CAMBRIAN.

Otago Witness, Issue 1597, 1 July 1882, Page 13

CAMBRIAN.

(FROM OUR OWN CORHKSFOKDKNT.)

Jane 20th.

After a few days' threatening weather i..ii cunimenced falling hero on the «veniny of thu lDtli. mid continued ute.idily until tho following afternoon — that is, for ai/out 20 hours— 'iaiwnj; a f!.>o«i "in the creeks and rivers, which for a shcrt lime wrrc Almost as high an during tho " big flood "of IS7# Jhe creeks here were at their highest about 1 p.m. on the 20th. Cobb and Co. 'a coach, due here abnut; midday, had great difficulty in crossing tho Dunstan Creek between here and St. Bathans. On the other side of St. Bathans the Muddy (Jreek wa-i described as being in a fearful state, every trac» of road and tall-races being obliterated by the enormous quantity of sludge and tailing so suddenly carried down by the great rush of water. Tno ford in the Manurerikia River was also for a short time impassable, anti at its greatest height tho water was over the floor of tho Allan Bridge. As may bo expecti.d, eoiniderablo damage has been d<na to roads ,mcl water-race^ though not so great as was at first reputed. Mr John Ewing, of St. Bathans, had. a very uarrow escape in fording cho Dunstan Greek after dark on the niyjht of the flood, being I understand washed out of the naddle, but managing to ohujf t» b,N JITSO safoly reached terra flrma. Fortunately no seiwut) accidents h*ve goqurred Mr John Griffiths, of (jhis place, had a very narrow escape about a forfcn},'ht ago. Being engaged alonjj with another outMngr in a tall,rßce to t-omo i/iMuna reoontly discov-red near Vinegar Hill, a fa'l i>f tartht suddenly came down, in endeavouriner to escaps wMc'v he was caught by both feet by the falling nift's, und proxttated. in the tajurace, in which at the* tints there were aoout seven or eight heads of wator. HW irmto at the time was about 20 yards lower down the tull< race, and, seeing the fall, thought that Giitfithn *as burkd tind-r it Running up to tho place as fust m thu water would permit him, ho found that Griffiths by hard Btriiggllng had kept his head abtvo water, and had also managed to extri ate his right foot With his mate's assistance his lefc foot was got out, but it was found to be badly bailsod and soim: of tho small bones broken. His right foot was uninjured. O'i the following day Griffiths was taken to Blacks, where Dr Hyde attended to the injured foot, which is now progre c sing favourably. The local option faroo was played here on the 24th, but very few of the residents knew nnything about in. I have not asceittfned the resu't, but J can safely say that the votes, if any, are very ftw indeed. With committees i-f local men to control , tho license*, this local option clau'so seems a supernumerary piece of legislation, an unnecessary expeuse to the country, simply to please the advocates of cold water drinking.