EXCITING SCENE DURING THE WAIRARAPA FLOODS.

Kumara Times, Issue 1096, 5 April 1880, Page 2

EXCITING SCENE DURING THE WAIRARAPA FLOODS.

During the late floods in. the Wairarapa an exciting scene, tUe particulars of which are communicated-to us (Weilington Post) by a correspondent, occurred on one of the stations.,, It appears that on Monday; March 22nd, when the flood , was at its height, a Maori was seen , in immirlCnt peril on. a log, being rapidly, born A down towards •» tlie river by the current; Soon afterwards the log caught in a ,wirfe, £eijce; , and the Maori was enabled to,.stcind upon it, but was unable to get away,on account of the current. As possible a party from,the statiop.jfbnt to the rescue in a canoe, but the ppw- - - erful Current carried them down on' to, a small island, from whence they, had! great difficulty in reaching on account of the current. Eventually they did sUcdeed,.however, in rescuing him from his perilous position. If they had been a few minutes latefj the

"Maori (Isaac King, son of a great chief in the district) would inevitably have been drowned, as he was completely numbed by the cold. Ho gave the following reason for his mad act in attempting to swim over to the station : About a mile and a-half from the house two or three old Maoris were living. They were completely‘cut off from the high land, as the flood rose so’ quickly, "and the water soon compelled them to take refuge on the tops of their whares, where they were obliged to stop for two nights without food or shelter until King saw them. He then attempted to swim in to the homestead, a distance of abo'qt a mile, for assistance. King, after having regained his strength, went to the rescue of the other Natives in thb canoe, and landed them safely. The old Natives on the whares had given up all hope of being saved, and were -patiently waiting for the Water to sweep them off. Both the Maori (King) and his European rescuers deserve great credit for their plucky con’dtfdt.