THE WEATHER.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1318, 18 August 1886, Page 3

THE WEATHER.

The heavy rain which set in last Friday has continued almost wi houi intermission ever since. Although late on Monday night the weather looked like clearing the respite was a brief one, ard Tuesday wt s ushered in with the acc m panim nt of a sj-king rain which has continued ever since. The ground is now s • thoroughly saturated that it dors no* seem capab’t of absorbing any further moisture, and the watar thei afore collects m all tho depressions and hollows on the ground, mud the face of the c. unliy is doit d with numbers of pools and small lakes. It is feared that the newly sown wheat will seller in low-lying ports c£ tho dht ict through tho psddocks being fioeded. Some loser o of sheep are reported, but thes do not appesr to be very gioat, though if the weather does not soon improve very serious d-iipge moat result. At the hour of co.’ eoin» to press (he*e was no sign of an/ caange for ihe better. Our South Rakaiacorrespondent writes: —The weather for the past fortnight has been extremely wet and miserable, and W ) have only had two fine days during tho month. On Friday night last heavy rain set la and with the exception ; of a few hours on Saturday morning hn continued ever since. In many paddocks lately sown with wheat the water lies some inches deep, which will injure the crop* if U remains much longer. Stock of all kinds are suffering both from the wet and scarcity of food. Lambr are coming plentifully and are having a very bed tmeof it The wind is now North East, and there is every appearance of a continuance of the rain. An Oamara telegrr ~o says : —Rain has fallen here almost wi'hout inter mission since Friday causing heavy floods, Tb# low-lying lands are covered with sheets o'! water. Much deterge has been done to lately sown grain wbia on sidings potatoes haye been wasbed out A Jorge extent of country wil’ have to be re-aown. Considerable motfcVty amongst young lambs has been reported. There is no sign at present of the weather breaking A heavy sea fa rolbng In and severed vessels are nnable to leave the port, though within the breakwater they are lying snugly. The following additional telegrams have been received :

Dunedin, August 18.

The damage by the floods is heavier than anticipated. The machine rooms of the newspaper offices are filled to a depth of 3 feet, the Times not being able to complete its Issue tdl nearly noon. One bouse in Duncan street was completely wrecked by a fall of earth. The residents were fortunately sleeping in the upper rooms, A large iwo-storey house, belonging to Macfarlane, is seriously threatened. Several large landslips have occurred in the city and the upper end of the new Carrgill ditch, which has cost about £IO,OOO, has burst up. It is raining as hard as ever. Both main sewers in Caversham are extensively damage 3. In Botd street the water rose in several warehouses to a height of three feet. In Sargoods’s bond about four hundred and fifty cases of drapery and general goods were damaged. It is the heaviest rainfall for twenty-three years. A Press Association telegram, received from Duuedin this afternoon, says : Bain has fallen r’most uninterruptedly since Sunday, causing the heaviest floods hnpwn here for yeeta. The greater part of the £Ut is under water. It is reported that the new sewers there have hurst up. All the collars In the city are flooded. Several houses are damaged. Fallway communication Is completely susponded.