THE Cromwell Argus. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 1870. THE WEATHER & THE FLOODS.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 33, 29 June 1870, Page 4

THE Cromwell Argus. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 1870. THE WEATHER & THE FLOODS.

LOSS OP TWO LIVES. On Thursday night we were visited with a heavy fall of snow, and on Friday morning the ground was completely covered to the depth of several inches. There was very little rain in this quarter, but more snow fell ou Friday night, followed by light rain on Saturday forenoon. The Clutha and Kawarau rivers commenced, to l-ise on Friday, and continued to increase in volume until Saturday night, by which time the Clutha had risen at least 12 feet above its ordinary summer level, and the Lower Flat was almost wholly under water. The Kawarau was so high that the wire rope formerly used for crossing M'Cormick's punt to the Cornish Town side of the river was dipping in the water. The small island farther up the river was almost completely submerged, and we are informed that the flood was almost as high as that experienced here in 1863. Vast quantities of dvi ft-wo6d were brought down from. Lake WaVadp by the current, and on Saturday the north bank of the river was lined for a considerable distance with men, women, and boys fishing but pieces of timber for

firqood. We should imagine IKaTtftlfeSSf* , . a ljndred cords of wood wee© ', ®* of be river between the Cromwell coal pitiind the confluence of the rivers.. The sunlies thus obtained will prove,during, thejviuter a welcome auxiliary to the lignitttuel of this treeless region. Painful eviffinces of the destruction caused by the flooj higher up the river, in the form- of deaqcattle and sheep, wheelbarrows, cradles] and even swags, were from time to. timeseen floating by. At the Bannockburn Terry, all communication was stopped fov spmc time, and up till Monday afteiv noonifoo -passengers could only be' crossed, jwithlgre it difficulty'by means of a guiall boat.,* Ihe road to Queenstown has, in many places, sustained serious damage—so much so [hat wheeled traffic was stopped for several days. The road from Kawarau Gorge to Edwards's is described as all but .impassible. Mr Simpson, distvict «)igifrieer, Jeft for Queenstown on a / Jgur y»j inV jlpection on Monday. The telefraph.poi'es in many places, and ommunicauori with Queenstown has beeij suspended I Wftfour or five days. Accordn" to the ropunts which have reached uf, the Lake nstrict has suffered severely, 1 Sergeant * iussels, who came down hereon Sunday,' . j Vprms us that the rain fell 'in torrents [ Mueenstown from ThrirsdayJ night until pVjrday morning, and he states that a kft^B,continuous downpour hi never witjiitjsseu in this province. The Sergeant left Queenstown on Saturday, l and on arriving at the Morven Ferry, he found it impossible to cross in the punt, 1 thei-e being about ten feet of water covering the landing stage on either side of the river. Being anxious to proceed, he induced Mr Owens to attempt to swim his horse behind a. small boat. The boat wa3 carried down the river for a considerable distance. The Sergeant's horse by some means got underneath tha boat, and was with great difficulty saved from being drowned. The Shotover is stated to have been, within a few inches, as high as in the flood of 1863, ind much damage has been done. The <!redge was carried away. The last that vas seen of it was at Maori Point. This -will be a heavy loss to the owners, as it cost over £6OO. The river claims at Big Beach and Arthur's Point were much injured. Of two men who went to save a boat on the Big Beach, one got drowned, and the other narrowly escaped. The Lake is reported to be very high. A sad accident occurred near the Cromwell Bridge. on Saturday afternoon, when the Clutha was at its greatest height. A number of people were engaged catching driftwood froia the edge of the river, and among them were James Scott, a young lad about fourteen years o J. .BAndJMs little brother.--large boulder oi the marg\ of the river, and lifted the fragments olwood with his hands as they were broughiinshore by the driving currents, There wis an alternate rise and fall of about two let at the spot where he stood, caused byhe meeting of the currents—the Kawaratibeing at that time considerably higher thn the Clutha, and causing a strong upw'd current as far as the abutments of tb bridge. The poor boy was in the act if stooping to < grasp a piece of floating tiber, when he lost his balance and fell heq foremost into the seething torrent. Mr VI Barnes, jun., who saw the boy fall in, atonce made an attempt to save him, andwent into the water up to his waist in tip endeavour to reach him with a long pie*; indeed, the pole was twice within thepoy's reach, but he failed to grasp it. £e was quickly swept towards the bridge for about ten yards, when he was taSn down by an eddy and sank out of sght. Not more than half a minute elapsd from the time he fell into the water untl he disappeared in the terrible abyss, andho cry was heard to escape him while he sruggled near the surface. Not a trace of the poor boy was afterwards seea, althougliufforts were made to drag the river with tie object of. reco- , vering the body. Messp Barnes, Screen, and Grant did all in their power to rescue the drowning boy, but -vtithout avail. The first-named hid a very mrrow escape from I getting beyond his depsh, and was onh' I saved by the exertions of the other t'- jj« men.—The victim of thh distressing £. 1 trophe was the eldest son of our i*esr * j | townsman Mr James Scott, and >* jjy general favourite throughout the disatxj To-day, the first p'ace oyjpy&np , M CathoHc Church—built inCrom-W*-?is to be*., ( 111 ma I !}' opened for Divine Service. The so'enr dedication and blessing ot the edifice is to oe preceded by high mass, a: which the Rev. Fathers Norrii, MaJoney, add Rover will officiate. As being the first to comuence and successfully carry out ehurch-buildinj enterprise in the district, the Catholics of Cnmwell are deserving of , all praise. The fouodaiim-stone of the church was laul some four or fivi months ago, and from that time until the competion of the building, a large amount o! money was subscribed to pay for its erection. We umerstand, however, that a portion of the cost st'llre-nahis to be provided j for, and that every elfort is to be made to raise the required amount at (nee. Mr W. J. Barry announces an another cohium that he has by M-r ff.S. Thomson, o* Wr-oaka Shiion, to hold rnonib'y oi fat cuot'e inCrtrosvell. The sysiom of j pe.iod'cal sales of stock is a good one and we '/ t.ust bbafc Mr Thomsons efforts to establish it he.-e wi'J meet with en<tra:agement. '

(■v . A handsome testimonial was presents |;o Mr James Morkano in tho Town-ball hero 01 I Wjuulay evening last. Mr Morkmie was sta \;ioned at Cromwell in the capacity of constnWe ' ander Cussels, for upwards of twelvi months, and a short time 330 was removed t( Alexandra, to take cha-ge of the station tlierd At the time of his departure from C crave I ', i few 0? his friends resolved to p"osent bhn vi tk t 1 tangible token of the"r res .-ct. Jt was deoidec' ; that the tcstfmonial should take the shape of va Huininated address, and to Mr T. "George, oi Clyde, was entr..'.sted tbe task o.' its execution. Tbe work was co nple ted about a week shoe, and \ for elegance of derigaandari'st'ef"'sh, it can hardly be excel'ed: it is anws'.t p?-3 of artistic pen nauship. The presentation was made by Mr Goodgor, who complimented Mr Morksme on the esteem he had gamed both as an o3k'al and I a oitteen during b ; s residence among us. Mcnrs j VT; Shanty, J. Marsh, W, Smithara, 11. E. Dagg, I expressed their warm appreciation I of tisfaSe-bttusive manner in which Mr Morkane ;! had performed his official duties whilst stat'oned 3 iVGromwcll, and also testified to his genuine jB worth as a neighbour and a citizen. Mr MorJ/j ' kane, in an exce'lent aud appropriate speech, rei|! hirr.ed thanks for the good wishes expressed on L) hS behalf, and said that he would al vays cherish I a v!vid remembrance of the kindness of his I friends in Cromwell. —The following is a copy of I the address :—" To Mr James Morlrane, of the I Otago Police Force.—Dear Sir,—We the underj\ signed, actiug on behalf of the inhabitants of ,' 1 Cromwell, desire to e/.press our regret at your ! 1 removal from this district to Alexandra, and at I the same time take the opportunity of stating I that,during Ike time you have been stationed iN among us you have won the respect of all, by '€._ your U'J-emitLing attention to your several duI ties; and we feel assured that in your new field of labour you w ill exerc'se the same impartiality as you have hitherto dore. We wish you every success, and trust that you." fu ure career may | be a prof.perous one.—G. W. Gcoodger, E. E. Michael B. Shardy, W. Shanly, Wm. V. Talboys, Owen Pierce, Jame3 Dawkin% John Marsh, I. Lougbnan, D. Mackellar, W. Smitham James Corse, M. D." t A sitting of the District Court is to he held at Clyde on the IGUi prod mo, when appeals against assessments of property in the towoshiw of Croniwell, Clyde, and Alexandra •wi'l be heard and dreaded by his Honor Judge Gray. We understand thut : u two ca.:i only liavis noL : _cc:s of appeal been lodged from Cromf;e\ "."" ; It is reified elsewhere in our present issue that. B: ( ,i ree w'Jl be given to the children otCromwd 01,, Friday, the 15th pro.: ; mo. The aito ; ssion.icke,.;t for adults lias been fi'xd at hja l 'team; <v.ud the miuber 0" tioke'.s ■ real,. i a * :i of warrants tbe prediction tbat the \j wdl Ik• j u eVCi 7 way successful. \OT ' AiesstjJ-&un"ew>tt>«niJ party's . , single un 5' ■• on Gentle 1 i ; e Creek look phice ) <j/ jc'tne' Cromwell Aurf'ou Mart on Wednesday )]ast. There was m.j a large at'.eudajjee, as it jwas understood before the sale that tie property (would be bought by two of the then shareholders, lunless a good ligure wa'i realised. The result fwas that the claim was knocked down to Messrs |C:raeron aud Henderson for the sum of £3O. ; It will ho seen from our advertising ['columns that Mr James Gwor.ay, the spYted proprietor of the Royal Oak Hotel, Arrow town, propoces to celebrate the ar adversary of American I Independence by offe/ug liberal, pr'zes for pigeonshoot'ng, &c. A supper and ba" wi'l also be j given at the Royal Oak in the evening. Should .the weather prove at all favorab'e, there is every probability that the Fourth of JiVy w ""I be comI memmorated this year in Arawtawn with the 1 customary 6clat. 'm A special meeting of the Town Council was held on Thursday, the 23rd iost., at wh'ch 3 the Mayor and a ll the Councilors present. 1 ceconded by Cr. Bu"r?s, " Tbat a je'eg.-ain be I sent to tbe Secret?ryfor Landand Wo:f:s sta^.'og I tb.it the Councilw'sh to hire allotmenlM)' la id I su veyed of at tie north- we:.t end o' \he townI sb't), of quarte'-acre seci:ians, aid tbat it be I dorse at once, ss ;,he surveyor is now he e, and I tb..t uhe Vae of street may be "o-med as the Council may dveci."—A rep'y by 'e'egram wv.s 1' received by the Tov, 10'erk on tbe 27th. to lib.e ™ \ BfoVon'.ig eSVit :—"Tie Ci'rf Sarveyor ha 3 , ween ins true ;ed to get secl'ons surveyod at ( <o TOrl'.esi po;>;'b?e dite. The d rect'en of street AeU- ii. l '. he requested t« co-.:"er wi .hj the Mayor, and S * ,lni('ef,y'^'* T iewsi : :pos:io l e. J I JhJL, cdon they- l: HHf ratep-ye-s *or Je j sftft/ 10: Crc««i*ryti ! l b«e an opr.o uf'.ty »W (ft^p'"'gtbeom'. ;'oi*rec' ; fie'—Saiurday, r.ie 2nd July, being fixed as the die for sending in claimi. Obicc Aons must.be not la er than Monday, the 4th. Tbe lojuc'l w' 1 .l bohl a Revision Court on Thursda, the 7*u, w'.-h the view of heaving and deternn'ng a ll , c'aioes and any objecaons that may beent in. »i* Government sales of lancin the undernieptioTied townships are announul to taVe pV.ce on the date* fltated below :—iexandra; 12th July ; Clyde, 13th ; Cromwell, ith ; Bendigo, 15th ; Newcastle (Lake Wanak;, 16th; Pcmt ' ' broke (Lake Wanaka), 18th; Glistore (Hawea •• ■ Lake), ISth ; Kingston, Fjanktoi ao d Quecfnstov.i, 11th; Arrow town,. 13th; id Gleporchy (bead of Lake Wakaf'p), on the lb. j| On Monday next, the Fouii of July, 1 ti^^Tifle'mitch— rather a novtlty on. e Nortborn I '.•* (i o \d-fielb3--is to take ;jlace Cromwell. Sweepstkes of 10s will be ihot fot-.he distances , r I Lint 20, 250, and 300 yarls, shots at least P 6 "- 4 V Piatt r*^ 6.

Noaco is given hy advevtiHeuien.t that a meet'ig 0? the orodito's of Mr W. J. Ea:y v i'l be he'd at Clyde on Pa.'.iKday next, 2nd July, at 0 p.m. Court Star of Cromwell, A.0.F., is annouier.l to meet to-night, at the usual p'ace, for the de:patch 0! important business. The letter cf "Observer" was received too late for insertion this week, but shall appear in next Issue. It will bo perceived on reference to our advertis'ng columns that the adjourned OddI'Vlows' meeting will be held in the Cromwell Hotel; on Saturday evoulug. Mr Thomas Meredith Smith, a wellInown and much-rcipected member oi the Pol ce Force, has 1 .'rived : n Cromwell, aa co - . 3tab'e in' charge of the dst.net. Se'geant Casse's, wo believe, is to be stat'oncl at Card-ona, and will take h's depa. turo "a: locality durin3 the week. Two candidates for the office of Mayor are now in the field, and posnbly one or two others may be brought forward before the day of election In order not to -lay ourselves open to any charge of " partisanship," we shall not attempt to influence the ratepayers in favour of either of the candidates now before them ; but we should like to see them elect as chief citizen the man whom they consider best fitted for the post, irrespective of all personal or party considerations. Mr Alfred Kitchingharu, one of the "oldest inhabitants" of Kawaraii Gorge, was last night invited to a farewell supper given hy a number of his friends prior tc his intended departure for England. We regret that we were unable to be present, but Mr Kitchingham may j be assured that we wish him a safe voyage and a speedy return. The supper was given at the White Hart Hotel, and we are Informed that the evening was spent in a most enjoyable manner. The company was numerous and highly respectable. In accordance with regulations issued by the Postmaster-General (Mr Julius Vogel), telegraph money orders can now be sent from Cromwell to any part of the Colony where a telegraph-office has been established. The introduction of this novel and expeditious method of transmitting money will be of very great utility to peop'e engaged in business ; and the Postmaster-General is entitled to the thanks of the whole Colony for bis efforts to promote the public'convenience in this pat '..'cu'ar. The rate of commiss'on to be eharged cr] elegraph mcueyorders is sixpence for eve-y pound., or fraction of a pound, in addition to a elegraph fee of one shi lv "ng. Thus the transmiss'on of £lO by telegraph money order would cost the remitter five sh'lbngs for commission, anil one shilling telegraph fee—making s'x shil ngs in all. No larger amount than £lO can be sent under a single money-orde-. The Postmaster here (Mr J. G. Ballard) w'll, we understand, be prepared to issue te'egraph money-orders on and after the Ist Juiy p'O-iimo.