THE SOUTHERN FLOODS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2239, 10 July 1908, Page 2

THE SOUTHERN FLOODS.

THE WATERS RECEDING. DAMAGE TO RAILWAY LINES.

THE SNO WED-UP TRAINS

[Pjujss Association.]

WELLINGTON. July 9. A man named Collins was drowned in the flood near Ruamahunga bridge, Wairapapa. Ho. started to walk from his camp at. the bridge to Sliirtinborough, and flic next thing known was the finding of his body. Tho weather in Wellington has been very wet for the past few weeks, and to-Jjy was rather ivorso than usual, rain falling continuously, accompanied liy a fresh wind. To-night the wind has moderated., but rain continues to fall steadily. CHRISTCHURCH, July 9. During tbo rain storm on Tuesday and two previous days three inches of rain fell. Rain flooded tho city in the lowest parts, hut tho water cleared away almost wholly on Woduesdav morning. Fine weather lasted till mid-afternoon, when the rain again fell heavily, continuing with but short intervals all night and on into morning. A brief cessation übou 6 o’clock was followed by. a renewal of the downpour, which is still falling, with heavy clouds overhead and dense clouds all round the horizon. There is every indication that the rain is likely to last for somo time.’ Last night tho streets were deserted, and the hotels almost so, except for chronic thirsts, and tho theatres suffered a good debl in attendance. Tho . Frank Thornton Company had an exceptionally good house for such weather, but far below tho normal. Quito another inch of rain has fallen since midnight. Farmers wclcomo the rain. Although it is causing some inconvenience, it was much wanted. No substantial damage is reported to have been caused by floods in this vicinity, though railway, coach, and telegraph communication have been more or iess disorganised. No such rain has been experienced for 20 years. The weather cleared again and there are signs of abatement, though the sky is still overcast in the rainy quarter, with an intermittent drizzle.

A welcome change in the weather conditions took place to-day, and there seems t 0 be a better prospect of a clearance this afternoon than at any time during the past few days. Though heavy showers fell in the early morning, the south-west sky was bright, presenting a temporary respite at least of the torrential downpours. About midday there was a drizzling rain, but shortly afterwards this cleared off, and the sun made his appearance. The main stream of the deluge appears to have petered out, and it looks as though the drenched country will be permitted to absorb its liquid cloak. Although about an inch of rain fell last night in the Ashley country, the railway lines and roads are clear for traffic. The Vaimakariri and Ashley rivers were not particularly flooded this morning. There are signs of the weather clearing, and tile position of affairs on the. North Canterbury railways was unchanged to-day. Ail the branch lines are intact, and are being-worked to-day as usual. On tho main line there is through com.inuuication to Timaru only, a small break between Washdvke and Tnnaru having been repaired. Last night the booking office issued tickets to Timaru only to passengers by the southward bound expresses, and the District Railway Engineer , (Mr. Biss) went south by the second express today.

in reply to enquiries by a “Truth” reporter, he said that he expected to bo able to re-establish railway communication- between Timaru, Studholme, and Waimate to-day, so that light traffic could get through. The line to Fairlie was re-opened to-day the flood between Washdyke and the Levels having subsided. The damage done to the main line between Studholrno and Waitaki was still an unknown quantity, and ho could not hazard an opinion as La when through communication would be established. There ay as a big wash-out at the Wailiau bridge, but lie anticipated that the ballast gangs would be able to get at it to-day. Mr. Biss will personally superintend the work of restoring the line. The disorganisation of the train service on account of'the wash-outs on tho line has correspondingly affected the mail service between Christchurch and the southern towns. Tho northern mails for southern towns will be sent by the Monowai this afternoon. There J 6 just a possibility that a train will get through to Dunedin to-morrow, but. in the event of its being unable to do so, tlio southern mails will ho forwarded to Dunedin on the Maitai. Tho mails which left Dunedin by tho first express yesterday got as far as O-am-aru, and are still there. The steamer Ulimaroa brought the later mails from the south, and landed them at Lyttelton this morning. No further mail cau be received to-day from places south of Timaru, and it i s questionable whether north-bound trains will be able to get further north than Rort Chalmers, where here is a wash-out on the line. In the event of no train getting through to-morrow, the first mail from the south will arrive on Saturday by the Monowai.

The Christchurch Gas Company achieved a rather remarkable performance on Tuesday, when the manufacture of gas was temporarily stopped by the encroachment of flood water. Notwithstanding tlie difficulties which wore encountered,'the amount of gas distributed that day was 1,026,000 feet', which, though not a record for tliis year, easily - eclipses the record amount for last year, viz., 975,000 feet. On AVednesday evening there was a possibility of >a recurrence of the flood, and a pumping engine was secured to draw out the water which found its way into the retort hoime tunnel. Tho water was cleared:-in 15 minutes, and all danger was speedily removed. The gas making plant 19 now working as usual. The most serious aspect of the continued weather in Lyttelton is tho delay which it is causing to the shipping in port. Practically no work was done at any of tho steamers in port on Tuesday, and yesterday several vessels did not start work Sit all. Several colliers and timber steamers have-been, “stuck up” for- the last two days, white the big steamers Ruapehu and. Kum ira with general cargo from London- have been unable to discharge their goods on account of the excessive rain. Several steamers have had to delay their departure since Monday. There was a fleet of between 15 and 20 vessels in port this morning, and should the -heavy rain continue there is likely to be a congestion of shipping at the wharves. The port is now so full of shipping that it is exceedinglv difficult to -find berthage lor vessels. The work of repairing the break in the northern telegraph wires is proceeding as rapidly -as possible under the circumstances One of tho wires was joined up yesterday, and a second one was connected temporarily to-day, and it is expected that the remaning three will be restored before nightfall. So far tho work has been only of a temporary character, tho wires being placed 011 light poles or sticks pending the re-orection of the permanent posts. An abnormally heavy snowstorm played havoc with the line in several different spots, from AYai.iu northwards, and many stout poles were splintered like matchwood. It will, therefore.' be some days before permanent repairs are effected. I lie other wires to Grcymouth are .-nill being utilised for the transmission of messages to Wellington, via Blenheim, Nelson being cut out. 111 the meantime urgent telegrams and cables are subject to no delay, hut the ordinary work is -about two hours behind-.

Two more of the direct northern telegraph wires were connected up n j. flgr -three 'direct wires and'the one via Greymouth and Blenheim will he sufficient to deal with the normal volume of work.

„ . , TDLUtU, July 9. iiuiu Irts ceased; and the flood wat-

\o' ors are rapidly disappearing, but thd sky is still overcast. It :s not cousidered likely that the damage to thirds railway will bo made good to-day Three repair trains are at work. Tlio'-U north mails to-day were sent south by a coal tramp steamer.

r OAiMAHU, July 9.' A heavy gale is still blowing, and a,' j higli sea running at Oarnaru. The s #! weather is altogether miserable. Tie'll rainfall for 21 hours till 9 this moru- r .# ing was 30 points. Kenorts from' ] country districts as to the damage i a done by floods continue io filter thro,' : J ugh. The railway service is comple-4|p tcly disorganised, with little hope of -j communication being restored ou -;#3 branch lines for two or three days. tj% A repair train left Oarnaru at six ry| this morning to effect repairs at 'Hil-%l] derthorpo, a ]engtli 0 f about live miles - : being damaged. Every endeavor, being made to restore through com-ujfe munication, but time will be neoes- i # sarv owing to the large number-offs 3 wash-outs. Jt ia not likely any trains will leave Oarnaru lor the north day

DUNEDIN, July 0. J

'Berwick and part of tho Taieri' 'J Plain arc under water. lu. conscrju- ' ence of a report tint olio bouse was i isolated by water and the inmates' - unable to remove, the police have ■ gone out by special train with a boat' for rescue purposes. . Train communication with Inver- 1 9 cargill and Christchurch is suspendetl owing to wash-outs north'of f| Oainaru and between Mosgiel and - '*l Milton. All traffic on the Otago Ceii-'. -'*l tral and Outram branch lines is also :’fi suspended. _ , . . ■ . 'fl r J lie whole of the Taieri Plain Iron* Berwick to Otak-aia is one sheet of watA . J ,m-. A number of people had to their houses. Stock is swimming ’,/d about in the paddocks. The train which left Clyde yester- ■} | day got embedded in the snow on the ,;} top of the hill between Hough llidge">l|H and Wedderburn, and a goods train from Btinfurly has been sent to try fra and release her. As a result boili , trains are now snowed in. f ■ '--ff-J The weather outlook is now more favorable.

The weather began to clear at 10 liSl a.m.. The Taieri Plain is flooded i 'jfi from 'Lake Waihola to within . two K| miles of Mosgiel, with water- up to >' •,| loin deep. Six families at Meadow- '.Vf bank, Murray, Kirkland, Shand, ‘ Fowler, Anderson, and Gamble are -"-A isolated. Murray’s house was flood-'" |p| ed, and tho family were for 24 hours . taking refuge in a hay loft, the ahif; 'SM male in the byres below standing up to their bellies in water. Great assistauce was lent by the local policeman, Constable "Walton. This inor- ’£.;S uing, in response to a wire, *Sub-In-e4iS ■spector O’Brien, two detectives, and two policemen left with a hoat belonging to the tug Plucks’, for Mos- i!, 1 giel. by special train, and got to '•**■"* work. No lives were lost. Murray lost 39 pigs -and some horses, sheep, and cattle. Shand lost many sheep, 5 3 180 hoggets, 40 head of cattle, and ' .'! some horses. Many other residents * can see stock splashing about on islands, and are unable until the water subsides to estimate their los6. Eight large wash-outs occurred on the Outram railway line. Only the S roof of the Glidfieid station is vislble. The Riverside flag station was '’-. a washed completely away. Outram, Berwick, Allanton, and Otakaia are 1: all flooded. Both hanks of the Taieri river burst in several places, but 'w.J the water slowly subsides. West Taieri has been flooded for .V;A ; the first time for 30 years, and the water cannot get away. The Allan- 'i.'g ton bridge is firm, though level with the flood. Two bridges across tho - ; -sr£ Silverstreahi were demolished. Tho main road at Otakaia is submerged, and almost impassable. iSnow smashed the telegraph lines between Naseby and AVaihemo, and ■ Nasebv and Hyde, but the Telegraph . Wf Department is able to keep in touch -ifi with Naseby by means of the wire 3'Aj to Lawrence and Clyde. At Naseby-.' ;'iC there is still about four feet of snow on the ground,, and business is almost- entirely suspended. At St. Bathans there is -about three feet of snow, and there is a possibility of a. serious loss of stock. ’ Some places are entirely isolated. The roof of the hotel kitchen collapsed, the cook having a liairbreidth escape. _At Middlemai-ch the creeks and 4 rivers are in high flood, and there is no sign of the weather clearing: A Passengers who left for Central Otago on "Wednesday morning are still snow-bound at Hyde. The Waipiata river is very high, • aiu|_at latest advices still rising. Railway traffic -is still seriously interrupted, and there is .no. through communication- either north or south, but the ’ Department hopes to get passengers and mails to Christchurch aud Invercargill to-morrow by coach- . ,'v* ing over the breaks. On the Otago ’g Central line the train will run to Hyde and buck. There is'four feet .-V-, of snow on the line for a. distance of about six miles. There is no Jikelihood of traffic being resumed on tho Outram branch to-morrow.

„ . GORE, July 9. It is somewhat remarkable that while 31 inches of rain fell in a few hours in Tapanui, in Gore onlv a few miles distant, but. .22 inches'fell in 48 hours. While the weather has been dull and threatening', there was nothing remarkable in the way of rain.