Heavy Stock Losses At Greymouth

Chronicle (Levin), 24 February 1949, Page 8

Heavy Stock Losses At Greymouth

Press Association)

(Per

GREYMOUTH, Feb. 23. When the Grey River rose only Iialf an inch in an iiour bgfore high tide at 8.35 tonight, the danger of a majgr flood disaster in the business area o± ! Greymouth was averted. Throughont i the previohs six liours from lOvV \/atef, the river had been rising at the Greymouth wharves at the rate of more than a fobt an hour and up country reporfs suggested that a heavy volume of water from the trihutaries of the Grey RiveT might hring with them a flood of serious dimensions. However, indications at 7 p.m. when a rise of only four inches in the hour was recorded, showed that unless anything unforeseen happened, the waters wotild not overlap the Greyinouth wharves. Following tlxis eanxe reports from Ahaura that the flood waters had ra])id ly receded in the Ahaura, Big Grey and Litt'le Grey Rivers about 5 p:m. and it indicated, from the stabilisation of the tidal ievel at Greyxxxouth, that no sorious damage would occur in the town. Warned of the posit'ion hourly by radio, many Greymouth shopkeepers took the precantion of lifting stocks to couxxter levels in antieipation of flooding while extra preeautions had to be takexx in hotels to prevent damage to doors through beer barrels protruding when flood water in the cellars reachod Ixigh levels. Most cellars had been flooded and the xxse of pnmps vvill be necessax-y -to reinove the water i'roin many of thexq. At high tide the waters were more tlxan two i'eet clear of the top decking of the wharves to whic.li hundreds of residents xxroceeded in antieipation of an overiiow. Stock Losses. Vast areas are submerged by the flood waters, particularly at Goal Creck, uear Greymouth, where stock losses are considerable. Gobden Island is almosl coinpletclv undcr water and 011 it horses and stoclc are making f'rautic cfforts to esca])c. A considerable uumber oi sheep had to be rcmovcd from Wingham ' Bark on the Runanga Road -when the fiood waters appeared to be rising to a dangerous level. ] Stock losses in other parts of the provinee are heavy, however, the most notable loss being 111 the vicinity of 200 sheep owned by M r. Arthur Russ, of Taramakau, 10 miles south of Greymouth. The Taramakau River rose«to a reeord htight and swept the sheep away from Mr. Russ's farm xxear the mOuth of the river. Somo cattle on an island near Coal Grcek wero lo.st. Kight cows and two heifers wero seen being swept down the river past the Greymouth wharves but five of Ihe cattle managed to scramble ashcre on the rocks on the south breakwater, appar entlv uninjured. j Streets Flooded. Low lying streets in Greymouth are partly flooded although the waters ex tended right across the main business street, Mackay Street, and opposite the Regent Theatre at the eorner oJ Boundary Street. The flood was the second one of & major nature experienced this month, fche previous flood on February 12 causing considerable damage and heavy stock losses. From 3ppearances tonight, with huge quantities of debris coming down the Grey River, it is feared that stock losses in the back country will be more considerable on this occasion and the sarne applies to the area in the back country from Hokitika which suf fered no damage. The Otira Gorge, Buller Gorgo, Lewiu Pass roads anil the Main South Road at Wataroa, are blocked by slips. Raix> ceased tonight. __________