The Floods.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 248, 24 April 1897, Page 2

The Floods.

UPPER POHANGINA. j Saturday, 17th April. • One of the most disastrous floods ever experienced here occurred yesterday, causing immense destruction'all round. Although the Pobanginadid not rise but a few feet above any ordinary high flood the Coal Creek was fully six feet higher : than the flood of May, 1894. The rain j fell incessantly here from midday on j Thursday till this morning at daybreak, I accoinpauied with a terrible south east- ! erly gale, which caused the Coal Creek j to rise exceedingly fast on Friday morn- i ing till about 2 p.m., when it gradually subsided. Owing to the ram coming down in torrents from then till the evening the creek again rose, overflowing all the flats along the valley. As darkness came on great anxiety was felt by the settlers for fear of being washed out of house and home during the night ; but fortunately by 11.30 p.m. the flood again showed signs of abating, and by 2 a.m. this morning (Saturday) had fallen four feet. The damage so far cannot be accurately calculated, butitis estimated at fully twelve hundred poundß loss to the Coal Creek settlers alone. To giye one an idea of what the flood was like, flats where trees were growing from two to fivo feet iD circumference were covered up from two to three feet with water. As communication cannot be j j had with anyone above Mr C. Patterson I or below Mr F. Richards'. I cannot furnish you with any more losses but the following : — Mr C. Patterson had about 12 acres of flat ground cut uff his frontage, together with some fifteen or twenty chains of fencing, stock-yard and cow-shed and several tons of hay. His orchard and garden which occupied a splendid little flat, above his homestead has been turned into a barren shingle bed. Mr J. Harrison, who is away from home, lost an equal amount of land and about thirty chains of fencing. Mr F. Richards' loss is much above any of ths others, as quite a mile of fenc ing is either gone or rendered useless. A large building just erected containing nine tons of hay, was swept away bodily ; al?o his fowl-house, cowshed and yards. His new garden, containing vegetables and about three parts of an acre of potatoes, is now occupied by the creek. The flood cut away the sheepspens within a few feet of the wool-shed. About five chains bslow Mr F. Richards' house, the creek broke through what ia known as the Long Point and joined the river. Mr A. Richards lost his cow-shed and yards, all the fencing round the creek is either silted up or gone, the lower parts of bis garden and crop paddock are silted up a depth of two or three feet, besides leaving his house in a dangerous position, to be taken by perhaps another flood. All tha above eottlers have just got things nice and comfortable and have now got to shift their houses and rebuild outbuildings, etc., or plainly speaking,' make a fresh start,' which will cause them to remember the flood of 1897. Standard. The Foxton Herald says:— On Monday raorninj? as Mr Stansell was taking his passengers by boat to the ferry he heard a cooey from Mr C. Adin's house, and after disembarking his cargo rowed over and found that Mrs Adin and her family had passed the night on a table, there having been two feet of water in the house. Mr Stansell not only brought them into Foxtou, but found them a place whereon to lay their heads. An instance of the extent of the waters can be guaged by the fact that Mr Bar nun), the Shannon mailman, brought the mail from the Shannon railway station to a point very near the Motea homestead, by boat, having taken a bee line over the submerged fences. He there borrowed a buggy and got his mail to Foxton. A person likely to know estimates the loss in the Hawke's Bay district at 50,000 sheep. The late Captain Arthur McCartney was one of the pioneers of the country, having taken an active part in the Maori war on the East and West Coasts. He arrived here from Home on the 24th March, 1867, in the ship Montmorency. On the disbanding of the Hawke's Bay military settlers in October, 1867, Mr McCartney joined No. 1 division of the Mounted Armed Constabulary, which was raised in Napier under Major Fraser, Captain Tuke, and Ensign W. A. Richardson. Mr McCartney soon became a non-commissioned officer, and saw a great deal of service both on the East and West Coast, and special despatch duties. He was orderly to the late Sir Donald McLean when the latter was Defence Minister. At the conclusion of the war, Mr McCartney was stationed at the Spit as sergeant in charge of the Armed Constabulary office. He joined the F. Battery of Volunteers in April, 1885, as Lientenant, was elected Captain in June, 1887, and was placed on the Wellington district reserve list last month as from 9th June, 1896. His services are recorded as follows in the N.Z. Army List :— Captain Arthur McCartney, F Battery, N.Z.A., Volunteers. Served in No. 1 company, A.C. Engaged at Waimana and Waioeka Gorge, Rua Ljture, Moturoa, Patutahi, Ngatapa, No 2 Redoubt (West Coast), Whenua Kura, Otautu, Waikate-moana, Tokaano, Te Papa, Patatere, Te Whakamaru, Nukumara, Rotoaira, Pourere (medal). — Telegraph.