THE MATAURA FLOODS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 1 April 1913, Page 5

THE MATAURA FLOODS.

RESTORING ORDER AT GORE. SOME NARROW ESCAPES. IMMENSE DAMAGE THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT. (By Telegraph. — Press Association.) GORE, Last Night. The streets are again .nearly clear of water, but many low-lying sections are still inundated. The condition of the interior of the houses aad business establishments is indescribable. Every description of goods on the counters of shops, show caaas, and glass mirrors are mixed up and in a ruined condition. This morning "there was bright sunshine, and the street fronts were lined with goods to dry. but a large quantity is only fit for the rubbish heap. The majority of the shopkeepers worked all day yesterday, endeavouring to effect some sort of order. In private houses, furniture was littered everywhere and covered with a thick deposit of silt. People are working strenuously to clean and dry their dwellings, but the majority will be unable to sleep in theii f houses for some days. In most cases the. mattresses are soaked and worthless. Many families are almost destitute, and there is a great scarcity of bread. Only two bakers have yet been able to take orders. They hope to resume to-morrow. The school will remain closed this week in lieu' of the midwinter holidays. Numerous narrow escapes ar? recorded, but mo loss of life. A man named Cox, a local butcher, •with others, was engaged in rescue work, when cart capsized, pinning Cox against a hedge, where he was kept fox over two hours in the water; Fortunately he was able to ha&p his head above water, and was finally relieved, by means of ropes, in a state, of-collapse. Cox is suffering from pleurisy. Another mae named Adam Hoffman, a well-known local footballer, rescued scores of people at East Gore by means of a large raft, which held a dozen people. This was towed by a boat. .

Numbers of people suffered severely from exposure; J?eing wantily clad while on the roof-td?S. r »-. ; , Throughout the day the local Chili-* ese gardeners had a very trying experience, they having to seek refuge on their house-top_ at .4_ o'clock morning. 'The "house finally "floated away, .bufctjie Chinagien were able.to 'reach the roof of the lean-to, which Was almost submerged. They were not rescued until late on Saturday afternoon, when a boat was successful in reaching them. The railway surfacemen have had a most strenuous time. Gangs have been working almost continuously for the last twenty-four hours, with the rSault-tl'. a t connection ( Ms Mefl established" on the main line. The gang worked all night to repair a ryasJlGut at East Gore, and completed -their task at 7.15 this Tile express pass3d through twenty minutes I late. !

..The Kingstou ar e expected to be reP to-day, with the exception 0* j .about quarter of a mile-on• the lat[ter line, where passengers will have to walk. Tlie Switzers line is reported to be in a bad state. Washouts being numerous. In some places, ten feet embankments have been washed away, and rails and sleepers shifted bodily ,f<ft" a consierable 1 distance. • Several washouts are fully a quarter of a mile long, and a doaen smaller one?, are ilk'? reported. The Doirie Creek bridge has -been I washed a wav, and it is expectedit will he a fortnight before a full trattt. Mir'vice is again limning on the line. Hi?-washouts between Riversdailie* and the Mataura .bridge are very serious. ' '

■Practically the whole ballasting on the Waipounomu Flat have been washed away, and the rails in some instances removed for a distance. , Horse traffic between Riversdale and Waikaia was effected yesterday.

It is not expected .that-the electric light and power will be available in Gore till Wednesday, owing to the generators and. dynamos being submerged. At Mataura the town water is temporarily cut off. Only Catholic and Presbyterian Church services were held locally yesterday, and there were small attendances.

At Wyndham the Mimitau river banked up and flooded but the flood was «ot so bad as at Gore. 11l the main street the business plao&s suffered severely, and the individual losses were great. The Wyndham railway line, between the town and the traffic bridge, is seriously damaged. (Farms were flooded, and there has been a serious loss of stock. Communication is cut off from Mataura Island, and the new bridge is damaged. Stock and crops there have been almost totally lost. Practically the; whole island was under water. "Washouts occurred at Mataura and Brydone road. The Wendon correspondent of the Ensign -writes that at the confluence of the Waikaia and Mataura a-ivers there was .an immense body of water, some two miles wide.

Fences were torn down, and approaches wash.'d away from bridges. In the-meantime the district is isolated from vehicular traffic. Many farmers bad fortunately got all their grain in. • Miles of fencing will have to be rebuilt. . . . Great losses will to sustained through wet stacks and damaged grain. , , Friday and Saturday's flood caused, an immense amount of damage m South WestlantL The Big Wanganui river *mt into its bank and formed a new channel, overflowing the flats and flooding lowlying land. Reports of damage that are coming to hand show that there has been serious loss throughout the district.