The Weather and Floods.

Manawatu Herald, 14 October 1897, Page 2

The Weather and Floods.

On Saturday the wind blew strong, in fact we should say very strong had it not been blowing so very much harder ever since. The rain commenced to fall on Sunday and kept on doing so till Tuesday night-., and we have never seen even in the middle of a very wet winter so much water lying about.

It must have been raining hard in the Wairarapa, as the rain we had came from the east. In Palmerston it rained hard on Monday and Tuesday, and the Manawatu rose so as to compel landowners to remove tneir stock from the lower ground.

The Pohangina and the Oroua were in flood, and the water was all over the low country by the Oroua Bridge yesterday, but the train got through.

The Manawafcu rose over the banks at Moutoa on Monday night and water hag been pouring into the Motoa estate since. Yesterday afternoon the water had fallen three or four inches, but it had a good way to go before getting below the banlr. The embankments made by the settlers had all stood well, but the river came over by the ferry, at the site of Mr Gibson's house, between the schoolhouse and Mr Carter's, and down Burr's roach Some came over by the old church.

The country on the other side of the river ia, as usual, all under water, and the Shannon mailman had to travel on horseback. The Wirokino . country ' is also under water and the Levin mail came partly by coach and partly by boat. At present we have heard of no damage done by the flood, but unless it goes down quickly we fear the settlers will be sufferers from loss of feed, as the Water appears very dirty. Two young men, Messrs George Wright, junr., and George Gay have had an unpleasant experience. They were in camp, flax grubbing at Moutoa, when the flood came, but believing it was not going tobe'a bad one, remained in their quarters. They found out their mistake after a time, and spent all day yesterday promenading up and down the highest piece of ground within reach, but yet up to their knees in water. Messrs Alf Wright and J. and T. Collins took a boat up and brought them off last evening. This afternoon the Shannon coach arrived at 1.15, the Levin coach arriving a little before that time, and both report a large volume of water through their different routes.