CAUGHT IN A FLOOD.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 February 1917, Page 6

CAUGHT IN A FLOOD.

1 FARMER'S THRILLING EXPERIENCES. NARROW 'ESCAPES FROM DEATH. Mr. and Mrs. J. Brake, of Cheddar Hills, iPakotai, North Auckland, had thrilling experiences during the northern floods early this month. Mr. Brake formerly was proprietor of Brake's Stables, Ckristchurch, and he and Mrs. Brake spent about fifty years of their lives in Canterbury, where they have many irfcsrfU. Mr. Brake has supplied the Lyttefton Times with a graphic account of tho trials he and his wife had to meet in the "Bar North." His letter' is as MIOWE;— ~

THE ALARM. I w*g writing to my mother, and Vmd just told her I was writing to the accompaniment of thunder, lightning, the roar of floodwater, rain, crafting timber, and rumbling land slips. I could see great trees thrown about like corks in the swollen stream, and a deluge of muddy water and timber coming down a little creek near by. After another thunder-crash, my wife remarked on a Very unpleasant smell like that of stagnant water,, and a little later told me that water was streaming under our honse and verandah. I went to look, [and decided that it was a serious matter, so taking my wife oai my back, I earned h£r through the water to a j higher and smaller building used by us jus a bedroom. We stood in a small verandah watching the storm, and I thirl- my -wife must ham thought a crisis was at hand, for coming close to me she said, "We will both go together/ itSeaKthne I had kept a keen look-out up a slight hoSow in the Jxill behind us, jand suddenly, about twenty yards aivay, I saw the ground break up into little' [ripples and 2 knew that a land slide -was coming. A "CLOSE CALL." Holding my wife, we watched itj gome down towards us, and gently but irresistibly push tie house over. I Mussed pari of tlie spectacle of the house, as I was preparing for a jump with my wife oil to tlie last portion of the alio I could stare to wait for.. Then X reacted thai the slip had missed us Iby stoat fanr met, I saw the chimney aard of ' the hiniße reach the foaming, fUnibEr-laden .isselk,, and as tlta.lnnd-sTkle j—Jhafi the Jotsb dotfji ftJA -iii pieces; i -with its. into i-he flood j a few i-o't ">Twr„ ana wa« gone in an : instant, A jgftmt slide «f rar* jofTiod ninne wredsage .'in# did not reaci. '•"'re creek. My wife arid I qv'"lcly stepped out, and, f>% the fence had gC 2, we got on to th« centre of a ridge as soon as , po«ible. lhen I let the dogs loo«e, took a little shelter against a stumpy and got a piece of old hOree-cover to protect my

IK A TIGHT PLACE. "It was difficult to tell where to go, as the hills were being scored with land slides all round us. At last we went to our cowshed for a little shelter. Then, seeing our little, building still up. right, I chanced it and got a small tarpaulin and some blankets and dry clothing, and we camped in the cowshed for the night. We had had breakfast, and at night a drink of milk, and as a raging hnpassablc torrent was on three sides of lis, and a moving range of hills behind, and all our home and its contents'gone, we were in a somewhat tight place for food However the night passed and the storm abated, and I prepared for the next step. I saw my hack on a hilltop admiring the changes of the landscape, so I caught him and was lucky enough to salvage my saddle and bridge and two pack saddles from tho wreckage and mud. ■ "The big stream fcad almost doubled its bed during the storm, bat I thought I could cross, sts by this time there was very little timber floating down, X tricked my hack into entering a small creek and drove him down it to tho i main stream, as tlie banks elsewhere •were too high and steep. My wife did not like being left. As a matter of fact . there was nothing to Kke about the ' whole job, but it had to be faced. I I readied a neighbor's, and while he obtained an axe and a tent, his wife gave me some breakfast and a billy and some provisions, and we started for home—the cowshed. A NEW HOME. ■Tiy friend boiled tho ; ~ ; lly, I milked my co»"s —some of them--nnd fed my calves. My neighbor's son came over, and we pitched tho tent and started a new home again. One of my neighbors found that we could not be reached on the telephone, ours having gone with the house, and when he ascended a hill and saw that out- house had disappeared, he received a shock; but presently he saw mv (logs bringing in some cows. He then felt relieved, ,and came to «m He and his. son suddenly had found themselves in deep waters in their abode. Grasping what they could carry, they struggled to higher ground. Some big stumps staved off the whirlißg timber from their house, however, and it stood. They lost practically ail they had there, LAND SLIDE'S GREAT STKENCT,H. | "Monday morning brolce wild and stormy, but calmed down later. After , seeing to my domestic animals,, except J our good old cat, who spent most mom- 1 ings in an easy chair by the fireside, I \ went over some of our section. I found my horses safe, though wcaWior-licaten. One I had about our home""-ead,; another was cut oil from h'if by a great slide 'that started ten , chains up a pleasant valley. It must lia.v,e been a great impetus, as it, swqpt | right through about four chains of herovy its jiath, and leading A scar aboiit four- ; teem chains mora than -tun j standing hti3h, smashing ovory tree in | <&■&•■) /Wide, and finishing up in tlie ■ iOpcnrtofce I surmise tliat this J slide dr."i»r up the stream till it gath- ' cred gre;v u voir" and then burst, and, like a tidal wave, swept all before it, even two big Government bridges, one finished nearly twelve months ago, but not used, as no earth approaches had been made. The Government for some

as I knew of one bridge thai stood Jot | nearly tvm years irittout approa-Asa, ] tut m it was for fosckMoclcs 'cocVie* 1 , ..ctecfly, of morse thert- was Jio harry- I. oonld le® scmie SarJiamentfcriajis scone j tractate ftat wo»W open their eyes I ten times more ttai tTisy «w opened hy i the ton-piste wiho ily over oax 'bes.t rattfc, j iipeeiaßy pragiarea for tliem in iflre £owi I old summer rime. j " SHT3 IDSS. ! ''iHoWOTer, I tacve mv «<w.n row te 3ioe., ■il ilruve Jo»t -oonsi[fe>Miiily— liny j=e"pwat<>r„ ■ liliaaTiug uffioKine, cooldng VnaJte, j'.rooVffly,, tm fcegs of -fftaplen, all -our )ifs'i. clothing, sewing marine,, iioots. many tools harfl to Tepiai% about £2l v.'ajrfh of graSß seofl,, about wne mile of femiiig;, jnui,, so Jar, 3 <h> udt intnv "b»m miiaii iii'oet:, 1 am "lo&fli to 'im-cn<Sfratr. In .any .esse, I muift JoJk ito -prtwision peri n>'Ht. anil as we con oiijj flUiikl) -Atft orar Hilltops lamd iiijgcs wlura alt present no tracks jnshifc, it ie not a pioriic. I had paid more than £» to imr storekeeper a lew days boiora for supplies;; Hie.V hase gone, and I 2ia.ve Dniy tl® dribit in my pass-book lolt. Our son, our !| only helper and companion, is in Franco j doing liis duty, and other help here is i practically not obtainable, so I must 1 try and. get my wife out to cirilised r. ts and Tceop e home fires burning -JIS r'.Ml .. .i,.