WESTPORT NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIII, Issue 49, 10 April 1896, Page 13

WESTPORT NOTES AND COMMENTS.

(By Old Identity.)

April 1, 1896. DUEIKft the early part of last week heavy downpour of rain, continning incessantly for forty-ei^ht hours, culminated in a real " old man" flood in the Buller river. Shipping movements were at a standstill, railway treffic partially stopped, telegraphic communication with the ontaide world cut off, fttd coaching on the Bnller road Tendered impracticable. The Weatport-Charleston mailman (Mr William Hanna) was the only one of the local mail contractors able to take mails to or from the chief post office for several daya. All the low-lying portion of the town waß under water, but beyond a little inconvenience, no serious damage was done. Unfortunately the desti action in the couDtry was of a more serious nature. Ihe railway line between here and Granity Greek was scoured oat in one or two places. Slips took place on the Mokihinui line ; the Denniston track suffered severely from slips, the Denniston telephone wire waa buried, Conn's Creek railway bridge was slightly damaged, several culverts on the Buller road Bwept away, and a big Blip on the main road near the Lyell, which will impede traffic for a month or more. The nine-mile punt broke away from it i moorings, but was eecured seven miles lower down stream very little tbe worse for the journey. Judging from the large quantity of valuable property swept into the flea — euch aa haystacks, carcasses of horses, cattle and aheep, timber, etc. — tbe settlers on tbe banks of tbe Buller Valley were heavy lo«rs. Mr Patrick O'Regan, sen , of the lanangabua landing, ifl) I regret to learn, one of the sufferers. Mr Edward Quigley, expressman, of Westport, had 'he misfortune to lose two valuable horses he had paddi eked o. the Nine-mile road— one wa? drowned and the otber waa so senoubly injured in coming in contßct with a barbed-wire fence, that it was found necessary to destroy it.