THE FLOODS IN CANTERBURY.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XIII, Issue 554, 24 February 1868, Page 3

THE FLOODS IN CANTERBURY.

Ue take tlie following from the Canterbury Times of the Bth inst:— Again has the result of a fresh in cur principal rivers made itself felt, hut instead of the damage nmng, as hitherto, chiefly confined to one locahtv, it lias on this occasion ranged over a large portion of the province. Road communication has been entirely cut olf with most of the inland towns; tintelegraph lias in most places been broken down, and rumours are conr-tsmtly arriving of bridge,'. | being carried away by this unexpected and unpro icedented Hood. ; yesterday morning, by one. o'clock, the banks | below Mmiriis-streef bridge had been topped, and the road on cither side became flooded. Hy this time large crowds had collected on all the bridges on Oxford-terraoe, where men were mu ployed in keeping the piles clear of debris, in order that as little opposition as possible might he offered to tin-j stream. Shortly before three, the overflow comjmeuced at the bottom of Glonooler-street, the j river being level with the buttresses of the Gojverument foot-bridge, Lane’s mill, and Mont realstreet bridges, and flowing over the flooring of Worcester-sireet bridge.

So rapidly did the stream increase in volume ■that within a quarter of an hour the road from Lane’s Mill to beyond the Government buildings was entirely under water, and the houses in the immediate vicinity were shortly afterwards flooded. Great apprehensions were entertained for the safety ol Lane’s Mill, and between four and five o’clock a large quantity of the goods stored therein were ! removed. The water now covered the greater portion of the waste land between the river amf the drill-shed, whilst on the left bank, below Madrasstreet bridge the road was impassable. At seven the whole of the block containing the I’ost- | office and Market-place was knee-deep underwater, and communication with both the Victoria and Colombo-strect bridges was entirely cut off for pedestrians. The Golden Fleece Hotel appeared | to have become the geuerala-taud fur all the cabs in the town, and here, after OT?k, were collected a large numljer of both Hansons and four-wheelers, ready to ferry people over the flooded land to the bridges. In this they were continually employed, their lights flitting about in the darkness like so fHany “ Will o’ the wisps.”

At half-past twelve this morning:, the overflow Appeared to have reached its full height and shortly at er it very visibly began to retire from the higher ground. Before this, the I’ost-oflice was from three to four feet under water, whilst the flow from near the Government foot bridge had made its way up Gloucester-street and effected a junction with that proceeding from the Market-place. Mr Hargreaves office was the highest point reached in Cathedral square, and .Mr Deamer’s residence, the highest in Armngh-street. Cabs were plying to and fro at the Colomho-street bridge the greater portion of the night, and we may mention that one man in attempting to cross it in the earlier pan of the evening was very nearly drowned. The information from places beyond Christchurch is necessarily attended with a considerable amount of uncertainty, the roads being closed, and telegraphic communication almost entirely stopped. It is nevertheless certain that Kuiapoi,"as usual, has come in for its full share of the misfortune, and will no doubt be the greatest sufferer. The morning coach from Christchurch was unable to get beyond Treleaven’s, the road thence almost to Kaiapoi being entirely under water. But since then several persons have, beeu through from Christchurch, and it is beyond doubt that the swing bridge lias been carried away. The Girder bridge, on the Rangiora drain road, is reported to have been similarly destroyed, but no certainty exists on the matter. White’s bridge, at Belton’s ferry, at six o’clock last evening, was safe, and as the river was then falling very fast, no anxiety on i this account need be entertained. In Kaiapoi | itself, the inundation lias been much more serious land wide spread than on any previous occasion, jDetailed accounts are not yet to band, but in many jinstances families bad to be removed from their I houses in boats, and from this an idea can o ' Termed of the probable damage. On the Rangiora j Drain Road, in the area forming the original j swamp, and in the Church Bush, almost the whole of the farms are flooded, and the destruction to crops alone must he very extensive. The Kaiapoi Island is completely overrun, and the country below Kaiapoi towards the beach lias also suffered very considerably. Near i’endaltown, where the river Avon forms a sort of basin by being backed up with flax and toi toi, the water rose yesterday morning upwards of four feet in a quarter of an hour. A large quantity of land in the neighbourhood was completely flooded. Mr Barry alone losing between 30u and TOO sheep, besides a number of cattle.

At the Sehvyn, tiu- new bridge—Mr Boyne's costly structure—is a complete wreck, and about 200 yards of the embankment on this side of the river has also been washed away. The piling put up since the former flood remains good. The river near the Coal track is reported to be higher than known for the past fourteen years. The whole bed, between one and two miles wide, is one sheet of water, but there is no news of any overflow.

The risk incurred by Christchurch from the periodical flooding of the greater rivers, has at length been practically brought home to the inhabitants, and the necessity of constructing protective works mast now be evident. The of -repaired embankment, we are informed, is at last completely carried away.

An inquest was held on Wednesday at the Masonic Hotel, Rangiora, before Dr Dudley and a jury, of whom Mr W. H. Pcrcival was foreman, on the body of a girl named Wilkinson, aged thirteen or fourteen years. The evidence went to show that her father was woke up about 1 a.m. by a rush of water, and found it all round his house. Upon this he locked the door, and started with his wife and children for the Masonic Hotel, distnni one mile ; they had proceeded about half the distance when his wife and children got confused, *, nit rnnnJ tV,O cW‘l,- .ft- which >'!■

lost his footing, and knew no more till he found 1 himself on a hillock in a Add within three or fen: chains of the Masonic Hotel, where he had h-eu parried, insensible, by the water. He came to himself at daylight, when he cooeyed, and was answered by Mr Steggall, the miller, who told him he could not render him any resistance till the .water had subsided sufficiently, which it did about seven o’clock. TThon he cooeyed he fancied he heard a faint answer, which proved to be his wife, who was found a short time after in a very weak state. On leaving the house the water was breast and His daughter was washed off Her fcot but he recovered her for ihai time. The body was found by the police and a searching party of volunteers in Mr Justice Gresson’s paddock, surrounded by posts, rails, and other rubbish. In accordance with the evidence, the jury attached a rider to the verdict expressing their sympathy with the poor man for the loss he had suffered, and stating that, they were satisfied with the exertions he had made to save his children,

< TLMAHU. 'The which reach us of thr- effect of the Hoods in the above district are truly lamentable. We regret that space forbids us attemptin'; to furnish our readers with even an abstract of the reports wliich appear in our Southern contemporaries. Several lives have, been lost, the number uoi yet being !.now u. Ills estimated that about £150,C00 worth of damage has beeu done to property.