THE WEATHER.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2316, 9 February 1892, Page 2

THE WEATHER.

TEMUKA. Undoubtedly the harvest of 1892 will long be remembered as one of the most promising—yet one of the most risky that the colony has experienced. The weather throughout has been treacherous. Gentle showers until the time of ripening were welcome, for they helped to fill the grain, but once the grain was fairly ripe farmers were anxious for more settled weather. Up to the present harvest operations have progressed well, considering the unsettled weather. A large area of both wheat and oats has been cut and stooked, but very little has been stacked. On the swampy grounds much is still standing, and some of this will probably not be cut. Without desiring to take too depressing a view of the matter, the rain of Saturday night and Sunday has caused a very serious loss to the district. It was, old identities say, a regular oldfashioned storm from the south-east,similar to that which occurred in February, 1868. On Saturday night the rain fell heavily, and towards Sunday morning the wind rose, and blew in gusts more or less violent throughout the day. There was, it is said, actually more rainfall -in. the time than in '6B, although the effects in some ways have not been so serious. The rivers rose rapidly on Sunday, and yesterday were in fuil flood. The Temuka river was;not wonderfully high—that is, it did not break its bounds—but it was brimming from bank to bank. The Opihi came down in full force, although the fullest extent of it was not visible at the bridge. There it was just from bank to bank, barely overlapping occasionally. Near Mr Oldfield's, on the south side, it made a breach into a blind creek, and flowed in a south-east direction through Mr Coughlan's farm. At the ford near his house the water w.*s up to the bottom of the water-race flume, which is fully 6ft. above the solid ground. In its course it washed away a few stooks, but the damage is not likely to be extensive. Throughout the district a certain amout of harm has been done by flood water, but, as before stated, the worst evil is the damage likely to accrue to grain crops. Mr J. Radford paid a visit to the head works of the Upper Waitohi water-race yesterday. He found the works had been very little damaged. A few of the embankments, being newly made, had settled down, and one or two small slips along the terrace have occurred. A few days' work by a man will put everything right again. The water was shut off at the headworks on Sunday morning, and the regulating sluice was found to act splendidly. The overflow shoots did their work admirably.

GERALDINE

Unfortunately for this time of the year, while farmers are doing their best to gather in their exceptionally good crops, a heavy downpour of rain came on on Sunday morning early, and continued with scarcely a break throughout the day. The consequence was that the rivers rose higher than they have been for some time, and no doubt, since warm, muggy weather, with occasional showers and without any wind, set in yesterday the crops will be sprouting, and good samples spoilt. Yesterday morning the Waihi was in high flood, but very little damage accrued, save the sweeping away of a fewifoot bridges. Messrs J. Mundell <& Oa, from what we hear, were the only ones who suffered loss by the flood. It appears that Mr Mundell sent a man off early yesterday morning to meet the Woodbury mail and stop the boy from attempting to cross the river, but by some means or other the lad was induced to make the attempt, thinking that he could manage. The horse went safe enough till a slight rise in the, swingle was reached, when it stumbled and fell, andi not being able to rise under the weight of the trap, was drowned and swept into the stream with the trap and harness. The boy, whose name is Harris, reached terra firma with a good drenching, and the mail was rescued intact, The trap and harness we,re, taken out, the former being considerably damaged. Mr Scott, the driver of the Orari coach, experienced a good deal of difficulty in crossing the river from Orari, the bed being rather soft, At midday he took the bridge for it, and went round Belfield road. The Hae-hae-te-moana river is impassable, the fresh being the greatest seen for over three years. The Waihi overflowed its banks, and huge stains qf water are flowing across Messrs Woodley and Twigg's land, finding an outlet on the Geraldine Road, which is converted into a river of water. From the Winchester bridge for fully a quarter of a mile up, the water is above a horse's : knees, and in some places up to his flanks. On the land adjoining a few stooks of wheat are under water, and some floating about. _ i TIMARU. J In Timaru Harbor during the gale on J Sunday night or early on Monday < morning a mishap occurred, which J 1 fortunately resulted in jzo serious damage i

being done. During Saturday and Sunday the sea was constantly breaking right over the breakwater from the beach to the end of the kant. The water in the harbor, however, was comparatively calm, and the vessels rode easily at their moorings. Among the vessels in port is the German barque Irene—a. iron vessel of 1066 tons. She has been berthed at the main wharf for some weeks, tahing in a cargo of skins, wool, wheat, oat.«, etc., and on Saturday might, beiing a full ship, was hauled off and moored almost opposite the Moody wharf. During Sunday night the ring of the buoy to which she was moored gave way, and before the anchors could be let go the vessel grounded on the bottom between the Moody wharf and the north mole, about; 70 yards from the shore end of the latter. The tug Titan soon lent assistance, and the Irene was towed off, none the worse, it is said, for her acquaintance with the shore. It is very fortunate the accident terminated as it did.

NORTH CANTERBURY

We take the following extracts from the Lyttelton Times.—" The greater proportion of the crops in North Canterbury is still in stook. A good many of the stacks have let in the rain, the straw having been so much twisted about in the sheaves in harvesting, owing to the crops being laid, that to build a thoroughly waterproof stack was almost out of the question.—The northern rivers, particularly the Waiau and the Ashley, are v. still running in heavy flood, but are subsiding. The breach made in the railway line near Culverden by the Pahau was less than a chain in width, and the water having run down, the morning train, today(Monday) is expected to get through at the usual hour. A large body of water from the river ran down beside the railAvay permanent way, but only the one breach was made, the culvert placed under the line to meet an overflow having eased the rush considerably.—The Eyre river, near Oxford was heavily flo oded, and a son of Mr J. M. Booth, the sawmill proprietor, had a narrow escape from drowning in one of the streams. Mounted on a strong draught horse he entered the river to cross near View Hill water races, but the water unseated him, and lie was washed down stream, but managed to reach the bank and scramble out. The animal, which belonged to Mr Booth, was valued at £2O, The death of the horse was not the only loss sustained by Mr Booth through, the rain, some of the bridges of the tram line connected with the sawmill having been .; washed away with the rush of water in. the bush creeks.

Ashbtjeton, Feb. 7. A heavy downpour of rain has been experienced since early this morning, and is still coming down.

Oamaru, Feb. 7. Since the beginning of January no rain, of any consequence has fallen in the Oamaru district. This morning, however, heavy rain set in, and has continued off and on all day. Nearly all the crops are in stook. Only a small portion is stacked, and the rain, if it continues, is likely to do harm to the grain. There is every appearance of the rain continuing; but the weather is cold, and should the rain cease to-night probably more good than harm will be done, if it is followed by a. strong wind.

Dunedin, Feb. 7. «.- Rain set in early this morning, and has continued with scarcely any intermission for the whole day. The crops, it is feared, will be seriously damaged.