Incidents of the Flood.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 689, 7 May 1879, Page 2

Incidents of the Flood.

A horseman, who arrived shortly after 12 o'clock to-day, from Ormond, mentions that the Waipaoa is carrying away large slioes of the bank on the side of the township, and that should the rains continue, the township itself is threatened^ Five bullock drays are stuck hard and fast at the Makauri, unable to get forward or return to where they started. The remains of the steamer Lily were clean carried away to-day at the spot where it 'had so long lain a wreck. She will never more be seen. The Pearl, schooner, it was feared would break from her moorings across the river, the fresh running with such force where she was floating. It was also expected that the cutter Whau would be carried out into deep water, where with a leaky bottom, it was certain she would sink. With the wreckage brought down by the flood about noon was a quantity of sawu timber, comingfrom whence no one appeared to know. Owing to the swollen state of the rivers, all communications has been cut off between Gisborne and Tologa Bay. The Natives 1 are waiting to receive the money for their lands, and the money is m Gisborne waiting to be taken to the Natives, which makes it exceedingly unpleasant for all parties concerned At four o'clock this afternoon, when flood tide set m, the river was backed up, and should much more rain fall a very disastrous overflow is almost certain to occur. ' ; The Bridge at the Big River (SteggaU's) is 'ttfrtfateried ' with destruction. The stream had overflown its banks m the low lyjng, parts. Large trunks and logs of timber were coming down this morning, striking with tremendous force the piles 'which support the structure. A large number of people had assembled to witness the scene, and it appeared to be a general opinion, that should the rain .continue, the bridge was m great danger of being carried away. Our country runner had to return, with the Herald thiß afternoon, not being able to get beyond Makaraka and the Makauri. Communication between Gisborne and Ormond was completely cut off. this afternoon, m consequence of the flooded state of the road.

A man named Harry Hardwick, known to most of the people about Read's Quay, this morning had a very narrow escape from death by drowning. He was standing on the somewhat rotten planking of the old wharf, when he slipped and fell into the river which was running at the rate of ten knots. Swimming m such a torrent was altogether out of the question. The man sunk beneath the eddies, when he was rescued by some Maoris, who put off m a boat to rescue him. Hardwick had seized hold of a log of wood, to which he clung, and was fast being carried out m the direction of the bar when he was rescued. Captain Kennedy, as soon as he saw the accident, rushed to a flat-bottom boat, and gallantly put off into the stream, but by the tune he reached ? ,the Bpot where Hard wick was in^the. wfcter, the Maories had. succeeded m lifting the drowning man from the" raging water's;