The Flood-

Manawatu Herald, 17 June 1902, Page 2

The Flood-

As was predicted from up country we have experienced, the last few days, the heaviest flood known to the oldest identity, and has beaten the record of the 1880 flood by depth, dirtiness, and sudden rising. As yet no reliable tidings as to how the settlers have farad has been obtained, kut that the story, when told, will be one of grief and woe'is only to be expected. From reliable informants and from our own obsemtkhi the flood on Sunday night exceeded the 1880 flood by two feet six inches at the wharf. To make the case plainer we give a'diary of the past few days: — - On Friday , morning a wire came tiiro’ frohi Woodville regarding rain and the probability of flood. This by arrangement was sent to Mr Oaverhill, the Manager of the Mofcoa estate, which old inhabitants are aware,, becomes transferred on such dddasiOiis into a lake* Naturally Mr Oaverhill commenced milsteridg ais sheep, and he informs us that then the river was in a low state, and this, is confirmed by the mail coach driver, yet on the same night it had risen so quickly that the water' was flowing over,the road. ( The next Morning,: Saturday, ithe coach,' to meet one from Shannon, got to the ferry with difficulty, and also safely back, but the state of the road was so bad the driver decided not to take a coach agtiiii. On Sunday morning the amount of water both in the river, the Makerua swamp and the Motoa estate was wonderful. The river rose so that the water poured over the embankments, erected after the 1880 flood, which Were' supposed to be high enough to dam any flood back, The river was then rising and only fell about three feet at mid-day on Monday, and even' with that drop was still running over the banks. The whole Motoa swamp is a lake, something.like 10 feet deep in the middle. The water swept down the lands of Messrs Robinson, Turcell, McPherson and Nye, and was deep up to the road line on the hill. In places here, even the water swept across the‘•road, and by the river flowing over the Wirokino road the waters met until nearly the whole of Griierin’Sj Hughes’* and «L Robinson’s small farms we're placed four of five feet under water. The height o! the water on the Motoa estate can be judged when it is stated that water flowed from there over the No.' 6 Line also into this valley. At the wharf on Sunday night the river rose so that the Wharf was two feet under water and a little less depth of water was over the whole station yard. The water was in the engine shed and within two feet of the high platforms in the goods shed, and to secure some perishable goods they were placed in trucks and fire was got up in the engine and a train run out to the siding at the racecourse. Yesterday the river was pouring over the point of land opposite the town, and one large mass of raging, swirling water covered all the country between the high land at Herrington and the sandhills by the old coach road on the south. No casualties have been reported, but those who have watched the river have seen dead beasts washed by, and some flotsam and jetsam of settlers’ properties. The tale has yet to be told, but from the look of the flood we. fear tile settlers along Moutoa will have suffered severely. At Motoa the loss of stock will necessarily be large, owing to the suddenness of its arrival and the area of country to be mustered, but from partial observation we know Mr Caverhill has done all a man can, and more than many men would, do. The earliest in the morning working, and up to midnight, in water all the time. Mr George Gower will have sustained some considerable loss, especially with a mob of sheep amongst which some bullocks mixed, when they were in the water being shifted, and so drowned them. Mr Seifert, who purchased Mr Gardner’s property at Paiaka, arrived in town yesterday via canoe and the Motoa Estate. Constable Kidd and helpers brought some men in from Messrs Stiles and Coley's mill bat left, on a sandhill, some women who feared the watery passage, as well as a couple of men to look after them. They are in safe, if not too comfortable, quarters.^ The railway service is actually abandoned, which perhaps does not show much energy in railway management, but again emphasises the easygoing nature of the Foxton resident. At the last great flood the trains ran regularly, and a boat service kept up communication with a train from Palmerston. Something will soon have to be done, even in this matter, unless it is considered of little consequence if our Palmerston neighbours should starve to death, as the Tokomaru swamp, as well as the wash-out at Koputuroa obstructs the through traffic by the company’s line. This morningi-our reporter managed to get down part of the way on the river road, and states that a large portion of the embankment by the house at Elkin’s corner is washed away as well as another length lower down ths river, and the opening in the embankment at Burr’s road is much widened. The next place a gap showed up was by Mr Smith’s house. We are pleased to learn that the losses by flood in stock will not be so heavy as feared, -as Mr Burr succeeded in getting his cattle upon a piece of Mr Edwards’ land and they with Mr Edwards’ have passed the trial safe. Messss Carter’s stock are also safe.

At present nothing definite concerning Messrs Saunders and French can be ascertained.

At places the silt left by the river is over a foot, deep. All Mr Gower’s fences have been washed about, and

the force of the current can be imagined by its having bent a two-ir.ch artesian pipe which.was in its direction.