THE FLOODS ON THE TAIERI.

Otago Witness, Issue 2437, 28 November 1900, Page 7

THE FLOODS O N THE TAIERI.

(Advocate, November 21.) - It is now about nine years pince the Taieri was virited by a really big flood. . During that lapse of time there have been many small Hoods, causing a certain amount of loss snd inconvenience, but a real big flood, one of those inundations converting thousands of acres of fertile land into a sea of muddy water we have fortunately escaped from for some time. Our lasc big flood of that nature occurred about nine years ago during harvest time, and it was a sad feight to see tons of o-olden grain in the sheaf being borne down the river. A flood at any time is a dismal affair, but a flood at harvest time is the worst, when the 12 months' labour of a farmer^ is sometimes washed away in a single nignt. The present flood has happened when the damage cannot be so great as at harvest time ; still the loss may prove considerable to many of the farmers. A good deal now depends upon how long the water may take to get od the plain. It may remain sufficiently long on the "land to rot the seed, but with s rapid subsidence, the loss may be considerably militated. In many cases the turnip seed will be rendered absolutely valueless, and some of the" grass paddocks have been utterly spoiled for a time. Some of the residents about Henley and Otakia ars sure to be heavy sufferers, especially those who depend upor dairying. The paddocks will not, for some time, be fit to place stock in, and the milking cows will have to be kept on the hills. The feed will become scarce and the cows "go off the milk, so the loss to some of the families who supply milk to the dairies must prove a heavy one. On Friday last the flood appeared to set m. There were showers all day long and at night about 11 o'clock a steady downpour commenced. All day Saturday it rained heavily without any intermission. In fact we never saw such a continuous rain before. The Owhiro Creek, close to' the railway station, soon swelled over its banks. The .Silverstream was rising rapidly; the Dye Creek, that runs through Mosgiel, soon began to fill up; the Mill Creek was swelling very fast; every little stream from the hillsides began shedding its quota to the low-lying lands, and the ground everywhere was soppy ancl sodden. "This means a flood" were the words that were in everybody's mouth on Saturday. Residents in the low-lying parts of the Taieri began .making preparations for the inevitable. Stock were rapidly removed to the high land, and paddocks that the" day before carried scarcely a hoof of stock were suddenly crowded with cattle, sheep and horses. Those farmers who took time by the forelock and removed their stock on Saturday had ' reason to be satisfied with their precautions, for they saved themselves from loss and danger. At Henley the flood rose to an inch above' the high water -mark of the last flood, which occurred in 1892, and it was then six and a-half inches below the height reached by the celebrated "Old Man" flood. The flood was at its height on Stmday afternoon, and then it had just reached the decking, of the Henley bridge. At Otakia the great value of the flood embankments built by the drainage boards was exemplified in a striking manner. The embankment there, which ordinarily looks like a useless expenditure of money, backed the flood-water up and kept it back from the farms of Messrs A. and J. Fleming, J. Crane, J. Gibson, W. Jaffray, and others, and prevented losses which must have spelt ruin to many. Those who were concerned trembled for the tolidity of the embankment when they saw the seething weight of water that was being pressed against it, but it stood the test. The flood, however, topped the bank, but did no serio\i3 damage in the vicinty. Mr Win. M'Kay was unfortunately sheltered by no protective works, and the gi eater portion of his land was completely submerged, to a considerable depth in places. This resulted, so we are informed, in the loss of several horses, and numbered amongst them was a valuable stallion. The flood at Allanton must be the cause of much loss of crop, but so far as we could learn there was no loss of stock. The farmers in the centre of the plain on the Mosgiel side of the Taieri were the first to get the benefit of the flood, Messrs Murray and Morrison being unfortunate in. this respect. In fact these families had to shift quarters on Saturday evening. All Saturday was spent by the farmers in this vicinity in shifting their stock, and it was a busy day for those on tbe farms of Messrs

Brown, Blockie, Shand, Kirkland, Charters, Sutherland, Wright, and others in that direction. Notwithstanding these precautions, thero were losses amongst the stock. This part of the plain is devoid of much high land, consequently the water quickly overspread it, ancl what was a ylain on Saturday presented the appearance of a great lake, cloeely studded with islands, on Sunday morning. The water Las subsided rapidly in the districts adjoining the Taieri River, but we are afraid that in the centre of the plain it will lie for a considerable time. Our North Taieri correspondent, writes- that with the exception of some' heavy -slips m | the hills, ancl the washing out of a few potato j cropi not - fc *-iuch damage was done in the North j Taieri. I'lie Mill Creek overflowed its banks, j and burst through the bank near Mrs Lyons's hmise. The paddocks round the homestead ar<3 ruined in the meantime, a,nd the. ,eov.'S are up to their knees in mud. "Mr A. Stewart was a sufferer by the overflowing of the' Sriverstieam, no less than 18 -.of his calves beingdrowned. Passing alor.g. the Outran) road we come to Messrs Mvii Bros. A small portion of the lower part of. their farm was flooded, but their loss is not great. They-! can account for nine sheep and one calf meeting a watery death. Early "on Sunday reports were current of Mr Anderson having lost six draught horses. Mr Anderson, however, informs us that only two of v his horses are missing, a two-year-old filly and a mare close to the foaling. Besides this, though, he has 12 acres of wheat, three acred of potatoes and two acres of mangels, which he reckons as being utterly destroyed, as the water is still covering these crops. Mr Murray is reported to have lost seven horses, but the report has uot been authenticated ; he must, however, be a considerable lostr through destruction of crop. Carmichael's farm was well protected from the J 'Taieri iliver by the embankment, and though c small portion of the farm was flooded, the loss will not be great, a few acres of turnip? being the principal loss. On the whole, considering the magnitude of the flood, we are inclined to sum up the situation as being not fo bad as expected. In some cases the individual loss will press some-what-heavily, but taken a? a whole we are inclined to think that outsiders are apt to very much over-estimate the damage.