Matakanui.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 380, 20 August 1903, Page 5

Matakanui.

. (From our own correspondent) At last the enow has disappeared and very thankful are we to see the last of it. A beautiful thawing wind set in on Friday evening, 17th inst., and continued during the night and all day Saturday, and this had the effect ef quickly shifting the snow. Needless to say, the creeks and channels in the neighborhood were soon in heavy flood, and water seemed to be everywhere over the flats. A warm rain setting in on Saturday evening made it look as though we were in for a tremendous flood, but fortunately the rain did not last long, and a hard frost followed, which had the effect of taking down the rush of water about as quickly as it had risen. Thus ended what in the opinion of the oldest inhabitants was the severest month they ever saw here. Luckily, the farmers had a good supply of food, and consequently they have not lost the quantity of stock they otherwise would. A few old sheep at nearly every farm have succumbed, but the loss is not nearly so heavy as was at one time anticipated. Mr Laidlaw, of Matakanui Station, will be a heavy loser, and he certainly would have lost considerably more were it not for the energetic manner in which he endeavoured to save the sheep. He had a large number of men employed " snow-raking" and shifting the sheep on to the exposed faces ; and in this manner saved large numbers that must otherwise have perished. However, there is sure to be a big death rate when the grass begins to spring up a bit, and the real losses will not be ascertained until shearing time. The water is not turned on to the different claims yet, but it is expected work will be started again in a day or two.