THE RECENT FLOODS.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1085, 10 June 1882, Page 2

THE RECENT FLOODS.

On Friday we made up our mind to do a little bit. of “ special ” with a view to reporting on the recently flooded country. Ignorant Ourselves of tlie best way to go about it we put ourselves under the careful guidance of Air Al. J. Gannon, who very courteously undertook to pilot us. We started along the main road to Makaraka, and found that road, although heavy and with large pools of water laying on it in places, had nut suffered in any extraordinary way from the recent heavy rains. The weather shewed signs of breaking in the early morning, and although several sharp showers came down during our trip, the “heart” of the weather was evidently broken. T e country generally presented a decidedly watery appearance, but not such a deeply wet one as it must have done during the previous 21- hours. We saw no sign, during our travels, of any stock having perished, nor wore we able learn of any serious loss in such direction. Messrs Bloomfield and Wyllie, who had shifted their sheep on Thursday, took them back to their old quarters yesterday, and the general confidence of the settlers appeared to be restored. Air A. Pritchard, of Waerenga-a-bika, told us that he had great difficulty in getting the stud horse, Maroro, safely out of his box. The water apparently puzzled him, being 18 inches high in his loose box, and he plunged and bucked in proportion to his fright. Luckily he was shifted without any serious accident. We heard several stories of difficulty and danger, but happily none of actual accident. The gravelling was entirely washed off the main road from Alakaraka to within about a mile-and-a-half of Waerenga-a-hika, leaving the pitching bare. One feature which struck us forcibly in the formation of this road was the paucity, in number and size, of the culverts. Had these culverts been larger and more plentiful the road, although necessarily suffering greatly, would have been let down comparatively lightly. The earthwork recently formed on each side is washed away, and the pitching left bare. On reaching Mr E. Luttrell’s house we found that the flood had played havoc, the neighboring flats being even then submerged, although the volume of water was evidently decreasing. At the junction, on the Alakaraka side, water was still pouring down with great force. Alakauri has nearly all been submerged. About the Mill traces of danger were plainly visible. From Waerenga-a-hika to Ormond there were not to be seen many evidences of damage. The water never got into the bar of the Chandos Hotel at all, and what injury has been suffered is comparatively slight. The Big River was still very high, and thoroughly un-crossablo. We turned down towards Mr Poynter’s farm, and saw that between Air Hardy’s house and Pouparae the paddocks had evidently suffered considerably, silt having been deposited in large quantity on their surfaces and thereby making meagre the prospect of feed for some months to come. The timely precautions taken by the settlers, would seem, we are glad to say, to have had their due and desirable effect. Stock were shifted before the floods had time to reach them and great loss was by such means averted. The embankment lately constructed by Air Alelville Smith at Pouparae, seems to have been eminently successful in diverting the water from his lands, but has proportionately injured the County roads and neighboring properties. On both sides of the road the floods have left their sign manual, but not a single dead beast of any kind did we see during the days journey. We then made for the Wffipaoa Bridge. A large volume of wafer was still coming down this river. Ync proverbial “oldest inhabitant” of the surrounding district tells us that in none of the past years of floods has such an enormous quantity of drift timber b-en carried down. A number of men were still at work, when we crossed, fc’nding drift timber off the piles. We then cantered along the Pipiwhaka Road, where the Patutahi drain asserts itself boldly as a wise and useful matter of precaution, relieving, as it does, this road from the dangerous bulk of flood waters. Gn arriving at the Arai Bridge we found Mr Warren, the energetic Clerk to the County Council in earnest consultation with Mr Young, the Overseer, as to the best measures to bo adopted with regard to this structure. The water had evidently scoured the soil from under the foot of the eastern centre piles, which had sunk, allowing the bridge to collapse in the centre, presenting to us the sorrowful spectacle of a hopeless wreck. Air Young informed us that ho suspects foul play in connection with the wreck uf this bridge. Certain booms, jiieccs of timber about 70 feet long, were cut loose during the night and lodged clean athwart the piles, and in a very short time collected sufficient drift timber and debris to ruin a bridge of treble its strength. Mr Young states that he has reasonable ground for believing that this was the act of an individual whose name, for obvious reasons, we cannot make public at present. The bridge of course succumbed to the pressure caused by the accumulation of debris and other matter, and now presents a very melancholy picture, the two ends being still on the banks while the cent’e is broken down to nearly flood level, canting towards the stream. Air Gannon gave directions that a light should be placed at each end of the bridge, across which a barricading plank had been placed by Air J. Warren, and that a safety line should be stretched, from end to end, the whole length of the bridge. Taking the matter as a whole we think the extent of damage done by this flood has been exaggerated. The County Council will doubtless be the greatest losers and probably Air Oxenham the next on the roll. It will take, on a rough estimate, £3,000 to repair the losses of the Cook County Council. Air Oxenham, we believe, estimates his loss at something like £7OO. Doubtless many private individuals will be sufferers by actual loss, but we think the great loss will be found in the silting of land. The amount of damage, however, is small in comparison with the amounts which were circulated in early reports. The settlers are in good spirits, and are content with the ills which they have had to suffer. The County Council will doubtless get to work quickly and energetically to repair the damages the roads in their charge have sustained.