THE STORM.

Lyell Times and Central Buller Gazette, Volume V, Issue 238, 5 September 1885, Page 2

THE STORM.

The closing moments of August, 1835, and the ushering in of September, will, in all likelihood, be remembered by the residents here for many a day to come. Fortunately, such a raging contention of the elements as that witnessed here on Monday last, is not a frequent occurrence, and the unusual prolongation of the thunder-storm,—which lasted for nearly all that day; the frequency and vividness of the blinding flashes of lightning which illumined all nature with such a sickly glare; the rolling of the thunder; the steady downpour of rain, and the violence of the wind, as the tempest lashed its fury from one range side to the other, — altogether made up a spectacle so awfully effective and dreadful, that even those blessed with composed nerves, might well be excused for fearing that some final crisis, or impending catastrophe was close at hand. All day on Sunday, rain fell steadily, and the weather was just unlit lor anything to be out in. The through coaeh from Nelson hurried by in the morning, to its destination, Beefton ; and the only other arrival here that day was Mr Binns, Inspector of Mines, who came by special conveyance from Inangahua Junction. A flood was now imminent and all travelling ceased. Next morning b'-oke with a wild sky, rain falling, water streaming, and wind blowing in every d.reckon possible. Fitful lightning flashes scared the gloom of early dawn, and all nature bore a weird and unearthly aspect. The thunder-storm now opened in downright earnest, and as peal upon peal reverberated from range to deafening the ear of the beholder, to all else, the very ground trembled as if under an earthquake. Tempest, thunder-storm, and the blinding rain, together, made up a scene almost indescribable, and our little township, seemed for the time, pitilessly exposed to the wrathful force of some ungovernable titanic fury. This continued till 5 p.m. Every little stream became a torrent ; Lye 11 Creek rose rapidly, and as it careered madly onward to join the Buller River, large boulders, stumps, and trees, were tossed about like pebbles and sticks. Even now, as we write, (Thursday) there are no great signs of the bad weather abating, and the flooded state of the rivers makes crossing rather uncertain. As might be expected, a considerable amount of damage has been caused the main road, and the various tracks ; and it will require an outlay of some hundreds of pounds before through wheel traffic is again practicable. Up to the present, the whole of the trouble,—so far as the main trunk line of road is concerned, lies close to, and on each side of Lyell,—as far up as Carter's, and the other way, down to Junker's,—in all, within a length of about 15 miles. Some of the slips are very heavy, while, worse still, in other places the whole of .the roadway, for chains long, has slipped away entirely. The Eight Mile track from Murphy's Creek for a considerable distance towards the far end, is also in a next-to-impassable state, and the quantities of timber and slips piled-up, upon it, will take some time to remove. The worst and most serious results of the storm, are,—the loss of time, the inconvenience, and business interruption caused through the interference with traffic, and also, the heavy draw on the County funds which repairs cucan.