HEAVY RAIN.

Woodville Examiner, Volume 3, Issue 251, 9 April 1886, Page 2

HEAVY RAIN.

i LIVELY EXPEDIENCE OF A COACH HIHVEK. On Tuesday evening the heavy clouds which had been hanging about over the Woodville. town and district gathered J their forces together, and no sooner had ' this been accomplished than the wind 3 dropped and down came the rain. All • through the night it rained unceasingly, ' and the land in the morning, in conse- ; (juonce, was very sloppy. The Manawatu ' river was so swoollcn at the Gorge terry 3 i that the mail coach from Palmerston was 3 unable to cross on the punt, Alex. Camc--31 rou, one of Cobb & Co.'s employes, wopt • from 'Woodville to the ferry about mid--3 day on Wednesday, and on arriving there found Jones, the other driver, on the 3 opposite bank. The two had a talk across ' tiro river, with the result that it was : ay,fhat Cameron was to take up the *• Wooily&’lf mails to Tahoraite that evening 1 in lime tar ii+b w,irf.v train on Thursday 3 morning. Cameron started from ’ ’Woodville at 0.150 pan., with one Piwren- ’ ger and the mail hags—eleven in muiihivt.' L On arriving at the swamp between Mata--3 hyi and Ilirnic’s store he found that the 3 swamp covered with water. Just c beyond the J.l;ero is a steep dip in ■ the road, and hers the water was up scvc- ' ral feet high. Thinking lie would by yblc ■’ to got through, Cameron drove on but 1 unfortunately, just before reaching the bridge over the creek, he got otl the road } (md tfYc poach was capsized into about 1 10ft of ,\va,ltr- The horses commenced swimming, and 0 mn cyon cut the traces to give them a. chance'to sa,’ y themselves. 1 It was then pitch dark, and the dm’/)’’ 1 found himself in a very awkward predlda. " ment. The mail bag;; had floated out ol ; i'4'.e coach, but by dint of great persevor- . ante ,;dcd. by 'a plucky resolution (o do [ his best, {ia/iveryn jnanagd to recover . eight of the hags C-Vd- tool _ them to i llirnie’s. He then walfecij hv -Vjt Qgdvil.'c ; an I arrived at one o'clock <>u Thursday ( morning. At daylight he secured a wag-' gonette, and started again for Mata-iwi.

He found the three' remaining mail hags, j rnd brought I hem hack - to Woodville, ar- ‘ living at 11.50. Tho hags were delivered to the Postmaster, and their contents, which were thoroughly soaked, wero sorted. Mr Walsh dried the letters between blotling paper, Ac., and forwarded them by ihe ordinary mail yesterday. The packages and newspapers (including tin' whole of the Examinees' for Tahoraite, Danevirke, and the north), were detained and spread out to dry, ami forwarded to-day. Mr Cameron deserves the greatest praise lor the manner in which he behaved under the trying circumstances. There must have been live or six feet of wafer over (lie road at the bridge, and in the darkness it is a wonder Cameron did not get drowned. Owing to the Mannga-ama river being blocked up by fallen trees, the water was dammed hack and overflowed its bank’s. On the Masterton road the water, between the bridge and Doney’s, was in places two feet deep. A portion of the low lying land near the bridge was Hooded. The owner of the bush between Williamson's and the Masterton road should he compelled to remove tho obstructions from the river-course; it is simply monstrous that neighbouring settlers should suffer through his neglect. In the 24 hours —-from 8 p.m. on Tuesday till S p.m. on Wednesday, tho rainguage measured 4'2h, or nearly 4 inches and a quarter. It is a singular fact that the barometer, all though, showed “ fair,” with a tendency to rise.