Floods in Canterbury.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1833, 17 May 1886, Page 3

Floods in Canterbury.

PART OF CHRISTCHURCH UNDER WATER. OHBisicfimtcH, May 14. A strong south east gale, with heavy rains, has been blowing all day, and still continues. The flooding of the low lying portions of the city is worse than during the severe weather of a fortnight ago, and if the river continues to rise some damage will certainly result. Traffic on the Christchurch-Little River railway is interrupted. Farmers anticipate great damage to the potato crop. May 15. Rain is still falling. Tbe Avon is now over 4ft higher than since tbe flood of 1868. The;low lying parts of the city are flooded, and numbers of families had to leave their houses, many being taken out in cabs and boats. At Heathoote the water is also very high, and families are leaving their houses along the Ferry Road. The rainfall for the 24 hours, ending 2 a.m., was 7 inches. Lateb. Telegrams from Christchurch yesterday report that in all 8-87 inches of rain has fallen since the gale commenced. The Avon rose about 4 feet in town and 18 inches from the floor of some of the bridges. It was the highest hall an hour past noon on Saturday, after then it began to abate, and by dusk it had fallen 18 inches. Yesterday morning the river was but a little above the usual level. The weather is still gloomy and showers are falling. The low lying country between Christchurch and New Brighton was covered with water which, at the New Brighton School, was half a mile wide. In the sonth east part of the city, near the Catholic Church, the rain water formed a lake many acres in extent. Traffic on the Ferry Read was entirely stopped, the fires of the tramway engines being pat ont by the water. Many residents of Woolston had to leave their houses, one man (Cord) being rescued after passing the night on tbe roof of a house. The main stream of the Waimakitiri was only in fresh, but the north branch was much flooded. The railway lines were not interrupted, except at Little River, where the main bridge was swept away. The Akaroa telegraph was interrupted but is all right again. A house was wrecked by a landslip at Governor's Bay, and the Sumner road has been looked through the same cause.