FLOODS IN THE CENTRAL

Otago Witness, Issue 3566, 18 July 1922, Page 49

FLOODS IN THE CENTRAL

DAMAGE AT NASEBY. The heavy rainfall on Monday and Tuesday was particularly heavy in ihe St. Bathans and Lauder Ridings of tho county, and this deluge combined with the melting snows created enormous floods that caused very extensive damage to roads and bridges (says the Mount Ida Chronicle). Old residents say that the floods in the Mansherikia and Dunstan Creek were the highest for 30 years. The county engineer (Mr Butler) found on proceeding to the locality that washouts were first met w ith at W cdderbum. Ar Hills Creek ihe footbridge was washed away. Part of Allen bridge and the wire rope wings and approaches were washed away, the ground being swept clear of debris right down to ihe pupa rock The Oambrian-Oturehua couch was held up on this side, and the driver had to swim a horse across to get to St. Bathans. Station Creek bridge also went down the stream, and the party only got through by a devious route. Around St Bathans there ate heavy washouts. Part of the St. p»athans bridge over It tin stall Creek has gone, and about 40ft of ihe approaches and banks. L was impossible to crass here with either a. trap or a horse. At the contract on t.he Becks bridge a deal of the earthwork has bten carried away, and e quantity of timber lost. The crossings will not be safe for cars for about two weeks. Ji will take several hunched pounds to repair the damage, and the engineer has wired ro the Minister for assistance. That the residents recognise that the cost of repairs is going to encroach on t lie county funds more severely than usual is shown by the fact ihat one of the leading residents of St. Bathans approached the engineer by let ter suggesting that those using the roads should assist the county 1 \ money donations or by putting on men to effect repairs. Also an impromptu deputation waited on him while he was in the locality, and said that a loan could he raised locally by the council to repair the extensive damage in ihe district fT it thinks fit io adopt that method.