The Flood at Wanganui.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 17 February 1891, Page 3

The Flood at Wanganui.

♦ The Chronicle narrates some of the stirring scenes in connection with the flood that came down the Wanganui river on Friday night. The cui'rent of the river was tremendous and the water of a very dirty colour, while a strong smell of sulphur carae from it, and pervaded the portion of the town along the river bank. As a proof that the sulphurous smell of the river was not imaginary, a piece of timber brought down by the flood, was strongly impreguated and when exposed in a dark room exhibited a strong phosphorescent light. Enormous quaotities of all kinds of timber was brought down as well as carcases of sheep, stacks of grain Maori canoes, and articles of furniture. About Ba. m. a quantity of wood work was observed passing the Reclaimed Land, and it was soon known to be the Upokongaro Bridge that had been washed away. The river rose above the Reoluimed Land, and shortly after 10 a.m. Taupo Quay was flooded and the waters rapidly invaded the whole street from the boat sheds at one end, and the Custom House at the other, and by noon all the hotels and business places along the Qnay were invaded. The Harbour Board's punts and dredge were washed from their moorings, and were carried out to sea, and Mr Thain's steam launch, the Moutoa, got adrift. She was however rescued by the natives. At 2 p.m. the river presented a grand bui awful sight, as viewed from the Town Bridge. The waters had continued to rise and was at its maximum at the time mentioned, coming within six inches of the planking of the Wharf. The water rushed through the arches of the Bridge with great violence, the wash back at the piers rising several feet above the main level. By 2. 80 the water had reached up the Avenue opposite Mr A. E. Kitchen's chemist shop, and remained at this level till 8, 80 when it began slowly to recede. High tide was at 12.54 p.m., at which hour the turbulance of the waters was at its greatest. As the tide went down the very small difference in the height of the river led to the belief that the volume of flood water must have been increasing at every minute owing to the rain in the interior. At one time fears were held for the safety of the Town Bridge, the water having risen to within four feet of the decking, and as huge logs were coming down it - was thought that any coming in contact with the piers might wreck the structure. This flood is, we are informed by some old settlers, the highest on record by several inches ; but others assert that in 1858 the lower part of thetown was invaded by the river, which rose some 16 inches higher than it did yesterday. Four^Maories from Parakino missing their oanoes the four men referred to determined to come down the river to find them. They left the settlement at 4 a.m. yesterday and landed at 9 a.m. in a very exhausted and half drowned condition at Mr Lomax's Aramoho, where they were provided with a breakfast, which soon set them on their feet again The upriver Maories must have lost a large number of canoes and timber owing to the flood. The Harbour Board's dredge was kept at her moorings as. long as possible, Captain Low, the Harbourmaster, and his men standing by her from 9 a.m. till 5 o'clock in the evening; when seeing that she must go. they freed her from her anchors, and

>r the craft proceeded down the rivei tl and crossing the bar took a norther])/ \. course along the coast It is thought [, that she will probably become c stranded on the beach and re- •, covered. y ggg