FLOOD AT ISLAND BAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1471, 20 June 1912, Page 4

FLOOD AT ISLAND BAY.

BACK Y\I?DS AND G UtfirAS tADuE W Villi " ' Tho heavy- rain which has.fallen prettj consistently. fortho. past. two' •' abonUtko'annual' flood-at Island Hay yes-V ,tcTday;\,.-.lf. there 'has been ono thing inoro... • than -another, w-liich ha.-i retarded th«'.' .. R-'owih of. the low-lying part of Island, "ay. -it litis been . tho habit it lias of • ' Hooding*, whenever a heavy pressure .' ir-. placed- upon (ho which on tho fint';Sy; ill's. only few feet above the level' of'i ; 'tho sea.< The accumulated waters from . tli«. surrounding hills, together with, tho. heavy -lull ,011 tho flu), caused trouble ' mteri.ay afternoon, and. by. i o'clock.' there-was over a foot of water surround-:ff; ing. sovenil of the houses between tho ;Y I arado and Dcrwent Street Con tho '.vest' - eni «Mdo., of' tho, slat), and Mersey' Street-".'-"' and- tho.residences-facing it we're island h'.niKra fori., tho tirao being. T'h«., ;S : ; residents bad a rather lively timo getting ! ;'/:v to their houses, and it; was only those who N?wore conveyed in vehicles or were bucketl who we-ro'ablo to reach hearth find .-' . hoin-o dry-shod. Both Derwent Street and V Mersey Street .were well awash last ev«n-j 3 ing, and some of the residents made iias!o to raise their ground-floor carpcts against®' an invasion. , s; i y\ ' ■

"it's really, too bad,"'said one resident; to a Dnxmov reporter. "Wo pay our'; rates, tho. same as evefyono else, and yet are subject to this sort: of thing ■ pretty woll every year. I've got a foot of water-: in lay backyard end garden, and for ail. t know it. might, rise t.o two feet to-night.' I think the City Council ought to enlarge, tho drains, so" that the water will.; siot Rather as it does. It's only a matter, of tlio capacity of the drains, and at present they aro not big enough to cai-rv offtho water when \vc- liavo he-ivy rain for a. couple of. days." 1