Floods in the South.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4641, 19 November 1883, Page 2

Floods in the South.

(Pkb Pbess Association.) \ Duwebin, Saturday.

Heavy rains all day have caused a flood in the neighborhood of Dunedin. Neither train arrived to-night. The Cbristchurch train only got to Palmerston, between which and Dunedin there are fire slips on the line; and the Invercargill train could not get past Burnside, about five miles from town, so the passengers were transferred, and got in about 9 p.m. Sunday.

The raio, which came down all day yesterday, happily ceased about 9 a.m. Had it continued through the night, the most serious floods ever known here would have had to be recorded; as it was many low-lying places in the city and suburbs were under water, and train communication with the suburbs was suspended. The north-east valley suffered most, the main street being a river a couple of feet deep, and water standing a foot deep in some buildings; The damage done was small. In the hilly country north of Duoedin the rain seems to have been the heaviest; at any rate the floods were more severe. The various slips are expected to be cleared away to-day. The trains will all run as usual to-morrow.

A fatal accident, arising oat of the floods, is reported from Palmerston. A party of six of the train passengers chartered a buggy to get toDunedin, and about three miles this side of Palmerston they got off the road, which was covered with water, in the dark. One passenger, named Hobbs, who was the caretaker of Mr Dqdson's horse Cassivelanus, which is stationed in the Ashburton district, was drowned ; the other passengers had a narrow escape, but some young men named Sloan, who live in the neighborhood, lent them valuable assistance. The horses were drowned. A good deal of damage hag been done about Blue Skin also, in the shape of small bridges being washed away, &c. No particulars are in from the South, but the rain is understood not to have been so heavy there. To-day there is no rain, though the weather is still dull and lowering. The northern mails were brought on to-day from Palmerston by coach. -V

This day. Railway traffic was resumed this morning. Gordon Bros.' nursery in the ralley WBs completely wrecked by the floods, and they estimate their loss at £400. Chas. Eadie, groom to Calcutt, at Goodwood, was drowned in trying to cross the creek to get Jo; the Goodwpodrailway station.