Floods at Wellington

Feilding Star, Volume XIV, Issue 113, 14 March 1893, Page 2

Floods at Wellington

Our Wellington exchanges inform us that on last Friday heavy rain set in and tell continuously until noon on Saturday. The reclaimed land in many places was flooded, and in Tinakori road the flood water filled the gully on the west side of the street, and the inhabitants of the houses there had to be taken out by boat. A few fowls were drowned and some horses are missing, but there were no human lives lost. Railway communication on the Wairarapa and Maaawatu lines was stopped, but on the latter it was resumed on Sunday. The heavy southerly gale prevented any work being done among the shipping. About two hundred yards of the Thorndon Esplanade were washed away, and the sea running in the harbor was exceptionally heavy. The Hutt river was in high flood and the low lying lands between Taita and Petone were submerged. Considerable damage was done to furniture, and several gardens were destroyed. Captain Edwin says the storm was a tropical rotary hurricane from between New Caledonia and Queensland. It struck New Zealand at Raglan, crossed the North Island, and worked round to the south-east at Wellington. It was not felt south of Hokitika and Kaikoura. It is estimated that the Esplanade can be restored at a cost of about £3000. The damage done to private property will not exceed I*sooo at the outside.