DISASTROUS STORM

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 324, 16 January 1909, Page 2

DISASTROUS STORM

DISASTROUS STOKM. MEAT DAMAGE ON WEST COAST. By Telegraph.—-Press Association. Ueefton, Friday The lteofton district lias been visited ),V a storm unecpuillcd for years. Two lays' steady rain culminated in a two Hours' downpour, and the creeks, already greatly swollen, heeanie routing Dorrenls, sweeping down trees and iridgcs, and wash ng away everything noveable. The damage done is calculated to be enormous, and Kii' Inangaliuu eonnty is a very heavy sull'ercr. Two piers erected in connection with the extension of the waterworks now in process of construction were washed itway, with derrick, ropes and appliances. A large number of concrete pipes constructed on the banks of the Ina.igahua ivere washed away or destroyed. ISosstown, a siihiiHura district of lieefton, had a road washed clean away, isolating the electric works, which were only supplied with coal bv a passage made through private gardens. All roar,, muuication has been cut oil'.

The dmmi K c don,. ;ii Many Creel; was tremendous. A lilj; lilm-k'••■' tre'"> occurred, daniinine. i■ |• (lie «-iit,T till tin liiinin burst, ciirrviii" nil before it Tlic main t'mllic luidj-c over the In angnhmi river was endangered liy tin mass of Hunting trees, lint siood the strain, tlicinjjli }»ri'iitl,v shaken. Ureal slips occurred all over the district ('oniiuuiiii-.uion between Black's I'oinl ami Criisinjjlini is cut. i>IV. Hepnrts an slill rnmii.i: lo liaml of fresh duimi»< mid disaster. At Waitahu, where twi liranehes cif the river unite, it llowe( Hie Invest mi record. Acres of lam were Hooded, while a number of slice] I>elmi{fiii(r to settlers was drowned. I'o tutu frujw have been ruined in soini places.

UKKAT DAMAGE DONE. .tOADS AND LAND SLUICED AWAY HEAVY LAND SLIPS. lteeflon, Last Night. The volume of water in the river at Black's Point has rarely even been .'dipsed. The boom bursting at Murray Creek, the debris of the mines, trees, etc., was carried right down, [dougliing the mining tailings and causing a great jitench from the disturbed cyanide waste sands. The roads and bridges at Energetic Mine were undermined and rendered unsafe for trallic, as well as the road leading to Knight's coalmine. Here the Hood did some good by considerably damaging the lire which has existed there for two years or so. Not a single trace of the recently constructed aqueduct or piers has been left. Large numbers of concrete pipes were swept clean away. The engineer and others worked hard to save them, but the river rose in ten minutes over the level of the work, driving the men back. Opposite lleefton, at Hosstown, the river simply {sluiced away strips of laud. All trace of the road has vanished. The wonder is that the trallic bridge stood the weight of the Hood as it did. lielow the bridge all the protective groins, protecting the .lower-ly-ing lands from the rush of water, we:\-! simply swept away, there being no trace left of these strongly let-ill

groins. The left branch of the Inangahiia river rose even worse than the right, but iiot much was »recked, except O'Dniinell's coalmine's aerial tramway. This was utterly wrecked, entailing a considerable loss to the unfortunate proprietor, rendering the mine useless possibly for two months. Below the river the Hood mined a large urea of low-lying hinds, spoiling potato patches, etc, A number of,sheep were drowned at Lawry's. a settler's, place.

It is said tin. Hood was the biggest known for many years,

Kiii-ther down tin- Hood was confined to the channel. Not much damage is reported. The Inaiijjnhun County Council is the chief sufferer. Tt lost all the work sprat in the extension of the waterworks' scheme in putting in piers and -also the derrick and plant. From every side comes news of land--lips, one being between Crnshington and Muck's Point, two to three chains in length. A large quantity of concrete work lias been rendered useless. Culverts in the iniinediatc vicinitv "were washed away. No estimate can yet hj" made of the damage.

RAILWAY WAKH-Ol'T. I Woslport, Friday. | A washout occiii-ml on the railway line near- Birchlield ill. 2 o'clock thi's morning. Fifteen loaded coal trucks wore derailed, the rails twisted and the sleepers smashed. Over a chain of the line was damaged. AT CHRiSTCIII'RCII. IIAUVKST OPERATION'S HAMPERED Christchureh, Last Night. A sudden change of weather was experienced here to-day, the sultrv nor'wester of the previous day licing succeeded by a boisterous sou'-westor, with occasional hail. Harvest operations were much hani|K'red by tin. broken weather of the past two weeks. It is reported that in North Canterbury heavy rain fell (luring the night and' this mornhig and the weight of the same was forcing down the standing grain crops. Again yesterday was a perfect harvest day, hut this morning the conditions were quite reversed. Farmers are generally becoming very gloomy over the harvest prospects in consequence of the catchy weather mid undue prevalence of snowstorms, and this season the rijieiiing of tlie wheat is of course bein" delayed At a gathering of the Tioniun Cnfbolio priests of the diocese i„ Synod under the presidency of Bishop flrinies to-day, prayers were prescribed for fine weather m view of the impending harvest