THE WAIMAKARIRI.

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

THE WAIMAKARIRI.

SIX FEET ABOVE NORMAL. No serious floods having occurred in the Waimakariri river for several months, the Trust's protection works were at their strongest yesterday for the flood which followed the heavy rain falling along the ranges from about midday on Wednesday. No water was able to get through the large new stop-bank at Clarkville, and the repairs to the gap made in the bank on Mr James Wright's farm at the easftern extremity of the Clarkvillo bank held back the torrent from breaking through to the North road, which was unaffected. Near the Cutting bridge, which gives access to Coutts Island, however, the river broke through where the work of erecting the new stop-bank has been discontinued, covering the road for a distance of half a mile from the bridge to Hawthorn corner.

At 1 p.m. yesterday the W r aimakariri was 6ft 3in above normal at White's bridge, and there was Dot much change during the remainder of the day, the gange there registering 12ft 3in at 7

p.ni., or about 6ft above normal. At this hour the water appeared to have subsided a little on Coutts Island.

Repairs to the' road will, entail the Eyre County Council in a fairly heavy expenditure, as the surface will bo badly washed in places. The last motor vehicle to get through .was 'a lorr.v at about 9 a.m., after that those anxious to reach or leave the islandrode on horseback or negotiated the water with horse and cart. The farming land flooded is grazing' country, which ,suifered severely in the November flood last year. Nothing serious occurred at the western end of the island.

A message' from Brown's rock, Oxford, at 8 a.m. yesterday was to the effect that the gauge there showed the water to be oft 6in above normal, but by midday the flood level was two.feet lower.

Stock and Crops Safe. No stork was' lost on Coutts Island, but about IK) ewes, the property of Mr H. Banks, were marooned on top of the new stop-bank, to be rescued later in a boat lent to the settler'by the River Trust. No root or cereal crops were inundated, and the stopbanks could have withstood- another three feet of water. It is anticipated that the records will show that the flood was only about of the volume of the* disastrous inundation of last November. No fears were entertained for the safetv of the putting bridge on this occasion, as the water was only up to the heavy bearers and thfee feet off the decking, whereas the latter was awash at the time of the previous flood. The south branch of the river carried very little of the flood water until after mid-day,'the-full volume in the morning coursing down the Cutting, and it was not until the flood was at its height that the waters began to diminish between the two streams. Water lay in the paddock at the rear of the Belfast Hotel yesterday afternoon. Last evening heavy rain was falling west of Oxford, and the "settlers agree that the river may rise again to-day. Up to noon yesterday the rainfall at Arthur's Pass'had been 6.29 in, as compared with, about 17in last November. wh*»n the river <<was 12ft nbove normal. When the scheme for Coutts Island is completed, part of the area flooded yesterday should be immune.