THE SOUTERN FLOOD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 32, 19 June 1868, Page 3

THE SOUTERN FLO OD.

— $ — {From the Timaru Herald, June 17.) Tho otrcots in Tlmarn, on .Saturday morning, Woro pouring water Into tho hcu, and it became evident that if tho rain continued muoh longor tho town would ho Hooded. A gully which runs In a wcstorly direction for about two miles nnd debonchos into tho sea in the heart of tho town, hud on two provlous occasions canned damage by draining water down which was unable to got off through tho oulvort running undor tho main road and tho

promises of Messrs Russell and Co. This oulvort, wo bollovo, Is only two fcot by three foot, but until the present year it has always answered the purpose for which it was put down. On Saturday aftornoon tho water, which had been increasing rapidly, began to run aoros-) tho main otroot and through tho yard of Messrs Bussoll and Co,, into tho soa, It soon increased to a stream about two foot In depth, and entered tho collar and lower Htoroy of Boswlok'a Bond. Tho now olhcos of Mr F. I-oCron, adjoining tho bond, woro also inundated, and It was foarod that tho foundation of tho store belonging to Messn. Uussoll and Co,, and occupied by Mr Fleming would bo undermined, and tho building fnll to tho ground. A numhor of volunteers, whon tho danger was perceived, at onco set to work to mako a chnnnol for tho wator so ns to divert tho main body of It from th. oontroof tho storo, and direct it through thoynrdof Messrs l.ussoll, Their wool storo, which contained a fow thousand bushel, of grain, was flooded and all tho lower tlor of tho bugs damaged, besides several balos of wool packs. Tho water roso In tho garden of tho Bank of Now Zealand unpleasantly noar tho promises, and In tho shop of Mr Watklns, chomlst, it ro.e to a height of flvo foot six inches, and destroyed a lot of chemicals, A littlo higher up tho gully tho glass casos belonging to Mr French, gardener, woro filled with water and washed from tho ground, Tho brldgo i crossing tho gully at tho approach to St Mary's Church was under water, and prlvato houses In scvoral parts of tho town woro flooded, oaufling great unpleasantness nud somo littlo lohs, Tho ilood washed town n brick wall dividing tho residences of Mr Byrno from tho premises oi! Mr Hilton, and canned some damngo to tho baok part of the premises of tho latter, by tho falling of tho wall upon tho sldo of tho houso. Tho ilood roaohort its holght about sovon o'clock on Saturday night In tho town, and subsided more rapidly than It iiad risen. During this timo tho inhabitants In town woro without auy information with respect to the country, hut It was known that tho Saltwater creek on tho south, and tho Wnshdyks on tho north woro flooiiod, tho wntor having risen in both cases higher than it did at the ilood in February, Indeed, thoro was no reliable Intelligence of tho effect a f the storm upon tho country until the 'arrival of iho malls on Monday, whon it was loarncd thnb prlvato proporty had nob boon saoriflccd to any serious extent Tho wator at Woolleoml. oM gully on Saturday and Sunday was hlghor than hue been known for olovon yoars, beini* somo foot hlghor than in tho last heavy flood, Tho lagoon at tho mouth of tho Wnlmaitatl crock, was no surcharged with water running out from tho crock, tliat It extended Its limits up beyond the main north road to tho debouchment of tho orook Into tho lagoon; tho wator eovorod a largo area of ground, to tho south inundating a vory oonsldorablo portion of Mr Woolloombo's itaddooke, and to the north, covering the ground very nearly up to tho cottages built along tho main north road, thoroby converting tho wholo of tho low land Into a largo lake, Fortunately but littlo damago was dono as tho ground at this time of tho year Is lying fallow, otherwise If cropped, very sot lous loss to proporty would havo ensued. On Sunday, a gang of men not to work to dig n tronoh through tho shinglo bank to allow a pnsango for tho wator into tho soa, About nino o'clock on Sunday night, tho lagoon mado a way for Itself through the opening, for by daylight tho valley was ntlrely clear of wator and tho lagoon itself nearly dry. Ab tho Wnshdykc, tho wator roso most rapidly on Saturday aftornoon, tho wholo flat prcnontlng tho nppoiiranoo of a largo lagoon, The bridge was soon under water, as well as tho main road for a considerable dlstanco on each sldo of it, reaching on tho north bank vory nearly to tho Washdyko Hotel. At four o'olook tho water was still rising, and was thon within a fow inches of the grout flood in February, but tho weight of water In the lagoon soon afterwards became so groat that it burst away a largo portion of tho shinglo bunk ut tho south end, bordering on tho soa, and a channel, twelve or fourteen foot deep and soYoral chains wide, was scoured out) and tho wholo flat speedily drained, on Sunday morning a heavy stream wus still running, and a gentleman in attempting to ford it, lind to swim hia horso. On Saturday, boi'oro tho lagoon broko out Into the sou, sovoral porsonu proceeded along the shinglo bank to view tho wreck of tho Despatch, and It was feared that all of them had not returned boforo tho lugoon broko out. Ono person was scon on the beach and made signals for assistance, but whon a Iwnt was taken across tho lagoon, which was convoyed from tho Government Landing Service by order of Inspector Buckley for tho purpose, no sign of any distressed porson could bo found, Wo buliovo that after iv walk of several miles tho pcrnon who had made the signal, managed to cross the swampy ground and got to a stono hut building noar tho Scadown paddock, whoro ho spout the remainder of ilioniiiht. Agood deal of damngo wan done to tho approaches to tho Wnshdyko bridge the earth on the north end having been scoured out right down U) tho foundation, The hrldge itself has slightly sunk down In one part, and ll Is feared that tho foundation/] ure in lured. Tho Chairman of tho Levels Hood Board lnßi.ccl.od tho brldgo on Sunday morning:, and ordered it to ho closed until temporary repairs were . fleeted . On tho Levels plahiß littlo damago was dono that wo havo yob heard of, Tho Now Illvcr by Young's farm received a largo volnmo of water from llw Oplhl, and was turned into a rushing river. It rose to a considerable height, nnd washed away a portion of tho shinglo ford at tho mnin road crossing, recently constructed by tho Levels Hood Hoard, Somo of tho .armors living near this stream left thrir houses and went to the Washdyko Hotel, fearing a repetition of tho February flood. In Gui-noy 'a oreok thoro wbb a heavy

stream of water, but it did not riso so as to ilood tho adjoining country. Tho Tcmuka district escaped with littlo damage. The river rose very high and threatened another flood, but fortunatoly did not inundnto tho township. Some of tho inhabitants of tho lower portion of the township loft their houses aud took refuge in tlie hlghor parts of the town. An accident happened to Cobb's coach, which was crossing tho river on Sunday night, through its gotting into a deop holo, whereby it was capsized Tho horsos and n_-.Ha wero at onco got out of tho river, but Iho coach remained in tho holo until Monday morning. Fortunatoly, there woro no pnssongers in tho coach at the timo of tho mishap, Tho river Oplhl was in a heavy fresh, but no accounts of any serious damage have reached us. Tho country south of Timaru has in tho presont instance suffered more heavily than that to the north, by tho damage done to public property. The mail to tho Wnltaki is carried for n long distance by n horseman, culverts, brldgos, and approaches being cither washed away or injured, and the money spout in temporary nflairs all wasted, The flood at tho Saltwator Creek was about tho samo as that of February last. Tho wator roso in tho creek nino or ten feet and flooded tho gardens of Mr Fitch nnd Mr Driller, and covered tho main south road for scvoral chains, Mr Driller's accommodation houso and outbuildings woro also under water, and he was compelled to seek ref ugo else* j whoro. Higher up tho samo crook, Mr Fyfo. of Timaru had a quantity of fencing washed away at his farm. Two newly made fords wero also washed away, un Saturday evening tho wator burst through tho shinglo bank Into the sea, and very quickly drained thu country. On tho main rond to tho Pnrcora, tho now approaches to tho culverts settled down a good deal, bnt were not otherwise injured. Mr Rl worthy and Mr Bristol havo both lost a quantity of fencing. Boyoud tho Otalo tho country Is not open for dray traffic, ns nearly all tho ropairs mado sinoe tho tout flood have boon dostroyed, Wo htwo yet received no authentic accounts from tho Waimate district, hut we heat* that all tho culverts and bridges havo been moro or loss injured or carried away. .. .

Tho Oamaru Times of Juno 10, says :— Tho woathor during Thursday, Friday, and Saturday has bcon perfectly fearful, It rained incessantly from Thursday morning until late on Saturday night, with a stiff breozo occasionally increasing to tho forco of a galo from tho south and south-enst, The baromotor foil to 28, nnd tho temperature was uncomfortably low *, the whole a*pect of tho olomcnts being wintry aud miserable in the extreme Thoro was a very heavy soa on in tho roads • indeed nearly ns bad n sea as during tho disastrous Febrnary gales, Fortunately thero woro, from Friday afternoon, no vessels In tho Bay, occpt the Oomcrang, wheh arrived on tho morning of that day. Tho wen although getting up was not sufficiently high to provont hor discharging her cargo for this port, which consisted of only a few packages ; but shortly afterwards, the heavy rollers which camo In rondcrcd It Impossible to tako anything out of her. About two p.m. tho bluo pctor was hoisted ns a signal to procood to sea ; and sho got up i Btonm, and about four o'clock stood out in the i tenth of tho wind, rolling a good deal among tho broakcrs, Sho was anxiously watched i until she was seen safely to wear the point, and considerable uneasiness was 1 folt as to how it might faro with her, seeing that sho wns vory light In the water, and had , it was feared hut a small stook of coals. On Saturday morning two guns woro heard, at an Interval of about a quarter of an hour, shortly after midnight, aud two moro botweon nine and ton n.m. This circumstance, added to tho .hiding of n pair of cnbln doors on tho beach, brought up by the tide, led to gloomy anticipations as to tho possibility of the steamer, or some other vessel, having foundered or gone nshoro. Up to tho time of writing this wo have heard of nowrcoknny» whoro un tho coast. Woro it not that wo learn that all tho cabin fitting of tlio February wrecks havo been removed, wo should havo supposed the doors referred to belonged to tho Star of Tasmania or Wator Nymph, but aa it Is, thoy remain nt present a mystery of tho sea. Tho rivers and creeks roso rapidly in consequence of the deluge of water which was poured down from the hills, the Oamaru Creek running through the Thames streot brldgo with a forco and speed which gavo 'it, for tho timo, tho appearance of n dangerous river. Fortunately, tho rain becamo Intermittent on Sunday, and co'iscd altogether on tho evening of that day, or the whole of the gully must have been under wator. Ono end of the brldgo rccontly erected at tho landing* plaeo, was undermined, but beyond this, wo havo not hoard of any damage being done in tho immediate neighbourhood, except at i'otara, where tho approaches to tho bridge havo been washed away. Tho rivers have, of course, boon impassable, and no coach has rsachod hero from Dunedin nlnco Friday night. Yesterday tho weather had quite cleared np, and augured well for a spell of sunshine. Mr Uutherford, tho driver of tho Dunedin coach, last evening, .hiding tho Walarcka nt Totara Impassable by a vehicle, swam one of tho homes across, and arrived In town about half-past nine o'clock. Two of tho passenger* wero also crossed, and started for town with one of tho coach lanterns.