THE RECENT FLOODS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4686, 7 May 1883, Page 4

THE RECENT FLOODS.

[fbom a oobbbspondbnt 3 That generally acourate, but most laconic, purveyor of news, tho Press Association, informed the publio on Thursday morning that the " floods had subsided." Welcome intelligence thiß, no doubt, to many who, like myself, had been prevented by the floods aforesaid either from leaving some looality whore they were not ovor anxious to remain, or from reaching some particular spot to whioh their business or their inclinations summoned them. I had for half the week been storm-stayed in tbe "City of Ashburton," concerning whioh I hold with tho firmness of conviction that there are many worse places of residence, and few hotter fellows thun most of its denizens. No place, however, is over attractive when enveloped in a pouring rain, especially to one who has " business elsewhere." Therefore it was with some degree of pleasure that I road the announcement above, coupled as it was with the information that traffic on most of the railway lines would be resumed at once. Being unwilling to attempt to penetrate the awful veil which shrouds the sacred mysteries of railway management from the inquisitive eyes of a thouehtless publio and an irreverent press, I asked no questions when told that I could not receive a tioket for Waimate — my destination — but would have to be content with one for Timaru. Having scoured this, I was soon seated in the trai_ which was to convey me acd some score or so of other travellers to the Ashburton bridge. The bridge was quickly rsached, and, as it was undergoing a course of treatment — at the hands of a gang of navvies and a pile driver-necessitated' by its rough oncounler with the river during the paßt few days, a general transhipment of pawengers, mails, and baggage took plaoa — the firat-mentioned walking, and the two latter being trolliad to a train waiting at tho southern end of tho bridge. One group of passengers excited special and admiring notioe. It was composed of the poor coal miner and his family who, as recorded in your columns a few days ago, pluckily footed it from Westport to the J_e*ley, in order to obtain employment at some of tho Cantorbury or Otago collieries. The whole party, in spite of their travol-worn appearance, seemed healthy ond in good spirits. They were bound for tfhag Point, whero it is to be hoped their wanderings will terminate in a 03mfortablo home. Ihe country between the Ashburton and the Hinds was oortainly rather^" soppy," but there were only scanty indications of the floods that had but recently covered it. A few pools of rain water, soma of them of considerably size, lay around the line, and that was oil. Oa nearing the Hinds, currents of the dirty yellow water of tho riv-r might bo observed mingling with the clearer fluid left by the rain. In tho immediate vicinity of the stream the land was atill to a great extent submerged, but the river itaolf, which two days before was running from bank to bank, and dashing against tho bridge iv waves which threatened to sweep away tbe wholo structure, was now muoh moro peaceable in its behaviour, and its rapidly falling, though swollen and turbulent waters, eddied harmlessly round the piers. Tne river was, however, still vory " full," and gave to the low-lying hinds between the bridge and the sea too appoaranco of a dirty, marshy lagoon. The railway station aud hotel, which on Tuesday were only to be approached by wading, oould now bo reached dvyshod. Tho Bangitata, which seems on the whole to have behaved itself very weli during tho troubles, waa diccolonred and somewhat swollen, but a great part of its wide bed was free from water, and" apparently had been so fur p. long time. Ihe Orari, which had evidently been marauding ia tho vicinity of tho line, had seemingly scon tho error of its wajs and Bhrunk b>ick again to its acoustomed channel, leaving the ÜBual legacy of yellow mud on parts ot* tho surrounding fields. It was reported during tho week that portions of Temuka were threo feet and more under wato/. it this wero tbo case, tho residents of that picturesque little township had got rid of most of tho invading forco very quickly, tor thoagh thore was more water on the land in tho neighbourhood of Tcmuka than in some other localities, the dwelling*-, ao far aB could bo judged from tbe s-ilway liuo, wore free from it. Toe Opihi, however, lookorl particularly dirty and turbulent, and Lad floyded eitanaive portions of the adjacent piddooks. In this distriot wero to be seen tho carcases of a few sheep acd other animal, eithor drowned or killed by exposure The country from Temuiato Timaru might be described, in tho words of Mr Oavryor, cs "dampish," bnt 110 worse. At Timaru, where tho train, spito of tho detention at Ashburtoa bridge, -vras not very much behind time, it was discovered that tickets could be obtained for Dunedin uud other stations on tho South lino, unit for a few minutes the u»*b_ue ofiicial ut the tioiot window had plenty to to in issuing '•*" pasteboard " to those do-si-wis of continuing their journey. Off ogam, alter a ten minute*' detention, and the train ran bcvovul miles through a country I whero most of tho water had already found its way to tho sea or elzowhoro ; at all events, thoro was not vory much

left on Iho land. Near the Pareora tho engine slackened speod, and presently came to a standstill. Here the only serious mishap to bo seen on the line bad ocourred. The wholo of the northern approach to tho bridgo had been swept clean away by the force of the stream, which had apparently gone out of its way to do misobief, and taken a direotion altogether different to its usual oourso. It had gone baok to the right path, however, after having left some two or three hundred feet of rails and sleepers " without uny visible means of support," i-»nd having oompelled all passengers to cross a deep and wide gully, through which more than one dirty little stream was meandering aluggishly. Tiie railway authorities, however, had mado tho best of a bad job. A largo gang of navvies were at work, constructing _ temporary trolly-line in preparation for the moro serious undertaking of repairing the permanent way. A train was waiting at the other side of tho gap. The runlets of dirty water had boen bridged with planks and beams, and there wero plenty of willing hands to tranofer passengera' luggage, and more important still, Her Majesty's mails, from one train to the other. Tnis, as well as the transhipment of the passengers, was effected with most commendable promptitude, thanks, perhaps, to the vehemence and energy of an official, in all ths glories of badge and buttona, who considerately informed all and sundry that " our objeot ia to get you away as quiokly ac possible," and who added the information that passengers oould get into their right carriages at the station. In obedienoe to his mandates, we scrambled into the oarriages " higgledy-piggledy." First-class passengers got into second-clais carriages, and vice versA ; some of tbe fair sex even invaded the sanctum sanctorum oi the officer in oharge of Her Majosty's mailß, who was, of course, powerless to resist the invasion. A very brief run brought us to the St Andrew's station, and here the official above mentioned waa as assiduous in sorting out the passengers aB he had before been in mixing them up. Tbe other rivers to bo oroised, the Otaio and Makikihi, had done no material damage to the line, and the remainder of the journey to Waimate was performed without further interruption, though it was occasionally necessary, as it was in places on the line north of Timaru, te proceed cautiously over a newly j mended " break." The oountry was well described by one of the travellers as " sodden," and the bedraggled state of some of the fences by the side of the lino showed that they had, at no distant period, been covered with water. The streams, however, were evidently rapidly falling, and much of tho water to be seen on the land was due directly to the rain, and not to the overflowing of the creeks or rivers. The railway through the Waimate Gorge is still interrupted, but the full extent of the damage it has sustained haß not yet been ascertained.