NAPIER'S PLIGHT.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXVIIII, Issue 12287, 22 April 1897, Page 2

NAPIER'S PLIGHT.

INTEBESriNGt ITEJMS' fBOM NZ. " HE_Aj_D*& jCOE^KSPONDBNT. Wirings to j_iu journal, the Napier oor-, ~ raspondont of' the New Zealand Herald „ told a graphic.talo of the flbbd.froi- which : ; we make tha following extracts: . '; With such rapid'tydia. the flo»d water. V' coma that the psopleS weie taken complet_y . by .surprise.^ 'It kjemed but a : :: moment ahd the 'whole ; 'flat put. fit tlie ! 1 town was submerged.' • .ir -.ViJ -.- Articles of f or.Hure were fi"jati_jj about l A the rooms of residents, and in m»ny,'caße_.p|i ; oh l l<3rsn.. v -nd t jwomßb|.i*Bjbnnted' chairs; '!•' PW**«%V*pl»irA ma_P::i .hers. etthe family Bcughfi means U reseua : them from tEeh": perilogspositttn I '. , ' . Boaft\ were; bronght ; into? requisition ■_. with as little idelay as .possible, nnd soon : r all tlie "sufferers were conveyed to places ' of -S-ftty. i.-A.AY-.i.A :1 "--.. . - The Remarkable sight - was ceen of boats being- rowed down .many of. the**street*.^ ' ." ''j * ■".' Munroe Street »as a sea- of water, and the rotunda ia Olive Square etcod like soiha grim tiestinel alone siurrbunded by wator on all aijl^s. InPTeOnyßO*; Btreet, Mr CoheiK'e hpuSß>_s lh a similar condition. " '"' " .'. ' ' '

IThSre is.' he necessity to gsv.e> every , inoident of persohaV discomHtures expsrienced by thpipaoJßle,^ town, even if • - 6^.^i_^?aifSS*' outsiders, who j knp,w^he.sitii^O|i:ofOTpief?wkl^-nnder. 1 st^ud^pojritjoh.^ _ boat was rowed ;frM'^]tmn|*in, Street ,rigM ( t>bveh,(%v.S^^ beaoh, aa^ln&fitarlyle Street; Etere a glariße>t the recreation, ground showed the -unpleasant faot that the cycling tratk was standing ander. seven feet of water, and there was sufficient depUri;o.|i^mijLqf,a;..regatt% boing held •in a p&ea mßally 7&*rffi®Fm athletic sports, but tbersßidents had only time tm conaiderifKei. bwnpoeltien. After oreoounting the gtare situation of the P^ple:at;%e,jE^|mll^ri«st wire, received before to? was •V For God 'a, sake seed; w^spmo help," the correspondent JtoraisiLtMeU of.the position if affairs at ; : Waitacgi. A tremendous, breach had bos- made in a spot a quarter of a mile sonth of the Shamrock Hotel] Fer mileß around; otf .far ae the eye could see in*all dlrectione,- there was ahugeexfra-seoFw-ter,.; >. ■%■?] Through'thU lieach, ejetehding ovBT a distance of about seven chains, tie waters . had swept away ia.tbei maddened coo r«e — , '}"». iplway embaiJtraent,v'Uki_({ withW; them at, the same time -large number of J : telegraph-pole-,'-' „ JJJ-' : " , The river waters' met the sea at the beach', and' ttfe^ton-deJ-whlcOar of the '-.'- --breakers as they dashed through this opaaiiigwas a scene nofe*aid]^fargotten. • . Thus communication waß ; ent ; Tely cat off i both by rail and .wire, arid tjlle gruy mains of learning ariy thing, abbuVtbe /position , of the, Ciive people waß a boat,_ , ; .-_. „ . -..VV „- , ' With the railway embafnkmpnt washed a say, as previously reobr d'_3, • Bnd with two spana'of the *Waij»_gi bridge gone, a train conld only tgeb. a. far -aa the beach with the. pilot screw, whose;, boat waa broughfcup on-a trolly round the Hyderabad Boad.- ■ ;■: - ''A'.-7-.u a -hesight presented wa? pitiab'e ia the extreme. The flood waters had done their worst- . V ' : ?'.-V'-'.-=

_, The weftther- having by this tima . cleared,' in the; bright moonlight every ,' opportunity" was; tatterr jbo ejofcaiaaview of the, cruelhavoo that had Seen made , on everyißide- ;v.j ■ --r-,,'-.*-,'! _ Piloted. y the same plucky fellow, the . boat.tvaa, taken as far ai the bridge, _a V _ which ;,stood iHteji? wam»,._md i ;cbil_ren "T , huddled, with water to th_J3(ihi;':and left ef; them, and with no, means of escape , until rescued from. their 'v6Vy'dangeio« pnsicion. „; - - " The .wpaAjni dre,iiche_ ■ W the skin, and the crying of tte children, and the rare- ' ing of the waters aa they dashed nnder the Midge, waa sad in^peS.Vi r ', lhr_a , trips did the boat make, con- ,■ veyingitije'sufferalto the lundon Hotel, ; Wi^erathey .were weliloo-ed'Sftr for the night-'V ■_•-" '.V'"'''' i f. J -..'>:' The attention of the, boat's' crew was then turned to thepeop le ! b. itWeat Clive, ' and the boat having: been carried ove* the bridge,; a start wae made for the West Clive Hotel* where information was learned of. the state . oif 'affairs in the Western portion bf that district. After (rowing for about;!a- mile they "* reached a, house in which _tH'ey|fouad two women and, fonr bhiii&en perched on tible?, • They ; had i-beeh, 'inqsihis most nnteomfbrtable potation ityr^erjtl hours; until they;i»er«j fca^il^^jied abont 2.80 a-m. on Faturday morning, and conveyed to the West CJJve'HoJaj. Beferritfg*tdCrtK_.>sad fatalities, as al-W^ ready jnwotfed.jia, thegfejoplnmns, the same cowwpoadeni? statei that the men aro wnedlßave'familieß numbering twenty children, whioh. with the widnwe, are left almoat unprovided' for. Mr Baker and hUifkmily.kt Pukjt.pu, had a very sterling expli-liea. Their house w ; situa,^e_l^Qg!!H^%_d 0 _ im . mense landslip fell with,* terrific crash against ths 1 bulkfi-^.' _ht»? "family had time to take refuge in an old house, from which they conld see their gradually boing drifted towards the river, down which, jt floated,. They mide their way over the hill into' Taradale, where they were accommodated .7 Mr Kirkham. x ' •