THE FLOODS

Southland Times, Issue 18938, 11 May 1923, Page 5

THE FLOODS

SCENES OF DESOLATION BLENHEIM DISTRICT UNDER WATER TWO MEN DROWNED FAMILY COMPELLED TO LIVE IN ROOF. (Per’United Press Association). BLENHEIM, May 10. The flood waters have now receded from Blenheim and from the greater part of the inundated plains. The town is getting back to normal and settlers in farm areas are beginning to reckon up their losses. The Mayor's Relief Fund is growing steadily, many substantial subscriptions coming in. The Lower Wairau is a scene of desolation and distress. At its height the Wairau River gouged out a great gap in the stop bank in the vicinity of Whittle’s bend, the water tearing across the country. A stream, half a-mile wide, inundated practically the whole lower Wairau. It was the worst flood in the history of the district, farms and homesteads which had hitherto been immune from floods, being deeply invaded. There has been a tremendous loss of stock, which is borne out by the carcases of sheep hung up in barbed wire fences. It is still impossible to give any estimate of what the loss will mean. The farms of some of the smaller settlers have been to all intents and purposes swept bare. Stacks have been overturned or ruined and fences are down in all directions.

The body of E. E. Robinson, who was drowned in the flood near Grovetown, on Monday night was recovered about 3 o’clock this afternoon in about 5-ft of water. Robinson had thrown off his coat and shoes and had evidently struck out from the capsized dray in the direction of Mr F. Jones’s house, as the body was found about 75 yards on that side of the dray. So far the body of Jack Gledhill, who accompanied Robinson, has not been located. Spring Creek has more or less been cleared of water since yesterday, only low-lying areas being affected now. The area immediately around the Ferry Hotel presents perhaps the most desolate and dreary scene in Marlborough. Fences on both sides of the road have been washed out and all the remaining fences are sagging under the weight of the weeds. At the back of the railway line, Mrs F. Redwood’s property has suffered severely. Her house has been entirely surrounded by water from Monday until this morning. The stop-bank on the Taumarina side of the ferry bridge has been broken through in several places over a distance of about a quarter of a mile and the outlook in the event of a further rise is bad. At one place practically the whole of the top soil and grass have been removed, leaving a broad track like an old river-bed. The railway line in the vicinity of Spring Creek is very badly damaged, the ballasting having been washed out here and there over a considerable distance leaving the rails and sleepers hanging in the air. The culvert on the line was also badly damaged. Road communication between Blenheim and Picton was effected this morning. Many cars made the journey to-day. At Taumarina the flood invaded the hotel to a depth of a foot and most of the other buildings in the locality suffered severely. The railway line has been damaged fairly extensively, but has been temporarily repaired by means of sleepers and old railway iron. The southerly buster treated Havelock suburb to 95 points of rain, and the result was the heaviest flood since October 24, 1900. Old residents declare that it was the highest flood in their memory. Considerable damage occurred to fences in the lowlying flats adjoining the river, but there was not much loss of stock. There have been many slips along the hillsides. This morning it was still impossible to get anywhere within a reasonable distance of Dillon’s Point, the whole of the area being inundated and presenting a sorry sight. The water is receding very slowly and it is believed that it will be several days before the area is clear.

There is plenty evidence that Islington suffered severely, most of the houses being invaded to a depth of 2-ft, while in some cases the water was even deeper. In the Grovetown district the waters have receded a good deal, but a large area extending from Mr F. Jones’s house to the riven is still inundated. It was in this area that the body of Robinson was found. At Lower Wairau Mr Saunders and family had a most trying experience in their house, which is near the bank of the Wairau River. The water rose to an immense height and they had to take refuge in the l roof, being compelled finally to cut the roof open with an axe. The house was a fairly old one and the great pressure made it literally rock. But for the fact that a big macrocarpa hedge broke the current to a certain extent, Mr Saunders declares that the place would have been carried out to sea. The family was rescued yesterday after being without food for some time. Mrs Saunders, who has a four months’ old baby, felt the strain of the experience greatly. WAIAU BRIDGE IN TWO. SERIOUS INCONVENIENCE TO MOTORISTS. MUCH REPAIR WORK NECESSARY. CHRISTCHURCH, May 10. The Waiau bridge is now completely broken in two, and communication with Parnassus is stopped. The loss of the Waiau bridge will be very serious to motorists as the river is one of the most dangerous and difficult in Canterbury and lies on the direct route to Cheviot. Before the bridge was opened, many cars were held up at the ford, where a horse and cart used to ferry passengers across. Even when the weather clears the Railway Department will be faced with serious difficulty, when it comes to the work of repairing the breaks on the Waipara-Parnassus branch. The line is 44 miles in length and it goes over the Hurunui and Waiau rivers, as well as over smaller streams. Reports indicate that rails will have to be relaid over various stretches. Scouring by flood waters still goes on and the foundations of the various bridges have been undermined. There is a slip near Scargill but the worst fall of earth has taken place between Ethelton and Tormore. Several hundred tons of earth have been carried away. The rails underneath this huge pile of debris, are very likely to have been either bent or broken. Repairs will therefore be a matter of weeks. Repair work was started on the Midland line at the Otar am a slip. So that work may be carried out with all dispatch, arrangements have been made to send a relief train from Greymouth through the Arthur’s Pass tunnel. Operations can then be put in hand at both ends of the series of slips. FARMERS LOSE HEAVILY REPAIRS PUSHED ON. CHRISTCHURCH, May 10. One hundred and forty stud Southdown ewes valued at about £lOOO and a Southdown ram valued at 30 guineas, have been lost in the floods by Mr J. Stevenson, the well known breeder of Flaxton. The flood came so suddenly, that little could be done to remove the sheep, but by tremendous efforts, Mr Stevenson saved about 500. Mr Stevenson has been building up his flock of stud sheep for some years and he is a heavy loser. He has also lost a considerable quantity of clover seed and wheat. Though few definite estimates are available, it is likely that stock losses in North Canterbury district, will be heavy, for in many lowlying parts the water accumulated over-

night, and little could be done to save the stock. Farmers are having an anxious time for in addition to stock losses, which cannot be definitely ascertained yet, many of them will lose their wheat and seed which has been threshed and left stacked in the paddocks.

In the Rakaia district the floods have been responsible for the ruin of a great deal of wheat and potatoes in sacks, which were out in the paddocks and have become water-logged. Repairs on the Southbridge railway line where the bridge was down and on the north line, as far as Sefton, have been carried on very expeditiously, and unless there are more floods the sendees which have been restored will be maintained, though permanent repairs will take some time. KAIAPOI CLEANING UP. CHRISTCHURCH, May 10. To-day was essentially a “cleaning day” in Kaiapoi. The fire engine was employed in emptying the cellars. The authorities have cut several drains and openings through the embankment, and draining has reduced the flooding considerably, but it will be some weeks before water from the low-lying section gets away. Many families are still being accommodated in private houses, technical school, etc., and some families cannot possibly return to their homes for some days. In the meantime they are being well looked after. Provision has been made at the Woollen Mills and Freezing works for drying of clothing, etc. The Kaiapoi Woollen Mills resumed operations to-day in the carding, spinning and milling departments, and it is expected that the rest of the employees will be able to start on Monday. The work of getting the flood water out of the building was effieciently carried out by the mill staff. Since the water receded it has been found that the damage to the wool ana materials will not be so great as anticipated. ROADS TO ASHBURTON BLOCKED. CHRISTCHURCH, May 10. All road communication with Ashburton is entirely cut off, stated Mr Hawkes, secretary of the Canterbury Automobile Association, this morning. The Selwyn ford on the main south road is still impassable, and the other road by way of the Ellesmere bridge cannot be used owing to the approaches to the bridge being washed away. The only means of communication remaining is by railway, which has not been affected. KAIKOURA INUNDATED. DISTRICT ISOLATED. HEAVIEST FALL IN ITS HISTORY. CHRISTCHURCH, May 10.

The heaviest flood in Kaikoura’s history is reported. Rain commenced on Friday, continuing on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The district was inundated through the heavy seas stemming the rushing waters at the mouths of rivers. Land slides on the roads to Blenheim and to Christchurch blocked traffic. The telephone and telegraphic wires are down, thus isolating Kaikcura. Middle Creek rose over the bridge which is impassable on the North Road. Kowhai river overflowed the bridge on the South road. Residences near the banks of Lyell stream suffered heavily. The water was over a foot deep in one residence. At the Dairy Company’s office it was up to the door handle, there being a depth of three feet at Flower’s comer and the shop was flooded. Shops on the other side of the road at a lower level suffered heavy damage, there being feur feet in shops and much stock was damaged. West End residents were forced to seek refuge in hotels. Long Creek sawmill was washed away and a hundred cords of wood with the engine and sawbench were lost. Linesmen have been landed at Kaikoura to repair the lines, equipped with a harpoon gun to shoot wires across the streams. The rainfall is 25.8 inches since Friday.

POST AND TELEGRAPH SERVICES. CHRISTCHURCH, May 10. The only places isolated in the Christchurch postal district to-day are Avcca and Cass on the Midland railway. West Coast mails are going via Wellington. Telegraphically the position to-day is the same as yesterday. It is hoped to get connection with Kaikoura and Waiau to-day. The rainfall in Christchurch since Thursday is 6.23 inches, which beats all records. Mr Skey, director of the Magnetic Observatory, says that high records such as 25 inches may be accepted as reliable, as they would probably be due to cloud bursts. GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE. MONEY AT LOW INTEREST. HELPING DISTRESSED SETTLERS. WELLINGTON, May 10. The Prime Minister states that Cabinet has decided to assist settlers who had suffered serious loss during the recent floods, and who may require a certain amount of cash in order to carry on their farms. Details have not yet been worked out, but the intention is to follow the procedure adopted in the case of the bush fires some years ago at Raetihi and Okahune, where monetary advances were made to settlers at a comparatively low rate of interest. In the present case suffers through flood damage will be able to secure money at 5 per cent. Applications for assistance will be received by the Superintendent of the State Advances Department. MINISTER POSTPONES VISIT. WELLINGTON, May 10. The Hon. J. G. Coates Minister of Public Works, was to have left Wellington for Blenheim on a visit to the flooded areas to judge himself what can be best done to prevent or minimise flood damage in the future. The Minister, however, received a telegram from Mr W. B. Girling, M.P. for Wairau, asking him to postpone the trip till next week, when he hoped the flood waters would have subsided sufficiently to enable him to get about the district more readily and form a better idea of what needs to be done.