DISASTROUS FLOODS.

Waikato Times, Volume XLI, Issue 3346, 7 December 1893, Page 7

DISASTROUS FLOODS.

~;HaweeS|bay. i'( *' (BYSBtKORAra.ifR^^SSodIAWONj I ) \ &$tM Bf : ;P ft •! §*^lW d & ; ffisastntos; flood everirecorded in whole ihnndvillSi fo-r'iess ; airficted; : ''tA;/;;^;.iL"::.:.:3^,. : , r J ( Very heavy win commenced on evening, and fell all s Sunday and f to'"the ! South of j f hui i;appiiraiitly tho north was little fttfected; ae the Taupo coach got through wjthout difficulty yesterday. . ~..'.. • . : The first intimation of damage received in Napier 1 was th v e,news'of two Breaks inthe permanent way.of, the railway near Te Aute, but it was WDecfc.ed •hat cpmmunication;would be restored in a ! few hoiin; biit all tn ; e' !o Hver3 l 'commehced' ; to ! rise very rapidly,,and the damage extended..,., , \ '"•"' After 'midnight' the -waters began to rise with phenomenal rapidity, and to cover f tbp•,^^whole.country., galloped into townlor boats, and these saved many families >iln;gome case's^the.water was so hiphthat holes had to be cut through the roots to reaeue: theinmatea.!,' ... /, if Theilarge embankment, erectedbyNelaon Brothers andja few gther settlers atGliye, goijie 14 years ago, ;for,the protection; of their properties, brakeband flooded -deeply a large extent : of ''thickly'-stdcked country, believed to be quite safe; , - ! "--' 1 >■■■'■■'™ ,f ' i:i \ Though the rain ceased this mojning, and the water Ms rapidly ; 'subsiding the roads were impassable this afternoon, ancj no acciirate'information'as,[to the' extent.of losses,can be had yet. Practically the whole crop's on the Ahuriri 'Plain's, and nearly all the stock must have perished. Many settlors will be totally ruined. ■ ; Olive and Meanee are nothing but one huge mm of water. Hayfields, potatoes, and crops iin] general]; are;.destroyed, and farmers are now. sailing about in boats, AtMeanes the scene is a saddening one in the extreme. Residents, there had an anxious time last night, -People had left their homes, to seek refuse on highlying places. The: Meariee'river bank gave way in five places at 9 o'cbck last night, causing a perfect rush of; water'over that locality. At Olive things are just as bad. Boats were dispatched this, morning to render assistance. The train cannot even run further than Olive, as all railway traffic on the line is'corapletely stopped The police 1 wired from .Olive this afternoon:, that the /majority. i -.6f i the residents ' have now removed from their homes to the hotel.' They saved; nothing.; : Accommodation has been' arranged -for a rmmber'of: the sufferers iin:Napier. Extra; food supplies are being dispatched ;to : Olive,. The Mayor is taking.steps,to alleviate immediate disThough it has been fine for two hours the waters have gone down very little, .arid rain threatens to seVin"'again, in which case further result. ; '■'•'■'•• ; So far as can be ascertained only two have' lost their lives. -.. -•• .i , When the boats reached; East; Olive the residents were found better off than was expected, and, though some;,were perched on the roofs' of houses,' only one woman would leave in the, boats. ~ .: ' t The loss'of stock is estimated as at least 20,000 sheep, probably double that number, and hundredsofrhorse3and cattle.- '± ' ; There will be very great distress, and the Herald has already opened a fund for the relief of the sufferers

,;;,-,, .;.•,;; ■■...;. .Last Night, i Some ; people had wonderful escapes.. One woman sat with six children on the roof all night with nothing in sight but water for miles; Another woman, a widow, alone in, a cottage;suddenly,found her.bedfloating about and .the; water .washing higher and higher.: She climbed on.,'tHe;dresser'shelf and passing; her handkerchief .through a ring' in'ihe roof clunkoh allnight.: It is wonderful'how ! >ll managed toescape at Olive; without"loss of lifej as:the boats' 'crews ini some instances had to prize the weatherboards -of the cottages open and let the people out at the;gable ends.' The loss, of sheep is enormous. , i The flood waters at Olive havegone down considorably since last night, but even in its present condition the whole place with the ruined .houses; and;, dead stock everywhere and carcases of sheep coming down the Ngaruroro river in dozens, presents a. saddening spectacle. '..-. Supplies of r food were despatched from, Napier this morning and.some. settlers are coming to, the Clive Hotel in boats for supplies frbinPapakiira' through to!Meanee and 01im iiK The ! crops ! ardi'ruined and' those settlers who'have stock /now will have' trouble saving .them;; in, face, of having no fodder for the winter, months as the hay is ail destroyed. 'j'CJt ~",',.'"."':: "."X < ',The body of the, Rev.; Douglas has hot yet been fbttfd.' :''''*' V " 0;J:! ' : '":' : ■ '/The weather has how broken.- • •» The settlers iatnßaipata ibush.spent a fearful night. The waters flooded them out and the people lad'lii be-conveyed to' the -township.-Waipukurau township suffered also, the low-lying parts being underwater throe feet.deep,in the,main street.;, Many/bridges, throughout the district have beonwashed away, while vehicular traffic is impeded in all parts through landslip?, ft is impossible to estimate the damage until the waters subside, but the losseverywheretia ( y ;:;V r ' 1 ,v;nO X!i\i'X'x U\X Later.' '■

Fortunately the rain which threatened lastnight)held otfiaridithe flood waters are subsiding rapidly all the rivers having good' 'mouths. ,To-day f most the roads were dry though the water still lies' on the low | gr0und.";,...,, ,_,,;, The damage is much greater than in any previous flood, especially in losses of stock.' >ln formertyear3;;the'ifloods have been expected* 'giving settlers"" time '"'to" 'get'""most of .their stock onrhigher ground;,<thjs time 1 there 1 was' noT the' slightest anticipation of the flood but half an hour afterwards .the whole Olive and Papakiira-districo'was l from five ! to twelve feet under water with a; current running like a mill race,- This was,due to the freaking of the iembankmentg ofrboth the ; Ngaruarpro, and tukituki.'Rivers, "whose waters joined Hnd centred in Olive. Practically alllhe stock in Olive and Papakiira'pemhed. ;K:i:f;j " ,i(l ' ■'■• ;, At Taradale and Meanee the water was, not 80deep/a'nd though a "good many sheep, were drowned, the cattle and horses were ■ ! gaved.^ikiii.),h>te.t|- i\m^h) i-^ (■■;[) ;■:' 0 ver it he: ; whole however, Crowds are ruined. About,, Olive even the grass

is unavailable, being, covered by a heavy deposit of gilt/' f "' ; • :i ' i The Mayor of Napier worked indefatigifjrom tKrß'plofck yesteWaytWqrning in organising'.'and- superintendihg .relief, and today loads of provisions, blankets, and clothing were sent off. The railway authorities are giving,every assistance. The {Mayor, hasfcalled a' meeting to organise a committee to give more substantial relief, and already nearly £4OO has . been .collected;;; --. s s\ ■■ >■ ■- ■:*; ■■•} ' ■ln 11 S 4 '--hMl. Hastings,'Tiiesday.: Great floods have'devastated theHawke's Bay District. Thousands of sheep were drowned, and numbers of cattle'arid horses. The Omahu, Meanee, Waipawa, Whakatn, and several other bridges have been gashed away. r ,,.,.. T/11 ., . f ,, r , ; :i' are all:destroyerJ. ({ : ,' ", h Railway traffic is completely stopped, and several fatalities are reported. Wkmngton, La3t Nicrht.: The Premier has wired a message of sympathy to the Mayor of Olive and other places flooded in Hawke's Bay. and offered jjtasend up % detachment of torpedo men *o ■'assist in restoring order in their homes if necessary, Mr Mc.Kerr6w,'?Chief Railway Commissioner, left overland for Hawke's Bay this afternoon on business connected with the damage done to the railway line in that ' district by the flood, A public of citizens of Welling-, ton has been convened by the Mayor .for to-morrow afternoon to determine what steps shall be taken ,tp assist the sufferers by theHawkes ;Bay floods. X.,.. /

THE THAMES, ' f r'Xl { i i i Tuesday,; A very heavy "flood occurred here last night. About half-past six a heavy thundorstnrm pastel over the town, resulting in the creek's becoming very much flooded. Several bridges were swept away, and considerable damage was done to privateproperty, the business people suffering to fuiiyjeiooa:" ,■.;;;' ; ;; , The Borough Council's less in bridges and other damages is estimated at £2OOO, and' in the county the: loss; will -amount to. several hundred poands,,but no definite es- ; timate can be eiven as yet. ; ;- ! ;;'.;';.'/. )•/, Last Night.: . Hon. A. J. Cadrhan, who is at present at Coromandel, has promised to come to the Thames in a day or two to see for himself the extent of thedamage. X I i. h>. Men are now engaged clearing the loads of sand from the main streets. In numerous places the debris is from' two to three feet (top* ,