HEAVY RAINS AND FLOODS AT NELSON.

West Coast Times, Issue 124, 9 February 1866, Page 3

HEAVY RAINS AND FLOODS AT NELSON.

(From the lUxaminei; Feb. 6)

When we stated on Saturday that tho rain of the two preceding (lays had caused great damage in the neighbourhood of the two streams that run through the city, we little anticipated the very serious devastation which actually had been caused by it, both in the neighbourhood of Nelson ar.d in the country districts. As we arc now in a better position to speak of the damage inflicted than we were on Saturday, we shall give such an account of the^torm and its effects as we have been able to collect.

On Wednesday last a change in tho weather took place, on which (lay the sky was cloudy, and a few light showers fell at intervals. As the barometer stood high —considerably above 30 ° , nnd gave no evidence of a change, no person anticipated tho weather that followed, and the general belief was that on the following day, our anniversary, the weather would be fine. What little wind was blowing nt the time "was from the south-east. Contrary to expectations, on the morning of Thursday tho weather hnd not cleared, and early in the clay it set in to lain heavily, and between ten o'clock on Thursday morning and tho same hour on Friday, tho heaviest rain-fall took place of which we have any record in Nelson, the quantity being close on eight inches, which is considerably in excess of what fell on tho 10th. of October, 1864, when 6.30 inches were registered, that being the heaviest fall of rain recorded hero in ono day up to, that time. When the inhabitants of those portions of the town which adjoins tho Brook-street and Maitai rivers awoke on Friday morning, thoy found these streams had risen to a height they had never before seen them attain. Their property was being destroyed before their eyes, and they were powerless to save it. Gardens were flooded, and fruit trees carried away; gorse and thorn hedges wore torn up by the roots ; rood after rood of ground disappeared in tho furious stream, .which carried away |bodily more than one dwelling-house, and placed many more in great jeopardy ; bridge after bridge was carried away, until every ono had disappeared from Brook street river, except a small footbiidgo at the junction of that stream with the Maitai, and the upper and third bridges over tho Maitai shared the same fate. The Collingwooil street bridge, from the caro taken to protect tho approaches to it, stood uninjured, though the water rushed over the causeway leading to it nearly as high up as Field's brewery, and covered the ground on the opposite side of the river for a considerable distance, sweeping clean through Hurley's bop grounds. It is impossible to estimate the loss sustained. In Brook street alone, it will take upwards of L 2,000 to make good the road, which has been carried away in places as far bacjc as the railway. From tho attention- that has oi l late been bestowed on the Maitai, the banks of that river have not suffered in the same degree, although there are spots where a good deal of damage has been done. The most noticeable of these is 1 in Bridge street, where the current encroached on the western side of the river, and got behind the piling of the approach to tho bridge, which it tore up, and then undermined tho bank on the lower side of the street on which a largo houso had been erected ; this building toppled back into tho river, where it was instantly destroyed. This latter ovont did not take placo until seven o'clock on Friday evening ; and as warning was given early in tho morning of what was likely to occur, there was ( ample time to have taken tho houso to pieces, and so have saved all tho materials of it. This, however, was not done, save tho doors and windows, which wero removed. %>Why such a houso should havo been suffered to bo wholly lost wo cannot understand. Tho owner, Mv Karston, was, wo hear, from homo, mul this may in pavt

account for what seems a very strange proceeding. Wo learn with great regret that the damage which this heavy rain has inflicted is not confined to the town, but that tho losses through it in the country aro far more serious, nnd will bo more widely and severely felt. Several of the bridges 6n the Waimea-road havo sustained damage, tho most serious being the one over the second stream of tho Wairoa, which is gone altogether, and the bridge at Stoke, which has been a good deal damaged. Another bridge on this side of Richmond has likewise sustained injury. But it is the losses sustained by industrious settlers that most concerns us. On tho banks of the Wairoa and Waimca rivers, from the bridge (iownwards, the devastation caused by the flood is really appalling. Over all the low lands the flood swept with great fury, carrying away hedges, crops, cattle, sheep — in fact, doing an amount of damage which it is impossible to compute. A good deal of corn was cut,' and on the ground, when the rain began, and what was not swept away is destroyed. Even tho standing corn that was, ripe has shot in tho ear, as -the weather did not clear up until yesterday \ and although there was little rain to speak of after Friday evening, the weather on Saturday and Sunday was damp and close, with 'no wind to dry up tho moistwro. Except tho corn housed beforo the rain began, wo fear tho greater portion of the orops of the season will have been destroyed or very seriously injured. In the neighborhood of Appleby tho water rose so high that many of the settlers wero unable to leavo their houses, and some wore put to vory great shifts to cook food. When it was possible to reach families so imprisoned, they were removed by their neighbors, who kindly rendered their situation as comfortable as possible, until thoy wore able to return to their own houses. No flood that we ever beforo saw in Nelson did a tithe, of tho damage which this ono has inflicted, and many persons will havo cause to remember tho twentyfourth Nelson anniversary.

A fow mornings since, a crossed cliequo for £440,000, wliicli has overy appearance of: being genuine, was picked up at the Heading Industrial Exhibition, and handed over to the scoretary, who will deliver it to the owner on application.

The American /tgrhnUnrht givos on account, i£ccivod from Ononclnga county, Now York, of a fnrmcr who was Lorn without arms. "Instend of appealing lo tho chnvitablo for support, ho connnoncccl curly to help liimsolf. His first property wns a lion nnd chickens, noxt v pot lnmb, mitt nftovwavcls a shaggy colt. Ho look good cavo of (heso, nnd increased his stack n littlo nd n time until ho bocaino a prosperous fnvmor. Having no hands ho learned to ÜBO his toes, and by prnolico ho was enabled, lo readily perform moßt operations with case, Ho put on nnd took off his own clothing, shaved nnd fed himself, milked his own oowo, nnd took part in most labours of tho farm. Ho was a terror to ovildoovs, whom ho could punish with Bovovity. Ho was powerfully built nnd possessed of "great strength in tho hoad nnd shoulders. Ho would butt liko a ram, or soizo nn offending urchin with his tooth nnd Bhako him with bull-dog tonacity. Ho is dead— died at tho ago of 70, leaving a largo family — having bcon married thvco times.