FLOODS IN THE SOUTH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 162, 15 December 1914, Page 5

FLOODS IN THE SOUTH.

WASH-OUTS OX RAILWAY. :» SETTLERS' heavy losses. By 1 olograph.—Per Press Association. Greymouth, December 14. Greymouth had a rare midsummer expei icncc last night, when one of the heaviest floods on record deluged the town. Tlie river on Sunday morning • I was a little more tlian the normal ■ height, and several steamers departed and entered on the morning tide, but - during the - day it graduuallj rose until ) at 0 o'clock, when the firebells gave the alarm, the river was a raging torrent running hank high. At 7.30 it began to trickle over the lower end of the wharf, until at 9 o'clock tlie whole wharf was awash and the town flooded to the depth of six feet in Wawliera Quay. Such a flood was scarcely expected, as the previous rain had not been heavy. It only lasted -.J twenty hours, but the downfall in the 't high country melted the snow. The water rose with extraordinary rapidity, and by ID o'clock the business portion and low-lying residential areas were A under water. There were washouts on the railway line at Mawheraiti, Ikamatua, Totara Flat, and Ngahere. In one ' j place two miles of line were under water. The trains on the Blackball.branch sua- J pended running, sovQn chains of the line ' 5 having been swept away. (This will stop .) the export of coal from Blackball for two 4 or three weeks. - .SB The Otira line is only slightly dam- » aged. v j Settlers lost heavily with retard to J live stock. The front 3trect of roe town H to-day is like a gravel pit, all the railway ballast on the wharf line having * m been washed on to it, whilst Boundary t Street looks like nothing so much as a huge tailings site. Business people wero astir and all goods were placed counter •"i -high, » Notwithstanding, there was a good deal of damage owing to water, silt, and broken windows. Shipping masters -ii and crews had a trying time. The '■ waters receded about 3 o'clock this morning, and the town is fast returning to its. . normal appearance. r DAMAGE AT REEFTON. Reefton, December 14. The heavy floods ypstorday did a good, deal of damage. A slip at the Big River Mine crashed into the engine shed, breaking down roof and causing a good deal of- loss. The bridges on the Big Grey River were washed away, and several small bridges taken to Greymouth. The damage to the Blackball railway is not so extensive a$ at first thought it [ would be, and "can be repaired in a couple of days. Settlers suffered heavy losses of stock. The damage is small, considering it was a record flood. v " WAIRAU IUVER OVERFLOWS. Blenheim, December 14. A flood in the Wairau River last night caused it to overflow, damaging a 'number of crops in the Springcreok and' Tua- \ marina districts. Th(^inundation Was confined to a limited area. 'Muali live ' , stock was lost. ' " . ,«