LATEST TELEGRAPHIC

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 420, 22 March 1880, Page 2

LATEST TELEGRAPHIC

[from our own correspondent] WELLINGTON. Sunday. The latest aspect of native affairs is one of uncertainty. It is believed by some native experts that Te Whiti's speeches mean war; on the other hand, some say his words mean only supernatural war, The Civil Service Commission sat yesterday. Colonel Header was examined. Elliott, of the Immigration Department, should also have been examined, but sickness prevented him attending. The Commission proceeds South on Monday, ' The duties collected in the port o Wellington during the week ending yes terday amounted to £5,711; the largest amount collected in one week for some time back, The Government has asked the Relieving Officer to select twenty-five men of the unemployed to go to Marton to assist in ro'admaking for the County Council on the Murimotu Plains, In consequence of heavy sea at Napier, the Governor is not likely to leave there before Monday. The Hinemoa has been obliged to put to sea. Gear, butcher, has conoluded a contract with Messrs Pollock, of Wangariui, for the supply of 2,000 sheep. The steamer I

Wakatu has been ongaged to convey them i here. - :■.■■■ • i LONDON. T 7 r ' r '" ' 1 March 18, " The Nihilist, Hartmann, wKo; 1 was_.deported by .the French Government to England was demanded byTtoesia, has'-pUlicly. conj •feased;Ke,^sjthfi:pi:ixicipai. : .author of the ! attempt made last year at .Moscow on the life of the.. Oatr,_ going to America. CONSTANTINOPLE. March 18. A popular rising of a somewhat serious character having taken place at Smyrna, the various foreign consuls summoned thewar vessels of their respective countries as a precautionary .measure. THE FLOODS.': ■ 1 :/ y—— . •. L After an unusually prolonged period of fine, weather, the eccentric clerk, appa-: rently woke up to find that lie had over- " done it ( , and attempted'to restore , the equilibrium by a week's continuous rain,'' At first the thirsty.soil gratefully, absorbed the downfall, but at length its continuous droppings wore away its powers, and the rejected fluids formed a flood, Greytown was the first to welcome the unexpected visitor. On Saturday the lower part of this town was under water, and we can only trust that on Sunday it had better luck. On Saturday afternoon the train got safely over the Rimutaka, but it is feared that Sunday has produced more than one slip on the line. Between 4 and 5 a, ni. on Sunday morning the rain came down in buckets and tubs, and we were not surprised to find at daylight that the small creek which runs through the centre of Masterton was flooded. Along the line of this creek there is,. as it were,;'.a, watery band varying from a quarter of a chain to two chains in width, crossing Masterton, at right angles. Along this line' there is water in houses and around them. The Church of St. Matthew's is on the line and was as much use to the.congregation yesterday as the Church of St. Mark (Tenice). The Town Hall had to be put in requisition instead," last evening. One feature of the flood which was' somewhat cheering, was the wholesale destruction of rats about Masterton. ' These'animals made the creek their head quarter, and when tho flood came they were see'ii travelling down stream at a furious rate. . out of town, We doubt if a single Noah of a Borough rat has survived the flood. The destruction of rabbits on the river flats must have been something enormous, The unemployed who pitched their 'tents on the banks of the Waipoua during the first day's rain, have slowly' but .surely, been drowned out. On Saturday we believe they were removed to the vacant immigrant cottages, which, we' trust will not be invaded by the ' ■ WAIPOUA. '• : * •*• •• The Waipoua was bank-high-yesterday and did.some considerable-- : datnjage .to Messrs Bacon & Wrigley'a saw mill. A hole, too, has been washed in the road at the foot of the rise, which' lends the charm of excitement to the passage into Masterton from the. North. On the South there is an ugly hole in the ' WAINGAWA, Which river was a little destructive to the railway embankment, On Saturday it floated the bridge timber away for a distance of half a mile or so, but as a whole, this river has behaved better than it was expected to. We are indebted to Mr King, the County Engineer, for the following report on the BUCK BRIDGE, At the Black Bridge two of the piles that were supporting one of • the long spans at its centre are carried away, The bridge at that point has deflected some inches, and is unsafe for traffic. Mr King also visited yesterday the HURUNUIORAIfGI BRIDGE, The scaffolding there and most of .the loose materials are carded away, but the erected part of the bridge is all right. The flood rose to within about three feet of the lower chords of the bridge girders, and covered the whole distance from the cliff at the Maori pah on the right bank to the •left bank immediately in front of the Ferry House. Nearly the whole of the low-lying lands at Hurunuiorangi were under water; and the natives were endeavoring with canoes to get their cattle off and save their property. THE LOSS OF PROPERTY In this district and throughout the colony must be very serious, but happily we have

not heard in the Wairavapa of any injury to life or limb, and if we are fortunate enough to escape the latter we ought to be able to bear the latter with equanimity, The interruption to ordinary communication renders it impossible for us to - give anything like a full report of the flood. Even ouv own office is on the line of the centre creek and access to it, though a position .enjoyable to printers' devils, is difficult to all not in that category, The ram is still coming down, but fortunately it is not attended :with any further rising of the waters. —: — BY TELEGRAPH. Masterton, 9 a.m. Telegraph communication is interrupted with all stations north of Masterton. It is also interrupted with all stations south of Carterton. ' 9.30 a, m. Communication is open to Featheraton, .The telegraphist there reports being unable to get to the office on foot. Had to wait for a horse. As the Greytown operator has not yet turned up, it is supposed he has been rafting himself to the office, and got stuck on a snag in the middle of a road somewhere.