GREAT FLOOD AND STORM AT NELSON.

Marlborough Express, Volume III, Issue 102, 15 February 1868, Page 7

GREAT FLOOD AND STORM AT NELSON.

(From the Examiner, Feb. 6 ) The heaviest Hood with which this district has, within the memory of the earliest settlers, ever been visited, occurred on Tuesday evening last. This is now the third successive year in which rain has fallen at the end of January or the beginning of February, sufficient to cause a flood in the town and its neighbourhood. On the 28th of January last year, and the 2nd of February in the preceding year, floods which occurred ill Nelson were unprecedented, and in each year we had to record a deal of damage done and much property destroyed. On Tuesday, however, the water reached a height which has never been known before, for although we have no means of accurately comparing the present with former floods, many old residents bear us out in our opinion that this year the rivers rose considerably beyond the limits which they attained in 1866 and 1867. We are informed by the Meteorological Registrar that the rain-fall registered on Monday, Tuesday,and Wednesday, was as follows: — Monday, February 3. . . I’4o Tuesday* February 4. . . 4-48 Wednesday, February 5 ...... 7-03 Total inches 12*91 We should mention that the registry is taken every morning at 9-30, for the preceding twenty-four hours. This gives, in three days, a rainfall almost equivalent to half the average fall annually registered in London. The heaviest day’s fall, however, did not reach that of last year, when 9-40 inches were recorded within twentyfour hours. On Tuesday, at about noon, it was apparent that the Matai was fast rising, and within a few hours it had flooded the adjacent gardens, driven the inmates from several houses, destroyed an immense quantity of fruit, washed' away a large portion of its banks, and done damage which —though we are glad to say it falls far below that of last year—is neverthelessof very great extent, and will be felt severely by some of the cottagers, whose houses were invaded. From five o clock in the evening until dark, the sigh,t to be seen from different points of the town, was one which will long be remembered by the residents of Nelson. All the lower part of the town was under, which reached almost to the top of the Post-office steps. The whole of the low-lying land between the upper portions of Hardy-street and Collingwood-street was submerged; the river itself swirled past its various bends with a speed and fury which boded ill for the bridges beneath which it flows, and bade fair to carry away a large part of the embankment. About ten p.rd. thd water began to subside, and by daylight yestef-

day morning- had returned to its proper channel. We now come to our chronicle of the various injuries which have been sustained; and it is with sincere pleasure we state that this is not nearly so heavy a& might have been expected. The eastern ap= proach of the Dun Mountain bridge was slightly damaged, but only to an extent which can he repaired by a few hoar’s work. At the Nile-street bridge we found that a considerable portion of the earth at the back of the boarding by which the banks are protected on either side of the bridge, and had been carried away, but no further damage done. The Hardy-street bridge was perfectly sound and untouched; The principal damage dorie within the town appears to have been at the bend where the river crosses Bridge-street. The western approach of the footbridge Was quite wrecked, but the main structure was undamaged. The force of the wash here may be judged from the fact that the stream had eaten a channel four or five feet deep inland of the spot where the bridge joins the shore, and in doing so had rooted up one of the telegraph posts: Just below this bridge, the malt-house iri the occupation of Mr. Hogg had been much damaged, one corner of the building having been carried clean away. A large quantity of barley was here destroyed, and several tons of anthracite coal, imported especially for drying malt, were lost. The malt-dip was floated down the river to a spot near to Mr. Field s brewery. In addition to this, two V-shaped breakwaters which have recently been put down by Mr. Hooper at a considerable cost, were carried away. The Collingwood-street bridge stood firm throughout, although the floods were such that the roads on both sides were under water and the houses in the neighborhood filled, in some cases two or three feet deep. The left bank of the river, just above the bridge; was carried away, and at a rough guess we should say that the water has eaten into the land to a depth of fifty yards. We understand that the hop-gardens of Messrs. Harley have been much injured, and the same is the case with the gardens of Messrs. Hooper and Dodson. The Saltwater bridge was none the worse for the flood, though the water which was here pounded back by the narrowness of the culvert spread over a large part of the valley* At the back of Mr. Hales house, iri Tory-street, a land-slip occurred, but we understand that no damage was done thereby. No slips of so disastrous a character as some of those which happened last year took place on Tuesday. In two places in Brook-street a considerable portion of the road has been washed away, one spot being just on the town side of Mr. Ejdwards’a gate, and the other just below the Dun Mountain station.

We regret to say that one fatal accident occurred to an old man named Devaney, who was well known in the town. From the Wairnea we hear that tlie creeks and streams were higher than has been known before, and that several bridges have been damaged, but not seriously. Many pastures have been flooded, and a large quantity of debris and sediment carried over them ; although the grass will of course conquer this eventually, yet for the present the pasturage will be worth but little. On the whole, we think that the comparative insignificance of the injury which has been done is the most noteworthy point in connection with this flood ; and when the great destruction of all kinds of property which occurred in the two preceding years is called to mind, we may well congratulate ourselves on having escaped this year with a marvellously light catalogue of disasters.