THE WEATHER.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1776, 14 August 1888, Page 3

THE WEATHER.

TEMUKA. Rain fell almost incessantly from Thursday evening to Sunday night. On Saturday aftirnoon the Temuka river rose very high, and, as usual, a large volume of water flowed down by the brewery, covering the road from near the Temuka bridge to within about a dozen yards or so of the Star Hotel. The flood, however, was not as high as on former occasions, but the Opihi was never so high before within the memory of the oldest inhabitant. It broke out above the Temuka end of the Opihi bridge and rose so high that it came along the road to the Temuka bridge, where it joined the Temuka river. The greater part of the land between the two rivers was submerged, and the water must have been about two feet deep in Mr S. Norton's house. It also overflowed the protective works at the Arowhenua end of the bridge, but did very little damage at either place, with the exception of giving a fearful scouring to the road between the two bridges. Kerrytown and the Levels Plains have suffered severely. The Opihi broke out in two places and swept down along the plains, rendering communication with the Main South Road impracticable. There is a great deal of damage done to fences, and to crops in the vicinity of the river there. A good deal of the land is covered over with mud and sand, some acres have been washed away, and a great deal of damage done. On Sunday morning the flood commenced to go down, and in the course of the day subsided considerably. GERALDINE. The almost incessant rain which had fallen in the Geraldine district since Thursday last moderated somewhat on Saturday night, and during Sunday the quantity of rain falling was not so great. The fall of Saturday was particularly heavy, and the Waihi river was in a higher state of flood than it has been for some years past. The Haehaetemoana and Orari rivers were also bank and bank, and continual complaints are being made of river encroachments on all of these rivers. The footbridge across the Waihi at Geraldine has been carried away, and at various places down the stream good slices of land have been washed tway. The river crossings, which had just been put straight after the flood of the previous week, have again been all upset, and gangs of men have been put on by the Road Board to repair them. The Orari overflowed its banks on Saturday (a thing it has not done for many years), sending a good body of water down what is known as Dobbie's creek. The racecourse, too, was also under water, and the whole of the Orari township round the railway station and hotel was under water. At the railway-widge the water was within two feet of the metals. Messrs J. Mundell and Co. 's coach has b een running to the Orari by the back road for some time past, and on Saturday night had great difficulty in crossing the creeks. Until the ford on the Waihi is repaired, the coach will still have to run by this route. At Woodbury the groyne erected by the Board in the Waihi river has been completely destroyed, and the crossing rendered so unsafe as to necessitate the closing of the road until repairs are effected, the river has cut out a new course for itself, where it runs through the Waihi bush, and a very large quantity of drift wood and scrub was washed down the river. In all of the rivers the accumulation of rubbish against the piles and buttresses of the bridges is enormous. At Hilton the footbridge on the Kakahu road was blocked almost from end to end with rubbish. Under such circumstances the strain on the bridges during a flood must be terrific.

At Pleasant Point on Fatnrday the Opihi and Tengawai were in heavy flood, the Tengawai overflowing and flooding the creek passing through the township. The saleyards and adjoiniDg paddocks were flooded. At Eairlie Creek the weather last week was very severe, and the fall of rain the heaviest experienced for yea r s. The loss of shwp is expected to be great. As an example, the mail-man reports seeing about 200 sheep dead in one spot closa to the Long Tutting, at Pvollesby

On Saturday it was found that two of the piles at the northern end of the railway bridge over the Pareora (this river was in high flood) had been scoured out, and the bridge was therefore deemed unsafe. The trains from Dunedin to Christchurch and Timaru, and from Christchurch and Timaru to Dunedin were not allowed to cross. The trains were run to the bridge, and passengers and mails were taken across on a trolley. This occasioned a delay of a couple of hours. On Sunday temporary repairs to the bridge were effected, and yesterday the trains kept time. It was reported in Timaru yesterday that the whole ©f the water of the Pareora is now flowing in a new channel, leaving about 1000 ft. of the road bridge high and dry. The bridges, however, had been condemned as unsafe and not worth repairing. At "Waitaki there was a small break of an unimportant character on Saturday, which was soon repaired. Slight breaks occurred on the railway at Weka Pass, Lyndhurst, between Oxford and 'Sheffield, and between Green Park and Rabbit Tsland on the Little River Line. Dunedix, August 11, The Taieri river has overflowed, and the railway between Owhiro and Greytown is under water. On the Taieri ploin the line is in some places under water to the depth of 4 feet, and great damage has been done to the embankments. An attempt was made to transfer the passengers who went south by the 4.20 train and those coming north by the express by means of coaches from Mosgiel to Greytown, but it was unsuccessful, there being 5 feet of water on the roads in some places. Farmers were busy all last night and this morning removing stock to high grounds. Advices from Central Otago indicate that the worst is far from being over, as rain is still falling there. The Hogburn and Kyebum rivers are in high flood, and great damage has beeu done to mining ckims and races. If the rain continues, as it threatens to do, in th« iManiototo County, the Taieri plains will be converted into a huge lake, and the loss will probably reach many thousands of pounds, August 12. The weather cleared up for some hours last night, though rain commenced to fall again this morning, and continued with but little intermission till 3 o'clock, when it cleared up again, and continues fine. Advices to band to-day indicate that the worst is over for the present.