FLOODS IN THE SOUTH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 48, 15 July 1912, Page 5

FLOODS IN THE SOUTH.

CANTERBURY'S EXPERIENCE. RAIN AND FOG. By Telegraph—Press Association. Christchurch, Last Night. The rain ceased to-day in the greater part of Canterbury. The flood at Flaxton was the biggest experienced for many years. This morning the flooding caused by the combined forces of the Eyre and Gust rivers at their lowest reaches was, if anything, worse than yesterday. The main road and .sideroads at Fiaxton were not safe for traffic. All the country is a perfect sea, and, although the outfall into the Waimakariri was fairly good, and the river at the Kaiapoi bridge went down three ■ feet at low tide, it will be some days before the floods get off some hundreds !of acres of arable land. The Eyre and j Cust rivers drain possibly 800' or 900 J square miles from a level of 788 ft at [Oxford, to the lower altitude above sea j level of 12ft at Fiaxton. In (Connection jwith the levels the height of the Eyre I overflow Ohoka is eight feet I higher than at Wilson's siding, on which | the heavy current infringed, and from Neeve's corner to the outfall of the Kaikainui creek, in which another escape from the Eyre river tok place, the decline is from 15ft or 10ft to 7ft. These two streams have covered some hundreds of acres more than the last December floods, or of the previous July floods. In fact, they equalled the delugtof the Jubilee year 'flood on July 6. 1887, and stood a fair comparison" with the Easter inundation of 1874, as well as that of September, 1890, on which latter occasion the railway -traffic at Fiaxton was suspended practically for a fortnight. Last evening's train's passengers for Ohoka and Bennett's were conveyed by a three-horse drag from Kaiapoi to Wilson's siding. At Waverley there was over three feet of water on the xoad, which entered the floor of the vehicle. The strong force of the currents ,and floating logs and timber made the journey in the dark, lighted up by two lamps on the drag, a somewhat adventurous one.

A dense fog in Pegasus Bay delayed the ferry steamer Maori for 'about *an hour and a half this morning. The vessel left Wellington at 8 p.m. yesterday " with a strong southerly wind against her, but when she was well down the coast the wind died away to a calm, and at 3.30 a.m. to-day, when the Maori was passing Cheviot, she ran into a very thick fog, and had to proceed at reduced speed across Pegasus Bay. ' Ko sign of land could be seen as the steamer neared Lyttelton Heads, but the reports of the detonating fog horns at Godley Head were heard plainly. The Maori made her way up Lyttelton harbor in the dense fog, the first land being sighted after passing Gollan's Bay, and she arrived in port at 8 o'clock! The Maori did not connect with the first express'for Bunedin,- but, considering the exceptionally thick fog, Captain Aldwcll did very well in getting into port so early. The fog was the first bad one I which has been experienced this winter, and it commenced to clear in the outer harbor shortly after the arrival of the Maori.