LAST NIGHT'S RAINFALL.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 5199, 13 February 1904, Page 7

LAST NIGHT'S RAINFALL.

BLOCKKD CHANNELS AND FLOODED STREETS. A TROPICAL DOWNPOUR. Tho Ion" period of diy weather, which iflireatciicd to ond in a water famine, terminated last oven in" in a heavy thunderstorm, and in a tropical downpour of rain, as welcome as it was heavy. In tho midst of vivid flashes of bghtnin" and loud peals of thunder the rain fell in torrents for two hours and a half. One result of Wellington's unusually riroughty experience was a wholcla'o blocking ‘of street ciiaunols with tne dust and dirt of weeks, ami last night there was a consequent flooding >f roads and property. Extensive areas of Larnbton quay wore totally submerged, after about a quarter of an hour’s rain. From tho Oity Jiufl'et Hotel to Wighton’s confectionery shop, opposite Whitmoro street, tho sides of tho road and footpaths’were turned into a watery waste. Torrents of water streamed down from tho Terrace, wherever an outlet could be gained, while tho ordinary means of ■Escape were blacked with debris, carried down by the force of tho wash. -At Palmer’s and tho two adjoining shops tho doorways wero blocked with .sacks and jacking to keep /back tho writer, »mi other ingenious shopkeepers adopter! tho experiment of sweeping back tbo inrush with common brooms. Further down, tho accumulation of mud and suriaco water caused more trouble. The Otago boarding-house was inundated. Mid"tho Police Station opposite was completely .surruuudod hy a wide oxpaiioo of water. In W'.lles street the shopkeepers _ in flic vicinity of Wardoll Dres.' premises narrowly escaped Jiaving their premises looded. -Mr Cbristtteeu, tobacconist, van confronted with the pioblom of saiing the stock on the floor of his premises swing to tho water from tho Terraco Ending its way in at tho rear of tho building. Upper Willis street was submerged in places, but Aro street, strangely enough, lid not experience even the semblance of flood—thanks to tho agility and Energy displayed by a few watchful Corporation officials, who sallied forth in die drenching rain and removed tho •grids” from tho trap-holes to tho sowIn many cases tho blocking of tho channels was duo to tho presence of quantities of rails for the electric trams. Victoria street was heavily flooded, tho channels here, as elsewhere, being enable to cany off tho volume of water. A street dra'iu below Bing, Harris and Co.’s establishment became blocked, with tho result that water poured freely into tho cellar and did some damage to calicoes and other stock. Fortunately .several members of tbo stair wero at work in tho building when tnc storm occurred, and they betook themselves to tho cellar armed with brooms, ami held tho water in check. But for their presence the damage might have been iierious. Tho private bar of the Empire Hotel, in the basement leading from Victoria street, was flooded, and in tho street outside somts of tho hotel employees had to* bo posted to sweep back tho water. At tho Public Library tiie street teas submerged for its whole width. Tho water covered tho pavement, and tho centre of the street was a rushing torrent. Tho citizens who had spent tbo evening reading in tho Library found, when they came out to go home, that they wero almost entirely cut off from tho rdat of civilisation. Part of Meroor Street was also under water, tho Public Library and Technical School being almost completely surrounded. Tho electric tramline in Courtenay place, as it is slightly below the roundid crown of tho ordinary roadway, bcSamo partly submerged. Tho rain quickly filled up the concrete bod prepared for tho wood-paving in Courtenay place >nd on top of the Kent terrace culvert. Tito iron and concrete roof of this calrert is now completed, and tho street is ready for tho remainder of tho woodblocking operations. An amusing incident was witnessed luring tho evening opposite the police station on Larnbton quay. A hale and kcaty Jack tar removed Ids boots, and with footwear hanging round his nock uid trousers hoisted, triumphantly marched along the submerged; pavement ahouting dcritJion nt the spectators ond praising tho City Coundil. At Government Buildings tho water /lowed right to tho Steps alb tho main entrance, where it was regarded with nixed feelings by Civil servants who had been working late, and wanted) to jiatch t’ramcars. As they stood there mournfully contemplating the minia-. lure lake in front of them, ono man impulsively pushed from tho interior recesses of tho building full of fear that his car was about to start without him, ind before ho comld bo warned of ins danger, ho dasiied down tho steps and into tho water. Ufa observations, when ho discovered his error, showed that ho was wholly miablo to appreciate tho benefit which the rain will confer upon Iho country at largo. In the hilly parts of tho town tho mrfaccs of tho roads have boon damaged 4 good deal hy tho displacement of metal.

With tho cessation of the ralin at ’ibout 11.30 p.m. tho floods quickly subsisted, and tho streets were very soon comparatively dry- The rain, though tho fall was net protracted, trill do a vast amount of good throughout tho district, tt will restore tho failing supply of water for Wellington city, and replenish tho languishing tanks of suburban residents. Though tho thunderstorm was a heavy one whilst 'it lasted, the work of Jho local staff of the Telegraph Department was not materially delayed by it. Early in the evening, however,when tho Storm wa's in tho Nelson district, the local wires at tho Wakapfaaka cablo station had to ho “earthed” for about to hour.