Floods in the Rangitikei.

Manawatu Herald, 4 February 1897, Page 2

Floods in the Rangitikei.

■ ♦ . The^t/voflatesayß:— The flood in the Rangitikei River Saturday night caused considerable damage, owing principally to tha unusual rapidity with which tha water rose from what might be termed a moderate fresh early in the evening to a tremendous flood before 9 p.m. The water overflowed the approach to the bridge from the Bulls side for a distance of about eight chains, and the force of the current can be imagined from the fact that several of the iron bark piles lying on the roadside were swept into the adjoining paddock, while in Lower Rangitikei the water crossed the main road opposite Mr McKelvie's residence, at a depth of over four feet for a distance of a quarter of a mile, flooding large areas of the land of Mr Scott and Mr Amon. The damage done to the bridge is not so serious as might have been anticipated but one span of the temporary bridge has been washed away, leaving a gap of about

80 feet, which will suspend traffic until replaced. Beyond damage to the derricks* and making good the. traffic, the contractors' loss will not be very great. Mr John Hammond had several men employed in floating sixteen thousand totara posts down the river to be landed at Bulls. Many of the posts had reached within a short distance of their destination when the flood swept them down the river, . and many of them are now lying in the reaches of the river between Bulls and Scott's Ferry, and in all probability a large number would go right out to sea. The loss of live stock is consider* able, Mr McKelvie having had about two thousand wethers washed off one of the river flats near his residence. Mr Fraser reports six of his horses missing, and Mr McDonell some sheep. The wharf shed at Scott's Ferry, in which were stored about 170 bales of wool awaiting shipment, wat flooded to a depth of about lginjehtt above the floor, saturating about 100 bales on the lower tier. :