IN SOUTH CANTERBURY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 31 March 1913, Page 5

IN SOUTH CANTERBURY.

TRAIN SERVICE AFFECTED. DANGER AT THE HERMITAGE. TMARU, Last Night. Damage to the Rangitata Bridge; by the flood on Satiuxlay morning

(«iad w be the highest; for 30 years) diiiooated the train traffic. Only passenger trains, were run and tiiiese were much delayed. The expresses from the north, aid tlio Territorial train, were each four houirs late here. mails and 1 . luggage cro&sed the river on the sheep bridge attached to the railway bridge. The trains meeting on this side had to run their locomotives backwards one way iwith; a light engine ahead. Their progress was therefore slow*, and 1 the exchange over one long, narrow bridge took a long time. The damage consists of the downstream four of eight pileg forming on© pien at the centre of the north bridge being undermined, or broken. The other four leaned over under tihe pressure of the current, making a kink in the Kne. This was straightened yesterday. A strong repair. gang is at work, and hopeg to restore the bridge by to-morrow. One small subsidence in the permanent ..way on the island wag soon remedied. rose during the night. At / .30 it was eight feet above normal, -but -had -gone down half that by the morning. .The Heimitage reports that the r flood hag subsided there, ■ annexe is somewliat' .underlain ed, and has lifted. " - Small outhouses have gone, and the roarifi are much damaged. Mails must be packed for a few (Iftyis,

WAIMAKARiHtI IN FLOOD. DIKTHUCTIOX OP CROPS ✓ FEARED. OHR7STCSHUBCH, Last Night. As th-e 3-e.sult of a nor. -wester on Ihuimay and Friday the Waimaka•rm River on Saturday was in high flcxxltj At 11 o'clock in the morning the JSorth Road, from Chaney's, wa.s uaipassable for cars or cycles, but traps could get along. .About half a mile past the 2mP rL? W f- ge the ,vater wa ' s at ;< depth of 2ft 6m The Oarkville district was flooded as far north ae the school. In many places.-the water was up to the top of the fences. JJead .sheep were floating down the jmain stream in large numbers. A good < t >ea] of the flooded area is iu potatoes, which wall be ruined if the n ater does not get away quickly- and several big 'crops of beans' are likely be washed away. . The mail man from Kaiapoi could not get through to Ooutts': Island on account of floating stacke of grain. The river overflowed to about three miles past the old intake of the North Branch The Aorth Branch and Eyre ; were not' flooded. At 2 o'clock the waiter had. covered a. paddock owned by W. Tubman, an the.Jfortli roa<£betwee<n Chanoys and the Belfast' Hotel, for ia mstance of about half a. mile was two feet deep in wai-r. The flood waters had subsided by 5 o'clock. Both expresses from the South- were delayed two hours la>st night. The. ferry -steamers held back to connect with the second. -