FEAEFUL FLOODS AT GREYMOUTH.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXII, Issue XXII, 21 November 1867, Page 5

FEAEFUL FLOODS AT GREYMOUTH.

[From the Abgus of the 9th inst.] Most providentally the fate which on Wednesday night imminently threatened a great portion of the town of Grcymouth was averted by the gradual retreat of tho flood when the tide began to ebb. But for several hours after high water tho lower township was in great jeopardy, through the breaking up of the bank protection. Huge piles and planks were floating about and clashing violently against some of the buildings, threatening every moment to dash them down. Against the front of the Empire Hotel and the two next buildings a mass of these heavy timbers had accumulated, and was forced so strongly upon the hotel tha't the front wall was shattered through in several places. Had that building carried away it is more than probable that many others must. have followed, as the current, although somewhat lessened, was still strong enough to commit vast havoc if a single breach had been made through tho block of buildings. At daylight the town presented a most melancholy picture of ruin. Nearly the whole length of the costly embankment that had only just been completed was found to have been destroyed, and when it was seen how the heavy masses of timber, boiled together by strong iron bolts, had been dislocated and separated by the action of the current, some idea could be formed of the narrow escape the town had made. Tho lower portion of the work was the first to go, and was entirely swept away. From the lower end of the wharf about ten chains of the protection had been forced inwards towards the river, in places lying almost flat down. Further down another long length of the work had been utterly destroyed. The upper end of the wharf showed signs of injury, several of the piles being quite loose and hanging only by their connection with the topworks.

The lower township presented a sad picture, every house having been swamped, in some cases several feet, and the flood had left behind a thick deposit of mud on everything the water had reached. The tales told by the unfortunate occupauts are a strange mixture of the comic and serious. Some ludicrous but extremely uncomfortable incidents occurred. In some houses the occupants had seated themselves on tables and drawers, where, without fire, they had to remain for hours until compelled to abandon their homes altogether. There was much distress occasioned to the women and children, many of whom in their hasty retreat had not provided themselves with dry clothes and in some cases had been rescued out of bed. Very praiseworthy exertions were made in the succour of the distressed families. We must particularly refer to the efforts made by Captain Allardyce and tho crew of tho harbor boat, Mr Aitken (District Engineer), and also by Mr Montgomery, who, with his praliam and crew, placed himself at the public service without fee or reward.

Of courso the newly formed roadway along the front of the town has been destroyed in many places, and the footpaths have similarly suffered, great gaps having been cut as the water rtished underneath the houses. The loss of property has been confined to a few instances where persons had not time to shift their goods from the ground floors of their premises, but we believe that in most cases the damage was not very extensive. Tho Tramway Shed was full of goods waiting transit, and they were all swept away. We are sorry to learn that Messrs Jas. Ilamilton and Co, of Itutherglen, had £70 worth of poods in the shed. A.ll the books and papers of the late Tramway Company, and of the present proprietor of the line, were lost, it being impossible and really unsafe to attempt to reach tho building when fears were felt for its safety. The shed itself was dashed to pieces on the beach near the powder magazine. A number of sheep that wore pent up in the stockyard, at the end of Boundary street, were only just saved in time, as they wore then swimming about in the close-packed enclosure in which they were situated.

As we expected the accounts from up-river are very distressing. At the Twelve-Mile township, the flood covered the whole place, and several buildings and a vast quantity of goods were destroyed. The inhabitants had a narrow escape of being swept away, but were rescued just in time. MrLangton, the proprietor of one of the ferries lower down the river, fearing that some disaster might occur, took his boat and his man, Heber Pritchard, and went with all speed to the township. He arrived just at a most critical time, and was fortunately able to convey several boatloads of women and children to high ground. When he reached the town all the buildings were more than half covered with water. At the Police Camp, the wife and children of Mr Warden Lightband were in a most pitiable plight. They had been placed as high up near the ceiling as possible on a pile of forage, and the water having got over the top of the door and window they were in perfect darkness, and without means of egress. Mr Langton and his man broke in the gable end of the house, and got them out safely, and conveyed them to a high terrace in the direction of No Town, where a camp had been formed for the numerous refugees. All the horses, cattle, and sheep in the neighborhood were lost, gardens were utterly destroyed, furniture was drifted away, and the goods in every store damaged.

We regret to say that two cases of drowning hare been reported — one of a boy, the bou of a market gardener, near Coal Creek, who was carried off whilst attempting to fish out some floating articles from tho water , and the other of a man at Nelson Creek. It is possible that other cases may come to light, as tho extensive district that is under water is dotted over with isolated parties of miners who would be unprovided with boats. Greymouth, Sunday, Nov. 10. The. river Grey is again flooded nearly to the. top of the sheet piling. . • The lower township will be in part under water at high water. There is* however, no great danger.

Dobs6n's Memobial. — A Nelson contemporary states : — lt will be remembered that a very general anxiety having' been manifested on the West Coast to erect a monument to the memory of the late Mr George Dobson, who perished last year on tho Arnold by tho hands of the Burgess gang, a considerable sum was collected for this purpose. Wo now learn that the monument hne arrived from Sydney by the brigantjne Lizzie Oolaon. A correspondent of the Southland Tines, writing from Stewart's Island, states that " three parties aro employed at Codfish Bay in gold nun'* ing. The diggings are situate on tho beach and the stripping is about 18 inches of sand. The wiishdirfc conaista of about three feefe of rubble or sand in which gold and black sand, are found. Thero are quartz roofs also in the vicinity, which I bclievo aro being worked with tolerable advantage. The gold already found is of a fine description.

Nkw Rush. — A letter received in Nelson from Mr Kinnorsley, announces that (here is a nen rush in tho neighborhood of Addirtrn'ti Flat, towards the vicinity of some "bald hills" in thai quarter. It is understood to be a large rush. There is also another rush reported at tho Mokihinni.