FLOODS IN THE SOUTH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 66, 22 March 1904, Page 2

FLOODS IN THE SOUTH.

EXTENSIVE DAMAGE JX XKbSON {Per Press Assoriai ion.) NELSON, .Maich 21. Further accounts of the llood show that there wen- extremely heavy josses at, Takaka and Collingwood. A telegram lu I lie Evening Alail sayy lhe flood was the heaviest known lor many \ cars. Whole ntohs of dead sheep dri 11 ed into hedges, valuable horses w.-re hanging from harhed wire fences. and eat tic were aliont every where in paddocks, while miles of fencing were destroyed. The Hood water entered settlers houses, and did much damage, Two foot bridges at J'Vrntown and one at Onekaku were destroyed. The protective works at l.he Slate iiiver, 'rusting last year, wen- demolished, and tiie road rendered jmpaysJ;. "land road from Collingwood to i >. n, still in the hands of the Works Popart nieiit, hiistained much damage. but Hie new bridge withstood tlie force of Ihe Hood, the water rising level with the decking. The Slate Jtner Company's old dam at Toi-toi Fiat buist, and at the I'nrapara sbiieiiig works much damage was done to ih" plain, causing a cessation of sluicing operations. \aluable dairy cows were washed down the river and found alive and well in a paddock far distant from their home, The full extent af tho loss is not yd ascertained. Many persons ure missing, hut may turn up safely. Two ineii who were dismantling the bridge on Main's Island were compelled to climb and remain in trees all night. They reached llain's boardinghou.se in a stale of exhaustion. A buggy, conveying a iravelling graphophone company was swept away in n creek, and the party had u narrow escape with their lives., Extensive damage was done to the hop crops, roads, etc., in the Takaka district, and in Nelson railway and telegraph lines wore interrupted. Immense damage was done In the Wainiea by the tlood, Urightwater | being tho heaviest, sufferer. The railway line near Kutherford's mill | was torn up for a quarter of a mile, and at the mill sheds and in neighbouring orchards the soil was wushI ed away. . Mr Strange, of Poor Man's Valley, escaped from his house waist deep in water, just before the building was swept bodily away. In the Maitai Valley a bridge was swept away and roads washed out in several places. The flood was tho heaviest recorded since 1808.

FURTHER PARTICULARS. It is only now becoming possible to nsccrlain tlie dumugc done throughout the district by Friday night's llood. On the Nelson-lileu-hcim road thu Pelonis, Wukainurina, and \Vanganioa bridges, which were the three main bridges, were ail swept away, and the prospect is that months must elapse before the road is open to coach trudic. The Pelorus bridge was some thirty feet above the rocky river banks, and was a costly structure. The roads have also been damaged, and stock lost. Three foot bridges In the upper reaches of the .Matai have been washed away, and the road so cut up that an estimated expenditure of 4:500 is needed to render it lit for traliic. Sonus cultivations wcru denuded of soil. At BrighLwater considerable damage was done. Three washouts occurred, one 011 the railway line nil- - the use of vehicles to carry passengers round (lie break by way of the road bridge.' ; but repairs are being pushed on with energy. Tile water was over the counter of (iranville's store, and inllicled considerable damage ill several residences ; also carrying away small bridges and washing away threshed corn, etc., over a considerable area. Ail fences, including live ones, were levelled and some orchards and cultivations were swept by the ovcr-llow from the river, uprooting trees and leaving shingle beds in place of rich cultivations. Jn Aniseed Valley several bridges were washed away, and at the Wairoa (Jorge the bridge some thirty feet nbove the ordinary river level was slightly moved. At Appleby many farms were under water, and torrents crossing the roads prevented trallic. A number of settlers have lost sheep, cuttle, and u portion of their crops, (lie stacks being also damaged. In Poor Man's Vulley, a settler named Strange, and his wife, were alarmed by the creaking of their house, and they escaped through a window in water up to their waists, l'hey were only just in time, for directly they got out the house was swept uwuy, They spent the night on the hill side. The Motupiko cart bridge is badly injured, some piles being canted, and two spans have sunk about live feet. The railway bridge at Tudmor is damaged. At .MoLueka !he rivers were in hig-h llood, and great damage was done to the hop gardens. In Tnkaka the main streeL was a roaring torrent of water from two to six feet deeo. East Tnkaka was cut, o(T, owing to the carrying away of tlie bridge ; also West Takaka from the. same cause. Unpicked hops are said to be ruined, and many that had been dried and baled are also spoilt. The loss at Takaka is estimated at sewrnl thousand pounds. At Lolijuguuud tin l lluod was one 111 the worst ever experienced. Some men who were dismantling a dredge, and who were camped on Haiti's Isto take to trees during live night, b The water was four feel deep in some houses, and lift ecu great trees Were landed on the Collingwood, Ihit so land must have been washed •/ wnj Two of the Collingwood beau>ns wete washed away, and diininee was done at the mining claim 'i'lic way'ng " l «■««.• carried The damage to roads and bridges ' will necessitate assistance for " County Council, which (m H iiie i'J to ellect a tenth of t>' • monneeded repairs. A urgvntly mg made to rtitiai' -1 etiorl is bvS l>s -. • 'he iUaitai brid-