THE RECENT GALE.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2027, 23 August 1880, Page 3

THE RECENT GALE.

At Amberley very considerable damage has been done to crops in the district through the flag leaf of the young grain being completely destroyed, and the soil in many cases blown away. In the township nearly every house has a “ scar” in the shape of broken panes of glass, fallen chimney, or damaged roof, whilst the prodigality with which straw has been distributed throughout the township is very conspicuous. Many farmers who had not threshed have suffered great loss through the destruction of their stacks, and the rain following will complete their loss. No damage to life or limb is reported, though some of the children attending the school were blown down when the gale was at its height on Friday. The Waimakariri, as anticipated, was in heavy flood on Saturday. The telegram from Bealey at noon on Saturday posted at the Kaiapoi Post-office, was to the effect that there was a heavy flood, with the rivers rising from continuous rain, the appearance of the rivers at the Bealey being considered as likely to affect the protective works and railway in the Courtenay and Avon districts. The full force of the freshet was noticed before daylight at the head of Kaiapoi Island, and both the south branch as well as the cutting were filled bank and bank. An overflow found vent from the cutting over part of the farms of Messrs Wright, Rice, and Stanton, and also over the North, road between White’s bridge and the town. Here some damage was done to seed wheat washed out of the ground, as also to fences, and a quantity of deiris was left as the water subsided, which it did towards afternoon. There was a large overflow from the South Waimakariri across Ohainey’s and into Stewart’s gully cutting. Here also some extent of cultivation was placed under water. The back water from the river at the railway bridge found a way towards Mr Pashby’s Elmswool farm, but no serious damage was done. In Kaiapoi the river was full to the capsils of the bridge. In two instances defective drains allowed the water to slightly back into low sections, which the foreman of works promptly stopped. Mr Moore, the present energetic chairman of the worku committee of the Kaiapoi Council, madea complete inspection of outlets to the drains, and in case of any damage to the same or the embankments was fully prepared to cope with any emergency. Towards Sunday morning commenced to go down, and at 9 a.m. had subsided 3in., and continued to abate, although a vast body of water was still rushing furiously through Stewart’s gully. Had it not been for this outlet the damage to the surrounding district would have been very seriously felt. After this successful resistance to the flood shown by the railway works at Stewart’s Gully, the hope may be indulged that interruption to railway traffic on the North line from this source is a thing of the past. In both the north and south branches of the Eangitata the flood was very high during the night of Saturday, but it continued falling during the whole of yesterday. The bridge has not, as was the case in the floods of December, 1878, been in any way affected by the last body of water that passed beneath it, and this is to be attributed—not to the strain upon it by tho water being any loss—but to the fact that the whole of the short piles have been replaced by others of the contract length from end to end of the structure. The Rakaia did not rise daring Saturday night, and is falling rapidly. There was a slight fresh in the Selwyn yesterday morning, but as this is a rain river no serious results need be apprehended. The Hurunui was very high on Saturday, the Waitohi also, and would rise very much with the present steady N. to N.E. rain. The Waipara was discolored and rising at 4 p.m. Toe Ashley was not fordable on Saturday, and on Sunday was considerably flooded, putting a sever* strain on the road bridge as well as tho rail' way bridge approach.