NELSON.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 7, Issue 350, 15 February 1866, Page 2

NELSON.

HEAVY BAINS AND FLOODS. HOUSES AND BRIDGES CARRIED AWAY. DAMAGE TO CROPS. (Proa the No'.sau Colonist, 6th February.) On Friday was experienced the heaviest flood that Nelson settlement has witnessed at tills seaeon of the year, and, as some say, the largest, and certainly the most disastrous in its effects, that ever was seen at any time in tho Matai and Brookstreet streams, and, the Wairoa River. All Thursday a good deal of rain fell, and increased in intensity towards evening, but still there did not seem to have been either tho quantity or the continuance of rain in this immediate neighborhood sufficient to cause these rivers to rise so rapidly, and the opinion is that a waterspout or heavily charged cloud had burst somewhere about the Dun Mountain Range, for it was mainly from that quarter, and not so much from seaward, as usual, that the rain came. Late on Thursday night the stream in Brookstreet Valley began to assume such alarming dimensions as to encroach and enter dwelling-houses some distance from its banks, and several families had to leave their houses late at night, and seek refuge iu neighbors’ dwellings situated on higher ground. In one house in the Valley no fewer than twenty-seven persons slept on the nights of Thursday and Friday, and in other places many more had to find refuge from tho rising waters. Both the Matai and Brook-street rivers continued to rise until about eight o’clock on Friday morning ; but before that hour daylight showed what damage had been done during the night. The finest walk about Nelson, up tho Brookstreet Valley, the walk “ under the willows,” instead of presenting a scene of freshness, smiling cot t ages, neatly-trimmed gardens, and well-cropped fields, enlivened by the rippling of the brook, showed one of tom up fences, trim hedges destroyed, tho remains ot foot-bridges, a torrent of water rushing down what was once tho roadway, and spreading overland and into houses on both sides of tho valley; gardens cleared of their soil, and growing crops of garden stuff rendered useless ; fruit trees swept away, and numerous large willow trees that overhung the stream, torn from, the banks and deposited far clown the river. Up as far as Mr Newport’s well-kept homestead the devastation extended to a greater or h-ss degree ; and here tho river carried away a portion of the land, uprooting part of tho contents of a potato field, and carrying them away: threatening the stack yard and necessitating the removal of large quantities of bay and fodder. A piece of land had also been washed away near the Dun Mountain Company’s stables. Further down the stream, all the way to its junction with the Matai, evidences of destruction were everywhere apparent. Not a single bridge out of the many that spanned tho stream was left standing, and the inhabitants of the inside bank of the river could only get to town by crossing the Grampian range. At the first turn of the stream evidences of its passing through rich gardens and well-cultivated fields were to bo seen in the garden stuff uprooted and the largo quantities of line soil deposited. Some small cultivations have suffered heavily in this valley. Tho bridge that crossed tho Brook-street River, near the Prince Alfred Hotel, was swept away early in tho morning ; and the roadway on the other side was also carried away, as well as all the little bit of garden ground that stood in front of a neat cottage, which just escaped being taken off by the river, whose waters had eaten away the bank until within a couple of feet of its foundation. Tho river then went roaring round the high bank that opposes its run, sweeping away t wo dwelling* liouscs and fully half a chain of land belonging to Mr Sadd, which was by some deemed a good frontage, and also injuring the neighboring property of Captain Clcete. It next entered the garden of Mr Lightband, sen., carrying destruction with it, uprooting trees and hedges, and destroying the work of years, carrying hard gravel to the place that rieh loam had hitherto filled. On the opposite side a pretty little garden, belonging to Mr Draiger, well-stocked, is now only a shiuglebed, with a deep channel in its centre. But by far the greatest amount of damage has been done at the Wairoa River and its neighborhood. The Wairoa rose to a height which it has not reached for many years; and we regret to say (h*t the smaller bridge across the first branch of that river has been swept away—literally forced off the piles and carried down tho river nearly a quarter of a mile, and deposited “on its feet” opKisite Apple tree Farm, which belonged to the late f Bush. Tho mill-lead which was made last year, leading to Mcssrg. White and Jary's new yin, ii fi lod up with pa,r&\ mi Ui# course of the

river is so much altered, that instead of the small stream that used to flow under the little bridge, not only is there a deep channel formed, but the approach to the main bridge, between it and what was the site of the small one, is carried away, and at least half the volume of the river now flows on the further side of the main bridge. The bridge itself was hampered by dead trees of large size, and other waifs, and the weight of this mass against the buttresses has skewed the binding arches, and driven them fully a foot beyond their perpendicular. The private road leading along the river side to Brightwater Mill has been destroyed,” the bank eaten away, and the river flows in its place. His Honor the Superintendent and Mr Blackett, the Provincial Engineer, went out yesterday to examine the extent of the damage done to the bridge and the river banks. In addition to the above the following property was destroyed : —The foot bridge at Manuka-st., the Dun Mountain Copper Mining Company’s Railway bridge, that at the Prince Alfred Hotel, four other public and eight or nine private ones crossing (he Brook-street river, two of the four crosssing the Matai. Mr Karsteu’s house and outbuildings. Along Halifax-street gardens are converted into shingle-beds, and considerable damage has been done to house-property. The Toitoi valley was one sheet of water, and quite impassable.

The injury done to farm produce, and the loss to farmers are very serious. It is impossible at present to compute the loss, but it will take not a few thousands to repair the damage of this one day’s flood.