GREY IN FLOOD.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19138, 22 October 1927, Page 14

GREY IN FLOOD.

PARTS OF TOWN INUNDATED. ROAD AND RAIL TRAFFIC INTERRUPTED. (srZCIJLt, TO THE TligSS.) GREYMOUTH, October 21. The slumbers of citizens residing in the business portion and low-lying residential area of Greymouth were disturb-, ed at an early hour this morning by the loud roar of the flood waters of the Grey river as they swept past the town to the Tasman Sea. The heavy rain which fell during th past two days

caused the river to rise rapidly, but up to midnight last evening it was not anticipated that the flood waters would rise to the level of the wharf, and no serious damage was anticipated. The weather showed signs of clearing late in the evening, but shortly after midnight there was another torrential downpour and the river rose fast on the ebb tide, reaching the decking of tho wharf at 6 o'clock this morning. Luckily the rain ceased at about 3 o'clock, but I the waters kept leaping through the [ decking of the wharf until S o'clock, when the flood commenced to recede slowly, and had fallen eighteen inches between 8 o'clock and noon, thus averting a disaster. The flood waters commenced to back up in the flood area at 6 o'clock and boats were used in Preston road, Arncy, Swanson, and Leonard streets, to bring the residents away, from the danger zone. The. storm channels were unable to cope with the large amount of surface water, and t! e lower levels in the vicinity of Boundary, Herbert, and Guinness streets, were submerged, while the drains in Mackay street and Up v per Mawhefa

quay overflowed the footpath with a result that citizens bent on shopping were compelled to "walk the plank" in order to purchase their requirements. At 7 o'clock this morning the flood waters inundated Victoria Park, transforming the grounds into a huge lake, the trotting track being submerged to a depth of three feet. All the streets leading to the park were submerged until this afternoon, when the flood waters subsided sufficiently to allow

the ground to be reached without the assistance of motor-cars. Leonard street, which runs adjacent to the north fence of the park, was submerged throughout the day, but this evening the flood waters were receding. Indications point to tho trotting track being available for use to'-morrow, although the going is to be heavy. Coal Creek Flat and the Omoto racecourse to-day presented a weird spectacle, the whole area being * msformed' into a wide expanse of seething muddy waters. All road "minimication with Runanga and Barrytown is suspended until the flood waters subside. The flood was not without its humorous incidents in Oreymouth. In some cases the planks giving access to business premises proved to be flimsy structures, and several unwary pedestrians had the unpleasant experience' of a ducking. Instances of ladies being carried across flooded portions of the streets on the backs of companions of tho sterner sex were also not uncommon.

A. small washout at Rotomnnu last evening prevented a late goods train from getting through to Greymouth from Otira, but the time-table was back to normal this morning, and all trains to and from Otira ran as usual during the day. . Tin Oirey-Beefton vail way track at Majtai was submerged, causing up- and down trains to Reef ton to be held up for four hours. .

The three vessels in port —Kaimai, Tees, anil Kamona—had extra cables and hawsers out, and the engines ..ore running at half speed ahead, in order •to take the strain off the mooring lines. The flood waters invaded houses in the Kotuku district last evening, causing the occupants to flee for safety. Dillon's sawmill at Kotuku was under water to-day. , The aotual extent of the damage to

the Grey County roads was not available this evening. The southern approach to the Red Jack's Creek bridge on the Grey-Reefton main highway was washed away,. and the approaches to the Brown's creek bridge at Kotuku have also been washed out. Road traffic between Greenstone and Mitchell's (Lake Brunner) is held up owing to flooded creeks. The Teremakau is in high flood and the Greenstone and Blackwater bridges were 'umder water.

The rainfall registered at Greymouth during, the 24 hours ended 9 a.m. yesterday totalled 1.52 inches, and for the 24 hours ended 9 a.m. to-day 1.50 inches, making a total of 3.02 inches, compared - i'th 5.25 inches during the whole of September. No flood damage is reported from the Grev Valley.

The Grey-Reeft-n road at Stillwater was impassable to-day. ■ The rainfall at Hokitika for the - ; * hours ended 9 o'clock this morning was 2.21 inches, making a total of 4.33 inches for the two days. There was a, ■very big flood last night in the Hokitika River, which was Mimiing a banker this morning. A quantity of driftwood came down, while the flood levelled the whiteba iters' trenches on the river banks.

Mr .T. Higgins, Grey County Engineer, who returned from Kotuku this evening, told a reporter that the approaches to three small bridges there

had been washed out at one end of each bridge. A stream of surface water was flowing under the Stillwater railway viaduct. The Arnold was still considerably swollen. Temporary bridges would be constructed at Kotuku to enable traffic to get across until permanent repairs were effected. He did not think that the floods had clone any serious damage to the. county * roads beyond scouring them badly. Mr Higgins will inspect tfhe roads at Coal Creek and the northern portion of the county to-morrow.

The Harbour- "Board officials state that the Grey River is subsiding as rapidly as it rose. ,Tt is hoped to resume shipping movements to-morrow.