DEVASTATION AT KAIAPOI

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17036, 9 May 1923, Page 11

DEVASTATION AT KAIAPOI

TWO HUNDRED FAMILIES DRIVEN FROM HOME. RESCUED BY BOATS. GREAT FLOODS IN NORTHERN DISTRICT. Over two hundred Kaiapoi families were rendered homeless yesterday as a result of the flood, which is considered to be the worst ever experienced in the district. The work of rescue was commenced late on Monday night and was continued until last evening, when practically all ths. residents of the affected areas had been removed to other parts of the town. The refugees are being billeted with private families and in a number of public buildings in Kaiapoi. Relief measures have been organised, but the Mayor of Kaiapoi stated last night that he does not think there is an immediate need for a relief fund: Late last night the flood waters in the north branch of the Waimakariri which flows through Kaiapoi, were reported to be receding.

TWO HUNDRED FAMILIES HOMELESS.

BUSY DAY FOR RESCUE ! PARTIES. The full effect of the flood was felt in Kaiapoi yesterday, where over 200 families were compelled to desert their hemes and seek refuge elsewhere, the , water rising fully fifteen inches higher than the highest point reached during the great flood of 1868. Rescue parties spent a very busy time from Monday night until last night and all the refugees are now comfortably billeted with private families and in public buildings in the town. At 5.15 p.m. on Monday, when the factory whistle blew, there was no flood water on the north side of the AYaimakariri near the Kaiapoi Woollen Mills, but at about eight o’clock the Cam river overflowed its banks opposite the factory, .just north of the Cam bridge. The overflow continued down to where the Cam joins the north branch of the Waimakariri, filling in the basin between Ranfurly Street, a continuation of Charles Street, and the Cam, an area of about fifteen acres. WATER THREE FEET DEEP. The woollen factory, the brewery and the malt house and over twenty houses are situated in this basin of comparatively low-lying land and the whole area was flooded. In the factory yard the water A\as fully three feet deep and most of the factory buildings had about two feet of water in them. The malting*'floor in the malt-house, which was below the surface of the ground. aa as flooded to a depth, of about six feet, w } ile the brewery and residence attached to it had fully four feet of flood water in them. Several of the houses in Cridland Street had about six feet of water- in them and their occupants had to immediately seek refuge in t-lie upper portion of the malt-house and in tlve two storied houses in the vicinity The refugees in the malt-house are entirely surrounded bv water and throughout yesterday a boat service was run for tlieir benefit, but a number of families who had sought shelter in the upper stories of houses had to be rescued. SOME OF THE REFUGEES. The names of the occupants, of the houses in this locality who have so far had to leave their homes are as folloAv, the number of occupants of the houses being given in parentheses:— SIDEY QUAY. T. Long (3). H. Barr it t (4). I M’Phce (0). Washer (6), two-stcreyed house. S. Robson |(3), two-storeyed house. WALKER STREET •T. Warwick (7). L. Stevenson (4). CRIDLAND STREET. Airs Attewell (2), two-storeved house AY. Tinkler (4). Neill (5). A. Ball (6). Mrs Richardson (1). G. Wright (6). RANFURLY STREET. R. Sowell (3). G. Power (2). RESCUED FROM UPPER WINDOWS. The house of Mr Robson and Mrs Attewell had been used as refuges for other families who had had to desert their homes on Sunday night, and in each case three families had to be rescued yesterday afternoon. The water was between 3tt and 4ft deep in most cases, and the occupants of the twostoreyed houses had to be rescued through the upper windows. Many of the people in this part of the town had to shift before 10 p.m. on Monday, and up to last night everyone in danger had been moved to a place of safety. The main work of rescuing the refugees commenced about 9 a.m. yesterday, when a party of volunteers commandeered a number of punts. The refugees had to leave practically everything behind them except what could be carried in bundles. The furniture, including pianos in several cases, was left floating about the rooms. A DRAMATIC SCENE. There was a dramatic scene during the rescue of Mrs Thomas Stevenson, a lady over eighty years of age, who ha 9 been bedridden for two years. On Monday night she had taken refuge in M * Attewell’s two-storeyed house, and yesterday morning had to be rescued by boats. The old lady was tied with ropes to a stretcher and lowered carefully from an upper window to the boats below, during pouring rain. Two punts were placed side by side during the rescue, which was carried out by five volun teers. Mrs Stevenson was then taken t-; the residence of "Mr J. Gordon. an*l last night seemed little the worse foi J her adventure. * DIFFICULT RESCUE WORK. 111 a number of instances the rescues were carried out with difficulty owing to the women becoming hysterical, but the whole work was done thoroughlv and systematically, without mishap uf any kind. No difficulty whatever was experi-

enced in finding accommodation for th-3 refugees. The people in the unaffected . parts of the town freely offered to look after as many refugees as they could possibly accommodate, and every available public building in the town was at once placed at the disposal of the homeless. Wherever necessary, blankets for the refugees were supplied by the Kaiapoi Woollen Company. NO CASES OF DISTRESS. Supplies of food were delivered to a number of houses yesterday by boats, and last night it was reported by the authorities that there were no known cases of distress.

THE SOUTH SIDE.

OVER 150 FAMILIES HOMELESS. 011 the south side of the river at the north-west end of the town, between 150 and 200 families had to vacate their homes. The streets ipost affected were: — Black, Hilton (west end only), Fuller, Feraki, High, Broom. Akaroa, Otaki and Raven Streets and Ohoka Road, and throughout yesterday practically ali of them could be negotiated by boat 3. This area takes in practically the whole of the south side of the town from the Main North Road to the public cemetery at the girder bridge, and about half of the population of Kaiapoi live in the area. MAIN ROAD CLEAR, There was no flood water on the Main Road, but in the other streets about 90 per cent of the occupants of the houses were flooded out. The only premises in this block that were still occupied last night were the shops on the Alain Road and a few buildings in Raven Street, including the Alandeville Hotel, which was occupied on the upper storey, although surrounded by AA-ater 3ft deep, i The Working Men’s Club was inundated up to the level of the floor, but could he reached from the back entrance. . Owing to the fact that such a largo number of houses in this portion of the town were deserted, it was impossible to obtain a complete list of the occupants last night. THE CAM SIDE. FORTY-SIX HOUSES DESERTED. Tho . low side of Kaiapoi, between the north branch of the Waimakariri, the Cam River and Flaxton, Avas the first portion of the town to feel the effect of the flood, only tAA'o of the forty-eight houses in the locality being still in occupation last night. Oil the main Rangiora Road, which passed through this part of Kaiapoi, the water had a depth of six feet in places, and there was a similar depth of water on the lowest part of the Cam Road, while there was as much as five feet of water in several of the houses. AN HISTORIC HOUSE. The residence of Mr H. C. Revelt, which is One of the oldest houses in the district, was built on foundations at the level of the highest mark that was reached by the water in the 1868 flood, but yesterday the water was three inches above the floor, and fully fifteen inches above the IS6B levei. The house, which is a single-storey structure on the Kcrotueka Estate, Avas built so as to be safe from any future flood, it being considered at the time that the flood of 1808 was the worst that the district was ever likely to suffer from.

NAMES OF REFUGEES. The following is a list of residents on the Cam side who had to abandon their homes : A. Erickson. T. Erickson. J. Thompson. H. A. Brundell. . A. Purely. J. Dickie. A. Baker. AV. J. Simpson. •I. Siuipson. C. Behnetts. E. Fantham. Aliss F. Dann. Airs Bailey. H. F. Wilton. H. Hayman. Airs Harding. A. Wilson. C. Ching. F. L. Benjes. Airs C. Broadley. I>. Williams. Airs Gould. P. Todd. W. Eagle. Airs Forrest. Barrow. T. Power. D. Gillies. M. AV. J. Forrest. E. Aforris. G. Thompson. B. Ward. G. Clark. AV. Robb. Airs Hoyle. H. French. R. Brown. / lies. J. Johnston. A. Heald. Airs Robertshaw. A. Broadley. Airs Dowling. H. C. Revell. J. M. Young. J. Elmers. Only two of the residents remained in occupation of their houses last night.

AT RANGIORA.

WATER SUBSIDING. Although it rained incessantly yesterday in North Canterbury, the fall was much lighter than that experienced on Alonday. In most localities the flood water was steadily disappearing, but not so in the Flaxton district. There the water was higher than on the previous evening, the increased volume being due to a big overflow from the main drain at the Skew Bridge, which commenced at three o’clock yesterday morning. The railway line being submerged for along distance, it was not considered safe to attempt to run trains further north than Kaiapoi. Up to late last night the water had receded so little that it was highly improbable that traffic to. Rangiora would be resumed to-day. All trains are cancelled on the Ran-giora-Oxford line until further notice. The overflow from the main drain considerably increased the flooded area in the vicinity of Flaxton, and soma of the fanners whose land was invaded by the water suffered serious loss, mainly from damage to their

! threshed grain, stacked in the open , ready for carting. TRAFFIC POSSIBLE OVER ASHLEY. The Ashley River had fallen from two to three feet yesterday, and it ceased to overflow its banks. When at its height on Monday afternoon it broke through the traffic bridge, embankment near the end of Bell’s Road, and the water that found its way past the bridge added considerably to the stream which cut off motor traffic on the road leading to the bridge. The I stream had so far decreased yesterday that motor-cars were again able to get through. LOWER ASHLEY BRIDGE UNDAMAGED. The overflow from the river at Coldstream having ceased, the flood at Waikuku was steadily receding yesterday, and a venturesome party in a spring dray drawn by a staunch horse managed to reach the Lower Ashley Bridge, which was found to be undamaged by the heavy strain it had been subjected to. There is still a large quantity of water on the North Road, and it is not likely to be lit for traffic for several days. BUILDINGS CARRIED OUT TO SEA. It is reported that flood water from the river found its way in a heavy stream through the Wajkuku beach domain and washed to sea Mr H. M. Hawkins’s building used as a grocery store during the picnic season, and a “ Bach ” belonging to Messrs L. and F. Coates, Rangiora. The bathing sheds on the beach belonging to the Domain Board are also said to have been carried out to sea. BRIDGES DAMAGED. The flood was severe on the bridges in the Ashley County. Both approaches to the new Garry bridge were cut through, also the south approach to the Makirikiri Bridge and one of the approaches to the Karetu bridge. The Grey River bridge has also suffered some damage. Thanks to the prompt action of Air T. Dawson and the county foreman of works, Mr -I. Kelli her, assisted by Mr T. Sliankland and a party of residents, the gap in the approach to the Makirikiri bridge was covered with a substantially constructed sixteen foot span of railway iron and planks yesterday, capable of carrying any ordinary traffic. Many of the roads in the county were extensively damaged by the flow of the storm water, and it will be a considerable time before everything is put in order again. Yesterday between Rangiora and Oxford something like fifteen miles of the main road were still under water, the railway line being submerged for a long distance. The water was flowing rapidly beside and in many places over the permanent way, and several washouts were observed. The Snowdale Road leading from Oxford to the soldiers’ settlement in the Lees Valley has been rendered impassable by slips and the approach to the bridge is also damaged. The private bridge over the Waipara leading to “ Teviotdale,” Mr G. D. Greenwood’s property, has been completely washed away.

The first warning of the danger of flooding was received by the residents of this locality at 8 o’clock on Monday, morning, and a number made immediate preparations for vacating their houses. By Monday night nearly all of the houses were deserted, the water having risen with great rapidity. The trouble was caused principally by flood Avater from the main drain at Flaxton breaking over the banks and working its way rapidly over to the Cam River near Kaiapoi. So rapid was the rise of the water that at least two motor cars were caught on the road and had to be abandoned. The work of the rescue parties was made extremely difficult, owing to the sudden nature of the flood and the heavy rain that was falling continually. A party of rescuers managed to get a drav round to Mr A. Purdy’s house, and three boats to the houses of Air T. Erickson and Air A. Erickson, and in this way the occupants were removed to safety about midnight on Monday. The members of the rescue party were: Constables Holmes and Warren, and Messrs S. J. Richards, F. Richards. F. Clark, W. 11. Stack. L. Becks and W. Pearce. NO NEED OF RELIEF FUND. The A lay or cf Kaiapoi (Air .TT. Al’lntosh) stated last night that lie did not think there was any immediate need of a relief fund. Most of the refugees had been accommodated with private families, and others were housed in the Kaiapoi Woollen Company’s Hostel, the Technical School, the Fire Station, ATessrs Blackwell’s old store, and the Church of England Sunday School. Relief measures had been organised in the town, and au ample supply of blankets had been made available by the Kaiapoi Woollen Company,