The Recent Floods.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 246, 22 April 1897, Page 2

The Recent Floods.

_0 The recent floods in the Hawkes Bay district having caused an immense amount of damage and loss to private individuals in that district an appeal for assistance has been made to the Mayors of the principal boroughs throughout the colony. Any person desirous of subscribing to the fund may forward such subscription to the Feilding Star, when the amounts will be duly acknowledged and remitted to the central relief committee, Mr W. A. L. Bailey, Mayor, notifies in another column that a subscription list in aid of the sufferers by the floods in the Hawke's Bay district will bo opened at the Municipal Chambers to-morrow. The following telegram has been handed us for publication by the Mayor, Mr W. A. L. Bailey, in reply to a telegram sent by Mr Bailey to the Mayor of Napier :— " Tbanksfor sympathetic wire. Hope you will be enabled to give us some monetary aid.— G. H. Swan, Mayor." During the recent floods a man named William George Woodyear was drowned in the Turakina river. At Rangitikei, Mr H. Signal's farm has been covered with coarse silfr and two-thirds of his stock were drowned. Mr J. W. Marshall lost 100 sheep. Mr Venablea' farm was three feet under water and the family were rescued with difficulty. He lost 400 sheep and a lot of cattle. Mrs Willis also lost a number of cattle. The slaughterhouse on the bank of the river near Bulls was washed away with 50 pigs. Mr Ellery's family were rescued in a boat. It is estimated that Hawke's Bay's loss will run over £250,000. The St. Paul's Christian Endeavor Society at Napier did some really practical Christian work. One party went to the lower Papakura district in a boat, taking with them clothing, bread, and tinned meats. The Mangawharareka bridge, on the Kawbatua road, about three miles above Mangaweka, was swept away. The cage over the river at Mangaweka is also gone. The flood was very great about Moutoa, the area covered with water being five miles wide. At Paiaka, Mr Gardner's was under water, and the residents had to take refuge in two high rooms. The land recently offered for sale in the Makerua swamp was covered several feet deep with water. The Pohangina river did a great amount of damage to the low lying flats by scouring the banks and silting up hundreds of acres of grass. Those settlers who resided on the lower levels had a very lively experience during Friday night, aa the flood water rose 18 inches in some of the houses, causing a continual battering of debris up against the sides of their dwellings. As much as six inches of silt collected on the floor in some instances. The township and Hollies Hill are to have a respite from further damage, as the river has completely left these points. A lot of damage to some of the roads in the distriot are reported. At Mangaweka the Rangitikei river rose no less than 32 feet, and was con* siderably higher than the tops of the concrete piers which have been built to carry the new bridge. The Advocate's Ohingaiti correspondent writes : — The bridges on the Tohaanu and Waiouru are washed away. Those on the Upper Hautapu and Baketepauma have gone, and many culverts are dangerous. There are three slips in the Turangarere bush which has packed the trees in one compact mass. The road from the Junction to Moawhanga is totally blocked by slips. Several whares were washed away, and at the foot bridge the river was 32J feet above the ordinary level. On the road from Taihape to Mangaweka there are several slips completely blocking the traffic for a time. Great havoc has been committed on the Makohine flat. (Per Press Association.) Napier, April 21. The local subscriptions flood relief fund is coming in freely with many donations of clothing, bedding and other necessaries. Judge Ward sends £21 from Hokitika. It is rather remarkable that two flooded out settlers have since lost their houses by fire. Hon. Hall-Jones held a consultation with the Chairman of the County Council, Mayor of Napier and leading citizens and engineers. The principal question discussed was as to whether the washout at Waitangi should be bridged or an enbankment formed and the general opinion was in favor of a bridge. In the meantime, Mr Hall-Jones promised to restore communication as quickly as possible, probably by means of a temporary diversion of the line. He and Mr Houston, M.H.R., afterwards left to visit the flooded out district. He has already taken steps to have a punt placed on the upper Mobaka, on the Taupo line, pending the reconstruction of a bridge. In order to fiad some particulars of Rose, drowned in one of the boat's crews, search was made amongst his effects. His address was found to be " John Rose, J. Smith & Co, 305 George street, Sydney." It was gathered that he had a wife and two children. His wife has been communicated with. This Day. News from Paketapu shows that the residents there suffered severely. H. Gardiner lost his house and furniture; Smale's house was washed off its blocks and four feet of silt was deposited inside, the water being right np to the roof. Hayes had all the furniture swept out of his house; Morns' house at Woodthorpe was completely wrecked and most of the furniture was gone. Vehicular traffic has been suspended. The Tutaekuri broke its banks in two places, and hundreds of acres in tbe vicinity have been covered from 2ft to sft with silt. • News from inland of Patea state tbe the roads there are completely washed away. Messrs Birch |Bros. are heavy losers. The wool stored in a whare, fifteen feet above ordinary flood level was washed away. Wellington, April 21. A subscription list in aid of the Napier sufferers has been opened. Mrs M. Kennedy has given 50g, John Plimmer 25g, and Williams and Beetham, of Masterton, lOOg.