long rememDer. vVlleil It WAS found that the Takapau bridge was broken down, one of pag ßoHgerS Od board 'l’ju about ISO" of them, thinking that it would only take a few hours, remained in che township of Takapau. There the hotel accommodation is limited, as the excursionists found when the majoiity of them had to does down in the bare and cheerless rooms of the railway Station add , ill thb few Catriages Wl.lbh wete available. As koiije of tHoaQ concpfneii me wpiiiig. .jiebpls, pf., both 30x03,.- guthagt oCdiperqnl, .whdnV ifc -traC pubfidedtly Br'-pecteil ivdiiUl bo firOVldocl at tliiS end, the position was rather embarrassing. However

tauwayomclala were extremely courteous and kept good fires going. I met a large number of victims of this unfortunate Easter excursion returning to Wellington by train to-day. The majority Of tneiti looked worn and haggard} afad, ftheti, I tolp. them that they DoUlti Set tight through they fairly jumped fot foy'. Bajla<se It waJpawa.

wagged ajr»ft fcut.iti .was repaired, iff tid'd to 'get one train through this afternoon. , AJ-ONO TgE LINI3,

•t The' whole "country from ! Kaikora to Napier has', been more ;! of leas ,ebverely V&ii&d Ada - in sWetaJ places, especially ,in the , vicinity pi , .To Ante, ‘The road, too, right alofag haa suffered from washaways and slips, and our progess to Hastings this evening (four coach-loads of passengers) resembled a taunt along the " rocky road to Dublin." In one place the passengers had to get out while the coaches forded a deep and rather daagerous portion of a tributary stream which stood between them and civilisation, which was safely negotiated, but not before some ladies* luggage had been distributed in the stream, and several Maoris had got soaked through in rendering ready assistance to their white brethren in distress. As showing the tremendous force of the gale in the vicinity of Waipukuran it may be remarked that huge toi-toi tussocks, some of them weighing considerably over a ton, were dragged out by the roots and distributed over an area of several miles by the action of the wind and rush of water. THE WAIPDKUBAU BACKS, which wore to have been held to-day in the vicinity of the lake, have been postponed. When one gets Within a Pew Mikes or Hastings, one gets some conception* even in the dim light of a clouded moon, of what the force of the flood must have been. Even how large areas are nothing but melancholy sheets of turbid water. BWblllngs Hah been ovEßrumiEh* eteepyards, Ac., overthrown, trees torn up by the roots* and wire fences flattened to the ground for miles by the weight of debris of all sorts forced upon them by the resistless entrant. THb WHOLE FACE OF THE COUNTRY presents a scene of pitiable yet indescribable desolatloti. Hundreds of atires of ivhat were jdstly considered -to bo the fclhk of the pasture lands iff New Zedland are now bestrewn with a sliniy coating of yellow mud. That this will prove a ready fertiliser hereafter there is no room to doubt, but for the present the question

with sheep-farmers is: How are we going to feed the stock f The hill portions of the province are a picture, being covered throughout their length and breadth with green, succulent grass, so that the large settlers, at least, cannot be seriously affected beyond actual losses of stock. THE BAILWAT LINE BETWEEN THE SPIT AND NAPIER was not badly damaged, though a great deal of the ballast has been lost. THE LAKES AT THE TOP QP THE TB ACTE GBADE - scoured and started a sluice, and the result would have been serious had the floods not subsided when they did. _ As it is, great care vyill have to be exercised to prevent the outlet assuming too great proportions. The Pakipaki and Longlands bridges are badly strained, and numerous wash-outs have taken place right along the line. It is understood that the operations of the Bailway Department are QREATLViHAMPERED BY WANT OF BALLAST. They have been obliged to uproot two gravel platforms on the Hastings racecourse to make temporary repairs. The chief engineer, Mr G. H. Lowe, and the engineer for the section, Mr J. H. Eichmond, arrived on Sunday, and are doing their best to set things straight after a thorough inspection. The Hon W. HallJones is expected up to-night to enquire into the necessity for relief in extreme cases, and to consider a request which, I understand, has been peferred by the Mayor of Hastings and others for a subsidy for river conservation in the district. THE GAP MADE BY THE SEA. A gap about eight chains wide has been made by the sea or lagoon at Awatoto, where the unfortunate man Broadbent lost his life through his house being washed out to sea, and the question for the Badway Department is whether it shall be filled up or a bridge erected there. Either undertaking will involve, great expense. The cost of repairing the damage to the whole line has been estimated as at least *820,000. It does not seem that there are any more deaths than have already been recorded. THEBE ABE MANY TALES OF HEBOISM on the part of the rescuers, of which more anon. Several narrow; escapes from drowning are recorded. It is now bej ond doubt that the police and citizens who joined the rescue party are drowned. The men knew little or nothing about handling a boat, and it is feared that the unfortunate men owed their death to .this cause. It is commonly believed that the men were swept out to sea when the wash-out occurred at Awatoto. It is said that

ailE BOATS WERE UN SEAWORTHY, and quite unfit for rescue service. It is not improbable that the bodies will never be recovered. Mr P. BolbeVs boase at Springfield, near the Eedcbffe bridge, Taradale, is reported to have been hmrned down this afternoon, and all the content do Mr° E. d D. D. McLean has offered to graze stock for all settlers requiring it. Several vessels are lying in the port, having arrived laden with coal from Newcastle and under charter to convey wni-e pine timber out at Dannevirke to Sydney. A portion of this cargo has been taken in. Some of it is lying at the mills ana cannot be brought forward, and it is OHncult to say what the shippers will do under the circumstances. With reference to

THE DELAY OF THE EXPRESS AT PAKIPAKI on Friday, enquiries made have elicited the tact that tae department made every effort to send instructions for its return, but as all the wires were down the instrnotions could only be sent by special messenger. As soon as the news o£ the stoppage was reported at Napier a special relief engine was despatched. This could

get no further than Pamdon. A messenger was sent from there on a trolley, but this was stuck up at Whakatu. Word was then sent from Hastings and with great difficulty the instructions to return were conveyed to the guard. It has been pointed out that according to the railway regulations a train cannot put back over its run without instructions from the manager. This is necessary to provide against accidents. It is clear that the department did all that was Jjpesible, and under the circumstances the delay was not great. Blest of the passengers appeared to realise that it was necessary for the guard to obey the regulations, and they accepted the delay With commendable grace, : , General satisfaction baa been expressed at the-, excellence of the arrangements for the conduct of tho line under Very trying and unfavourable circumstances, and whoever is responsible is worthy of the highest commendation. Trains have been tun with the greatest promptitude, and every afraUgfetoeflt which practical common-sense could suggest was made for the comfort of the passengers and the expedition of the service as a whblb.

FURTHEIt PARTICULARS; THE AWFUL CONDITION OF THE CLIVE PEOPLE. WIDESPREAD RUIN AND HESoiIATtoN, A VIVID SKETCH O’F THE APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY. HELP URGENTLY NECESSARY POE STARVING PEOPLE. SOME THRILLING ANff HEARTRENDING EXPERIENCES. AN AWPUL STORY OF OVERWHELMING DISASTER. (PitOM CWt lilsTiNclE! CbmtBRPGNDBNT.) By Telegraph. Hastings, April 19. THE ISOLATION OP NAPIER. TKe -water has .to aoxue extent subsided, but io still several feet deep on the Ideli road and on .tHe.ujti to tHe}.t?«sb of the town. Ndpidr isolated *pd continue, so ,for sOnae , the onlj I means of getting even as -far as the 'rVaiUngi. being by way of Havelock,'and even that route is by no means safe, as there are ...... . tfUNDFBM OFA'ONfi of,timber, backed up to get anything definite as to tne e juu...--of Pukahu. as the whole country is under water and unapproachable. THE FORCE OF THE FLOOD. In one case a log of wood, driven by the current, entered the front of a house, passed clean through a double chimney and out through the back wall. oAe sIIfANOE TlilNd la ihai'ik.ere is scarcely ; £ny water qn, thp Tiikl Mariyp'eepW betweenthe Havelock bridge and the high land "Hove the hotel have suffered severely, as

THB CREEKS FROM THE HIBLS OVERFLOWED and spread destruction in every direction* tn one abofit ati sfecirO of one of the oldest gdfdbiis id Hateltfck had heed hashed right isdy: u ( Sonifca M .. . y ~, < through ta.,Clive< fthoiscerip tbpre description. Maqy The whole-road, from .just .hrybite Mangsj terotero to Clive is -torn up- and covered with wire l fences, which' appear to. have been lifted bodily’out of the ground and strewn in all directions. f , ... !\ pfisqLATtON, Aftp .’Destruction. ■ 1 Mpslb y <jt h&fmka,’pigsties;, aid ' onthoUses and are thrown holus tihlui oil to the gorse hedges, and for miles along, the road may be seen fences (that is li>© fences) which have withstood the fury of the elements, and which are now piled high with turnips, onions, mangolds and other root crops, which have all been washed out of the ground. Pumpkins and similar vegetables may be counted on these live fences and along the roads in thousands. One haystack has been left right on the*centre of the railway line, and others have been carried from Whakatu across the flat and beyond the main road. The water is still rushing along the road in many places and in some instances the deposits of silt are almost impassable. Near the Riverside Fellmongery X came upon AN APPALLING SIGHT. A. dairyman in a small way named Riley had about 20 cows, all of which were drowned in the yard, together with pigs and sheep. One heifer in its desperate struggles forced its head and the greater part of its body through an opening in tue shed not more than 12 inches wide, and the other cases show the fearful experience the animals must have undergone. HUNDREDS OP POUNDS* WORTH OF WOOL bate been washed away from the Riverside FellmongCryi the big brick building of which afforded shelter for the whole of the families living around, and as far as W aipariki. succouelnO THE PEOPLE.

The rest Of the inhabitants of Clive have been located at Mis McKay’s Hotel, the Interior .of which presents a painftll spectacle. The watet rose several feet in the hotel; and as it Crept lip inch by inch it cailsßd grave apprehension fOr the safety of eveh this large Liiilding. I spoke to nulny of tHe people, And they say that wltHoiit ihe help of Mrs McKay ahd her sister they cannot sdy whiit woiild haVe become of thenl. . ThC rooms ill thb note! were so crowded that there was not room even to sit down. The people’s troubles were not by any means lessened by the conduct of a lot of uncouth brutes of men who persisted in smoking, and so causing much inconvenience to the women and children. What provisions there were in the house were soon consumed, and many of them had NOTHIN G TO EAT FOB TWO DAYS BUT A

CRUST OF BREAD. The people are now dependent on what is being sent down from Hastings and Napier, the latter being brought up to the wash-out beyond Waitangi by train and ferried across the river. The steamer Bella is now running from Napier also. I went into several houses at Clive and

THE WRECK IS ERA LEY AWFUL. * One settler told me that he saw a little ' water on the floor while he was having bis tea, about 6 o’clock, and suggested to ■ his wife that it might bo advisable to dear out before bed-time in case of anything serious happening. ■ A NARROW ESCAPE. , He had hardly got the words out of, his mouth when the water rose over his knees, i and he had barely time to catch up his i two little children and escape with them ; and his wife. Another settler begged me to go and see his house. Here I found the i mark of the water five feet up the wall. , There were two feet of silt on the floor, and everything in the place was irrctnev- : ably ruined. Books and papers, (many of them scientific works of over 40 years collecting), clothing, food, everything gone, and nothing left but the few clothes he and his family were able to escape in. He had managed to get one room scraped tolerably clean, and in this, wet and muddy as it was, a family of six or seven had to pass the night without bedding or even dry, ordinary clothing. There are many other instances no doubt equally bad. SO SUDDENLY DID THE WATER COME UPON them that this man and his oldest son were nearly drowned in getting the children out. The father and son were holding on to a clothes-line for over two hours before they were rescued. SOME BAD CONDUCT. There were oue or two so-called nien whose conduct when the first _ supply ot food was taken down was simply disgraceful. They will no doubt be remembered later on when something is being done for the general relief of the sufferers. Passing on from the shocking scenes of destruction, desolation a.nd ruin, I found the Bella at the Clive bridge, and crossing the bridge.found the FABNDON HOTEL ALSO FULL OF REFUGEES. The destruction on this side is bad enough, but it is nothing like that of West Clive. The railway line is, however, from here as far towards Napier as we could see, entirely destroyed. DAMAGE TO THE BAILWAY. The rails have been floated off. and thrown chains avay from where they ■ originally rested. The Waitangi traffic bridge is entirely gone, which perhaps is . not a great loss, and both approaches of ■ the railway bridge are gone. The rails and sleepers, however, are hanging together, . and venturesome spirits aie crossing by that means pretty freely. 1 FOOD FOB THE STARVING. [ Sacks of bread were being brought across the river in a boat, and these were taken up to Clive by horsemen from ! Hastings. A good supply was also brought down from Hastings. The sea just beyond ’ Waitangi has made a clean breach through , the shingle, and is now flowing .into the ■ lagoon. This break will probably have to • be spanned by a new bridge. Altogether • the damage to the railway will take weeks 1 to repair. Coaches are being put on to I carry

THE MAILS. Every available horse and vehicle is running from Hastings to-day, carrying passengers, goods and food. So far, I cannot hear of any authentic case of loss of life ■ at Clive itself, although there are rumours of two persons being drowned, and some THIRTEEN FeGPLE ARE NOT VET ACCOUNTED FOR. Three of the bodies of the two boats’ Crews which came from Napier, were found on the beach this morning. I hear the bodies are those of Sergeant O’DonoVan, Arthur McCartney and Constable Stophenson. THE THROUGH TRAFFIC. ii p.si. Tho Railway Department have lost no time in punting on coaches to cover the various breaks in the railway line, and by to-morrow It will be possible to get through to Wellington. Mr H. Eyre-Eenny, S.M. of Wellington, arrived hero to-day from Waipawa, having driven fhrofigh. A large brake arrived from Waij/awa between 1 and 2 this morning, and returned this afternoon. A coach arrived this afternoon from Onga Onga, having coine by way of Kereru and Maraekakaho. I have been about Clive all day, but Could not get any reliable information of the finding of bodies. As previously reported there seems littls hope now of any of the two bands of rescuers being found alive, although there is of course still a bare possibility. Fuller particulars as to the missing men. Their names are—Sergeant O’Donovan, married, four children; Constable - Stephenson, married, four children ; Arthur McCartney (licensee of the Albion Hotel, married, four children; Fred Cassin. married, four children; Harry Brierly, married, no family; J. Prebble, married, no family; J. O’Borne, single; C. T. Rose, eofamerdial traveller j Q. Chambers, single; K. Aneall/ married, six children. The body of the mafi Cunningham, reported to' have been drowned at Chesterhope on Saturday, was recovered this afternoon. THE Wants of the sufferers'.

The temporary wants of the people at Clive hate bton efficiently looked after by Constable Smith (officer in charge here! aud Constable Butler, Who has b’sen at work almost since the commencement of Nearly 1 JOOO people must have passed through Clive to-day as far as t-ho Waitangi, bridge.-. Amongst them I nctio Mr R. - Sf. .tfi McLean,- the member for Napier. The. railway halstogefs who had been left in Hastings were, alt tdxsU' Bae* to Napier to-day. • They were taken acWsS the river in boats, and some distance further on were picked up by a tram. Ine Tutaekuri riy.pr is .making a channel for. itself, right across., the flat, and »a stow, flowing..out, at..the. old.inonthpf the I*** 8a °“l ' th« centre part of the railway bridge, only the fc a channel fully twice and the river “ Most of the the width of the foru-. er one ‘ Clive people liave got

BACK INTO THEIR HOUSES*, and are busily engaged sweeping out the Hiud: In most eases, furniture, clothing' find bedding have been destroyed beyond repair. The Mayors of Napier ahd Hast ings,hay.e dqnp, ,ijll that is poosible tb reKhvC theSfeffie'rei?!. ), , n ..... „ ,i. ,■ £ noticed IKS Gordon to-day, with several assistants, packing thbat ... ’ --a water, which they through the muu a— '"'e. were serving out to the hungry poo*.— On the whole, the people themselves are putting a Very good face on the matter, gnd; in many instances; the youngsters are Catering C.botit ai? if nothing ufiusual had WaOjte'nld;, Mjid ffs it fey it that it M&ii. W*s been, m'nph.worse. GnS mgn told mV,that the ifdtftr, OOipmfenoef tp rise about, 6 v .o’olock,' night,, it. appeared tp stop and rqmaip, still for, ~sqpie, houys.,, It, was evidently„between B,and ,8 Jffhon .the, river broke oveA tho,-t£n'S -fft Bpy;s Hill*, and it was', this, break which caustic. ,tHo. serious trouble in Hastings. ,-Xt appearsito ; have relieved the enormous pressure which was rnshipg ,towards Olivp. X had t A PBETTY, HAKD STBUGOLE .

to'' get ' roitlid- to the Bakowhai, but got there Cventiially and found •B’otß bridge standing safe and sound.'"But if.Hastingsand Clive aro bad, their troubles are almost trifling to those of the people on this (Clive) side of the plain. Here there has been TEBBIBLE LOSS OF STOCK, and thousands of carcases are to be scon in all directions. Mr W. Douglas, of le Mahauga, has lost his brood mares Spearfeldt and Kopeki ; also a full sister to Torpina and two yearlings by Torpedo. Passengers are being BOATED ACEOSS THE RIVER AT OMAHU. Mr G. P. Donnelly of Crissoge, gives the following account of the flood on Faiday morning:— Mb o. r. donnblly’s account. As the river was rising at a rapid rate he gave instructions to put all the slock on the hills and high ground. He went to Mr W. Broughton’s and found the place one sheet of water, 500 sheep being drowned and a lot of horses. On his return .to Omahu ho told the natives to gat on to high ground as quickly as possible. He went to Kitlo’s (dairyman) and found the whole place under water. Kitto’s son and another man had been cut off by the mam current. He got three natives from Omahu to go out in a dingey, a,nd rescued them. Messrs Fuszard, Kitto, jun., and Donnelly tesoued all Kitto’s cattle and put them on the hills. Mr Donnelly then got hack to Crissoge, and found that the Tutaekuri river had broken through at Moteo, and that the Ngaruroro had broken over above Omahu. All hands were called together, and furniture and pianos were placed bn tables, &c. By 4 o’clock stacks of hay, fencing; trees and houses were being swept past in a perfect torrent. This is the first time the rivers have broken throiigh for 30 or 40 years. ,All the stock were saved with the exception or a few hundred sheep in. the Omahu paddocks. The water continued to rise until 11 p m., when there were about 2ft in the house and sft in the men’s wbare and stables. At midnight the flood began to recede. Mr Donnelly went to Omahu, and found the people all safe. The fences had all been carried away, and the bridge was gone, only the part of one pile being left in the centre.

THE NATIVES SAT the bridge was carried away by a house coming down the river from Ohiti with a Quantity of debris. Several houses at Ohiti were carried away and landed at Old Omahu. The natives at Ohiti (28 in number) only got on to the hills by the merest chance. Yesterday morning Mr Donnelly left Crissoge aud came on to Hastings by way of Pakowhai. He met Mr Bee, who reported the loss of nearly all his sheep (over 3000). He also heard that Mr Nelson (Chesterhope) had lost the greater part of his sheep, and that one of his hands, J. Cunningham, had been drowned. Both the bridges at Pakowhai were found safe. From there, Mr Donnelly came through from 3ft to 4ft of water for about three-quarters of a mile of his way to Pakipaki. Ho mob R. McHarcly, of Longlands, who informed him that all the stock at Turemoa and Ngatarawa were quite safe. He also informed him that the Ngaruroro had broken over into its old course, flooding the lower part of Longlands and the southern parts to Hastings and Riverslea; but that his ; stock were safe. On arrival at Hastings Mr Donnelly was met with many anxious enquiries, and he kindly related bis flood experiences.

CAPTAIN RUSSELL is offering bay to supply the settlers with feed for their stock, and the Mayor has called a meeting for to-morrow morning to devise means of relief. Saturday night’s Telegraph arrived in Hastings this morning. The fact that it did not contain a word about the floods in Hastings shows that our isolation was complete. THE FLOODING OF NAPIER. TORRENTS OP WATER RUSHING THROUGH THE STREETS. RESCUE BY BOATS. By Telegraph. —Press Association. Napier, April 19. By far the most disastrous floods, both as regards loss of life and property, were expenenced on Friday night. It rained heavily on Thursday and Friday morning, 11 inches being registered. HOW THE RIVERS BURST THEIR BANKS. There was a good deal of flood water on the low-lying lands, but there was nothing unusual at the time of the heavy rains, and the settlers had removed their stock to higher lands on the plains. The rain had ceased, and nobody anticipated further trouble, but just after dark the Tutaekuri broke its bank above Taradale, and an immense body of water poured through the township towards Napier. Almost simultaneously the Waitangi and Ngaruroro, backed up by a heavy sea, broke inwards through the railway line into the lagoon, joining the waters of the Tutaekuri. The result was a rise of four to five feet in a few minutes. The lower part of Napier was suddenly covered with water, which rushed through the streets in a raging torrent, flooding some of the houses to the extent of five or six feet. Pruct ically all the houses and shops on the flats, except those on higher ground near the beach, were flooded. Boats were promptly manned to remove the people from the most threatened houses, and no lives were lost, though a good deal of property was destroyed. In the meantime, urgent requests for boats came from

the country, where many settlers had had to take to the roofs of their houses to escape the flood waters. A number of boats went ouc and saved many lives, the rescued ones being carried to hotels and two-storied houses. A CORRECTED LIST OP THE DROWNED RESCUE PARTY. Sergeant O'Donovan and Constable Stephenson, of the Napier police force. Rose, a commercial traveller, who was visiting the town. O’Eorn, a drrper/a recent arrival from Timaru. F. Cassin, storeman, Napier. John Prebble, junr., labourer. A. McCartney, licensee Albion Hotel. 11. Brierly. wheelwright. Ansell, carpenter. Chambers, blacksmith.OTHER FATALITIES.

It is rumoured that a number of fatal casualties have occurred in the country, but the only authenticated cases are those of James Cunningham, a shepherd at Chesterhope, and James Broadbent, a settler at Farndon. THE WATERS HAVE NOW SUBSIDED, and though it is difficult to get about the country, owing to the bridges and roads being washed away, the railway being blocked, arrd the telegraph and telephone wires being all down, some hiea can be formed of the extent of the DISASTER OVER AN ENORMOUS AREA. Practically not a head of stock remains alive. On Chesterhope alone 8000 sheep and a herd of pedigree Polled Anguscattle perished. Many settlers have lost from TOO to 1500 sheep. The fences are washed away in every direction. Several houses have gone out to sea, the land is covered with several £eet of silt,-and* the scene of desolation is indescribable. Dozens of settlers have lost every head of stock, gardens and orchards have been swept away, and the people are faced by ruin.

The County Council will be a severe sufferer, as the roads are terribly cut up in all directions, vehicular traffic being suspended, The Waitangi and Omahu bridges are entirely washed away, several spali's of the Redcliffe bridge are gone, and other bridges &re‘ strained and damaged. The Government bridge at Upper Mohaka, on the Taupo road,- which was injured twe years ago and never repaired, haa disappeared. Two spans of the large bridge 6ver the Lower Mohaka, recently erected at a cost of J 34000- have gone. Two other bridges on the County Council's part of the Taupo road are washed away. A great part of the railway line between Napier and Hastings has gone. It will take at least a month to put it right, and the daitfage is estimated at .£30,000. At present fcrafins cannot com© further north than Te A ai&/ Whence a coach service to Napier is being organised* but in a few days the lino should be repaired to Hastings. Telegraphic communication between Napier and tho North is all right, there being only a gap between Napier kM Hastings* has been temporarily restored. FEARS FOR 'rUM ANtfl/iANi Great anxiety is felt here about the Anglian, which was telegraphed as leaving Wellington on Thursday night, but she been heard of at Napier, Gisborne, has 1 [The Angliaii did not leave or Aucklanu. 1 -«~day morning at 7.40, Worser Bay till yesvv*. ''ed bo entorso that no apprehension nv, tained. —iitaj

t;XTCB INFORMATION: FUETHEIi OAsUiLTIM Napiee, 10 p.tn. . , ’’ to the matter There ia little to auu .. ■ . „ already telegraphed. Another settler, „ dairy farmer named Itiley and two assiatahte ato reported to he missing. They cann’o't be’.fo'u’rtd. NOws hom North is fiat tM Tqti'p'o roh'cf & MasgstfbT& Tho coaoh leit ISviito t»n 'i'iWjMay,- but it fa up (it TaraWeii-V.iiM M *,* coipe forwarder go back. , ’ .e ,V , ;,v. Tie line is impracticable as tar 4s!. WaippUprau', wheijoo,, is coaoh dciiinffni’cation' wjth Napier.- .■ .t ... Boats are. tieiiiej. emploxed : %t, too great iq.tjhe road at vv There must . have been very ofctf weather outside, as the Mamari, which lett. Auckland on Thursday, is only just coming across the bay.

( Relief of the sufferers. ! Relief • expeditions ate supplying the flooded-out residents ivith', olqthing and food. His Worship the Mayor, -Mr .G.„H. Swan, is calling a public meeting, to .raise funds for more permanent aid, and Mr R. D. D. McLean, M.H.8., has headed the list with *£loo. The necessities of the case, however, are felt to be beyond the resources of Hawke’s Bay and the following telegram is being sent to the Mayors of the principal boroughs AN APPEAL TO THE PEOPLE OF NEW ZEALAND. \ Your immediate assistance is most earnestly sf.licited to enable us in some measure to cope with the effects of the most disastrous flood which has ever visited Hawke’s Bay. Hundreds of families have been rendered homeless by the destructionot their houses, some of which are bodily swept away, and the loss of property in cattle and all kinds ot stock, besides miles of fencing and the ruin of their- crops, has left them practically destitute and the country desolate. The loss of life, too, X regret to say, has been large. Twelve persons have, it is now known, been drowned, and as most of them have left widows and children entirely without support, funds are urgently required to meet their most pressing necessities. Ten of these men nobly lost their lives in endeavouring to rescue their fellow-settlers by means of boats, which have, there is now no doubt, been swept out to sea by the cut rent. The loss altogether cannot be estimated at less than ,880,000 to *BIOO,OOO. binder these most distressing circumstances I feel compelled to appeal to the well-known generosity of my tellow*colonists, and to ask them to giire us their kindly co-operation in whatever steps may be taken to alleviate the misery and devastation which have fallen upon us. Besides many settlers who Will need aid to save them from starvation or bankruptcy, there are 30 persons, widows and children, left by men who were drowned while engaged in rescue work. AU are practically left unprovided for.

SOME IDEA OP THE DAMAGE. Later,

The damage done by the floods through 1 Hawke’s Bay must be reckoned by tons of } thousands of pounds. Hastings suffered severely, but accounts from all over the 1 district tell of a devastation such as has 1 never before been recorded. £ THE MATH-BOLL Worst of all the death-roll is very large, and at the time of writing 12 lives have been reported as lost. The drowning of 10 of the rescue party from Napier is particularly sac, all the victims being well known and highly respected, i the majority of them being married men with families. THE FLOOD WATERS. The flood was at its highest at Hastings at 7 o’clock on Saturday night, by which time all the houses in danger had been ! vacated. Although the water fell rapidly : many houses are still flooded and it will be some days before most of the dwellings on the flat will be tenantable. The full force of the waters was felt at Clive, and, the damage there is tremendous. The flood is by far the highest in the memory of even the natives. Houses were swept away with all their contents. Bridges were completely cut . out and the waters were dotted with drowned stock A low estimate of the number of sheep' lost would be 50,000. .The small farmers have lost their 'all, and the big squatters have suffered to the extent of thousands of pounds. Hundreds of poor people have sustained cruel losses, and the whole effect is disastrous to Hawke’s Bay. It will be some days before an estimate of the great damage can be even approximately made, but it is certain that nothing so disastrous has happened within the history of the colony. THE WORK or RESCUE. "When word was received in Napier that signals of distress had come from Parndon, and that help was urgently needed, five boats set out for rescue work. The river was a raging torrent at the time. The pilot boat, under Captain Tonkin, after a very rough trip, reached Parndon at midnight on Friday. An eye-witness at Parndon states that a vast expanse of water is to bo seen in all dilections, w ith the tops of houses showing here and there, and the rapid currents carrying away dead stock. The water began to rise rapidly ' on p r iday evening, and those in the vicinity of the hotel made their way there ■ with all speed, but those on the opposite side of the bridge were not so fortunate, i and their position became very serious. All > the highest portions of the town were made tor and a number of women, men and i children were observed the next day taking shelter on the bridge over which the water 1 was flowing. Their position became alarming. as the water was still rising, and com--5 muiiication was cut off from both ends, i there being about 41ft of water and a r strong current running, which precluded r horses and traps reaching them in their i perilous position. The work of rescue was 3 carried on by boats, and their efforts were a greatly appreciated by a number of halfdrowned people. Those on the brideo i were among the first to receive attention. 1 The current being to swift great danger e attended their rescue, but after many a narrow escapes they were safely landed at o the hotel, after being on the bridge from f 6 p.m. on Friday till midnight, in driving - sleet and pelting rain. The children a suffered much from exposure. At mid-

day on Saturday there was ISin of water in the bar of the Farudon Hotel, and in the back part of the place it was as deep as 6ft. At this time there were about 140 MEN, WOMEN AND CHILBREN in the hotel, and the want of food was a serious question, as communication was cut off from both ends. THE TERRIBLE CONDITION OF A WOMAN AND THREE CHILDREN, ouly a short distance from the hotel, was extremely distressing to those who were compelled to witness her state, without being able to render any assistance. It seems that the husband left her and the children earlier in the evening to seek help, but the water rose so rapidly that he found it impossible either to get back or giire assistance, tho water rushing down the culverts at such a rapid rate that it would have been certain death to anyone that attempted to rescue her and her little ones. Horses could not stand in it, and it was not until the arrival of a boat from Napier that they could be removed. The woman had then been standing in the water up to her waist fully two hours, with her children placed on a box beside her. SIGNALS OF DISTRESS, by the firing of guns, could be heard in all directions at the hotel, but. the roaring torrent precluded any attempt to answer them. A J-AINFUL SIGHT was witnessed at Clive, when a little boy, drenched to the skip, arrived from the back country beseeching for food for his sick mother and 11 children, who had had NOTHING TO EAT FOB TWO WHOLE DATS. He was sent back rejoicing. Many of the sufferers at Farndon were without a particle of food from Friday morning till Saturday night, when a boat fully provisioned by Mr G. H. Swan, Mayor of Napier, arrived on the scene. The boat was in charge of Pilot Kraeft.

MESSAGES OF SYMPATHY FROM GOVERNMENT.

ASSISTANCE PROFFERED. The following telegrams were despatched to the Mayors of Napier and Hastings by the Hon John McKenzie, Acting-Premier, on hearing of the disaster: — His Worship the Mayor, Napier. The Government desire to convey through you to the settlers of Hawke’s Bay their deep regret at the great calamity that has overtaken the district by the loss of life aud great damage to property caused by the floods. They also wish that you should convey their sincere sympathy to the widows and orphans of the brave volunteers who lost their lives in endeavouring to save those of others. On behalf of the Government I wish to state that every assistance will be given by the officers of all Government departments throughout the district in assisting settlers in their distress in every possible way, and any assistance that is required for the immediate relief of destitute persons will be provided. The Hon Mr Hall-Jones, Minister for Public Works, is leaving Wellington to-day for Hawke’s Bay, and will make arrangements to alleviate as far as possible the effects of the great calamity that has befallen the district. John McKenzie, Acting-Premier, reply was sent by His Ttw? ... ‘ of Napier:— Worship the ’ ■" 1 ‘ Hq& i. Welling. any , r on citif,eqs *of ,sfypier ( of Hawke’s Bay io rotten yoji jnost heartfelt thanks for the kiiidly sympathy expressed in your telegram just received,* d to you that nothing shall be ,vanting“on my jrf to give every publicity to the generous offer oi the meat to aislat ns and relieve our pressing net'esgity i 8 tfci* dire calamity thvt has O'-’ertakon iVs. t am! much gratified to bear the' Hoff tliff Iffinister for FaMitf Wpi-kff is.ffyv M'S' Way to' see What Caff be done for ffk. . . - ■is. h.'.Swav,, , . , M?aj>or of Napier 1 .

ias Mnyor, Hustings! , . The Government Jearn .with deep regret of the awfM. calamity .tba,t, has,, overtaken jqap district' by.flpp'd? of life. My colleagues mydcflf. desire that you should, convey,,our sincere sympathy to the widows and orphans of those who lost their lives. We wish to state that* every assistance will be given by the Government officers of the district in assisting .the settlers. Th° Hon Mr HallJones„who; i? leftfing this afternoon for Hawke’s Bay, will, mwjigjS oli, arrival for such help as may be required to relievo necessitous cases. John McKenzip., Acting-Premier. The following is the reply received from the Mayor of Hastings;— Hon J. McKenzie, Acting-Premier,

Wellington. Thanks very much for your telegrams and sympathy. Flood highest known m district. Damage done Hastings borough, though considerable, insignificant compared to Clive, Papakura and Meanee districts, where damage appalling. Two boats crews men . from Napier going to rescue settlers at Clive swept out to sea, AIL bands lost. Loss of life amongst settlers as far as known normal. Immense losses of stock of all kinds owing to river banks bursting. Most of principal road bridges carried away. Necessary for Government to take immediate action to prevent repetition of damage from Ngaiuroro river. C. A. Fitzbot, Mayor, Hastings. THB MINISTER FOR PUBLIC WORKS LEAVES FOR THE SCENE. The Hon W. Hall-Jones, Minister for Public Works, left Wellington yesterday for the scene of the floods. Ho went by way of the Wairarapa district, and was to reach Dannevirke last night, and go on to Hastings this morning. COMMUNICATION WITH AUCKLAND AND NAPIER RESTORED. The main telegraph wires between Napier and Hastings were again temporarily erected yesterday, and the telegraph office is now accepting all work tor stations north of Hastings, including Auckland, and the work between Auckland and Wellington will come by this route.

TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION. The Post and Telegraph Department have succeeded in running a wire between Hastings and Farndon. ’ , The delayed .mails at Hastings and Napier arrived in Wellington last night. The mails from Wanganui arrived'by the Stormbird last night. The scow Bata is ashore on the Petane beach. All hands were landed safely.