Otiake.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XVII, Issue 5209, 16 February 1892, Page 1

Otiake.

(FKOM OUII OWN" (.ORItDSI'ONDKNT.) The farmers have been busy the last few days in turning their stooks and overhauling their stacks. If the weather will only keep line, the damage to the crops will not be so great as was expect ed. (>n the flat, the principal grain in stook is on Messrs D. Simpson's and Grant's farms. Messrs Stewart and Goddard have part of theirs in stack ; Messrs M'Douald and Dasler have completed stacking, and Messrs Miluiino and W. Simpson have finished threshing. On the hill, it is all in stook, with the exception of that of Mr M'lnnis, who has finished stacking. The principal damage to the land is on Mr M'Cone's farm, where the Hood scoured a great portion of 20 trees away. A good many chains of fencing were levelled on most of the farms. The roads are in a deplorable state ; in fact, there arc; no roads in some piaces at all ; but we could hardly expect anything else. Nearly L4OO have been spent to protect the road at the Otiake Creek. The latest attempt was by putting willow branches three feet long and two inches thick in a dry clay and shingle bank, and a common wire fence nine feet away to keep stray cattle from eating the willows when they grow, which none of us expected. When the flood came on Monday it took the fence in one sweep and overflowed the bank, but the gorse hedge on section .10 kept it. from going on to the land below. It then tried to break down a protective work of about half a chain which Mr Dasler had erected to protect- his land, but it stood the test. The county road below, which is some fifteen feet high, was swept away for more than live chains, so at present the ratepayers have lost nearly L4OO, and have no road. The road from Strachan's up is nothing but water, mud, hills, and holes. The bridge over the Sandstone Creek is on dry land, and the creek is running on the outside of it. The first flood after this bridgo was erected the same thing happened. The bridge was then lengthened and willows planted below it, to entice the water through. I should have planted them above the bridge to guide the water under it; but, then, I am not an engineer. The best, thing our member can do now is to propose at next meetiug to blow up the bridge with dynamite, and make level crossing. On the Otiake side of the Kurow Creek, from Mr Hille's up for three miles, is a complete wreck. Forming the road in the river bed made a track for the water to get hold of, and it. has done it to perfection. In some places it has scoured the road out six feet deep. Mr llutton informed me some time ago that the land department requested the County Council to send their engineer to point out where the road was to be. If that is correct, a great- mistake has been made in making a road in the river bed when 15 tiers under the terrace would have made a good and cheap road.