THE FLOOD IT THE TAIERI.

Otago Witness, Issue 2342, 19 January 1899, Page 34

THE FLOOD IT THE TAIERI.

SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE CROPS.

An inspection of the farms on the Taieri, in the vicinity of tRe Silverstream, shows that, as anticipated, . the heavy • downpour of rain on Monday, and the consequent inoreased flow in the Silverßtream, resulted in very considerable damage to the crops. Quite an extraordinary volume of water came down the Silverstream, and the banks which had been erected in different places to protect the fields were quickly found wanting. They gave way in all places, and the water, pouring through them, covered an area of several miles in extent. The Riccarton road and Duke's road were positively dangerous to traverse, aa in the centre of the roads the water was high enough to reach to girths of a horse. As related in our columns yesterday, a man who rode to the side of the roadway got out of his depth, and had a narrow escape. The whole area bounded by the Silverstream bridge and Duke's road, and extending in a southerly direction as far as Mr IGrkland's farm, was one sheet of watar, except in places here and there, whore the tops of hedges and crops could be discerned. Some idea of the swollen state of the stream may be gathered when it is stated that it rose at one time to the top of the abutments of the bridge on the Mosgiel road on one side, and flowed on to the road itself on the other side.- The approaches to the bridge were cut into, but yesterday repairs were effected.

One of the first big breaks in the banks below the bridge was on Mt Alexander Smith's property. At this point the water flowed in with great force, and a splendid crop of whoat belonging to Mr Sutherland was poon covered. Wl-en the waters had subsided ye&terday morning it was satisfactory to note, however, that the crop had not been laid ; but what the effect of the immersion will be it is difficult to say. The crop may ripon before it fills, and even if it does not, when it come 3to be cut, it will be found to be a task of difficulty, owing to the accumulation of sand and silt. On the other side of Duke's road the water flowed into a turnip and potato paddock belonging to Mr James Wright, and a great deal of damage was done. Portions of the paddock were still covered by sheets of water yesterday. There is a strong probability that this crop is entirely destroyed. In order to get rid of the water.Mr Wright found it necessary to cut the bank, and let it into the Mill Creek. Mr R. Charters'* paddock, on the south eide of Ricoarton road., displays

signs of the evil effects of the water- There are some seven breaks in the bank along the road, and as in the case of Mr Sutherland's crop,thc top of Mr ChaTters's crop was all that could be seen above the water. The bank had been newly erected by Mr Charters, and in the places where it gave way all the debris was carried down amongst the crop. On the east side of the Silverstream the heaviest damage, without a doubt, took place, and one of the heaviest sufferers from the flood is Mr "Walter Bla'ckie, of Glasgow Farm. What was on Sunday a splendid, heavy orop of wheat is now lying about in all directions^ as if the nozzle of a hydraulic sluioing pipe had been turned upon it. A field of Italian ryegrass has also been devastated. A_ start hod been made on Friday last to cut it for eeed, and the water flowing across the paddocks into it from the Silverstream, washed all the stooks into one corner, where they were stopped by the fence. The crops of wheat and barley belonging to Mr Blaokie, s-nd which have been practically destroyed by the flood, were on land.leased lost season.wMch was carrying the first crop fpr about 20 year 3. A curious incident in connection with the mishap is that a visitor who was inspecting it on Sunday laat, and commenting on its splendid appearance, remarked to Mr Blackie that if he were fortunate enough to escape without a flood, he would have a bountiful harvest. The next day the flood came. Another heavy loser on the east side of the Rtream is Mr Andrew Aitken. His orop of wheat, which had been looking splendid, was not affected by the overflow of the Btream, but was badly damaged through being laid by tho heavy rainfall. The same remarks apply to Mrs James Brown, whose crops this year were said to be the heaviest ever seen on the Taieri. They are now laid about in all direoIn'the southern portions of the district the farmers have been peculiarly unfortunate, for on the day of the floods they practically escaped any abnormal quantity of water, but yesterday, when our representative vißited the dietriot, hundreds of acres were lying under water, which had flowed down from the fields submerged on the rainy day. The farms that have thus suffered are those of Messrs James Renton, W. Morrison, W. Kirkland, and A. Murray. In eaoh instance the loss will be considerable. Happily for these, however, the Taieri Kiver did not rise, otherwise the whole of their areas would have been completely submerged, and the loss would have been irretrievable. Mr W. Shand, who generally is one of the very heaviest losers in flood-Jtime, has in this instance happily escaped without any serious damage, and this, of course, is due to the fact that the Taieri River did not rise.

As 'the flooding of the Silverstream Is a periodical occurrence, and always attended with a considerable amount of damage, the question of how to put a stop to it is always a paramount one with the farmers in the locality. Hitherto no conjoint action has been taken to confront the evil, but eaoh has acted independently of the other, and the result has been that some who, when matters were allowed to exist as Nature has ordained them, were not very much subjeot to flood, are now placed in a wholly exposed position. To be more explicit, the places where the stream used to discharge the surplus waters being now closed by embankments, the water naturally finds a vent in other directions, and those who have hitherto found banks unnecessary are now suffering. The question is being argued as to whether these banks are legal, and from what our representative heard in. his tour .of inspection yesterday, it is not unlikely that the matter will be tested at some not far distant date in the law courts.

There seems to be a consensus of opinion - amongst the people in the district that the one and the only remedy for those near and alongside the Riccarlon road is first to stop the gravel from coming down tho bed of the stream from North Taieri, and then to clean out the stream itself. Old Taieri residents declare that the bed of the stream is now higher in many places than the adjacant lands, and until some united Bteps are taken to make the channel as deep as it was in its natural j state, tho danger of floods will always exist, i The remedy for those lower down the plain has been represented to ub to be : To divert the stream through Meadowbank to join the river at Allanton, and to fill up the present, diverted cut into the river. However, whether this bo so or not, the laissoz faire policy of the past seems to be devoid of all sense of reason.

Our Outram correspondent, writing on .Tuesday, reported that some of .the heavy crops in that district had. been laid by the heavy rains.