STORM IN WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4109, 9 May 1892, Page 3

STORM IN WELLINGTON.

Portions of the City Inundated. A Woman Drowned. One of tho biggest rainstorms that has been experienced in Wellington for some time past occurred on Saturday, the result of which was that for a time some portions of the city were under, water, and many of the houses in tho low lying portions were flooded. There was, (according to the N.Z. Times), some rain in the morning, but the realUownpour began shortly after 2 o'clock, and continued for something like two hours. So heavy and sudden was the fall that tho sewers were blocked and were unable to carry off the unusually large quantity of water that streamed into them from evory side, The Te Aro reclamation, and. all those portions of the city which are below the ordinary

/level were under water, and many of jUje streets were quickly in a stato of but the greater portion of what damage was done occurred in Grainger street and in the neighbourhood of the Caledonian Hotel. During the whole of Saturday as much as 2'6oin of rain fell, most of which came down between 2 and i o'clouk in the afternoon.

From the middle of the afternoon to about 8 o'clock at night persons inhabiting houses on the northern side of Grainger street were in a state of flood. Shortly after three o'clock a leak in the main occurred in Clyde quay, nearly opposite the police station. At this point the brick culvert merges into a smaller wooden one, and the volume of water was so great that it forced its way through the surface and flowed in a big stream right across the road into Grainger street. In a very short time the floors of several of the houses wore under water, and a general exodus took place, tho water meanwhile rising higher and higher. A man named White had to remove children on his back, while Mrs White waded backwards and forwards two. or three times, nearly up to her iwaist, rescuing such articles of furniture as were most required. Another woman who was expecting to be confined shortly, was so frightened at the inrush of water that while wading to a neighbour's house she went off into a faint, and continued very ill for some time, Every house on that side of tho street had from two to three feet of water in it, and-as the floodsubsided it left a thick deposit of mud, the result being that the inhabitants were put to a groat deal of discomfort and inconvenience as well as loss, In Dixon street the water haß made a regular watercourse down the centre of the roadway on the declivity near the Presbyterian Church, while a deep deposit of mud on the opposite side of the road testifies to the force of tho rushing flood, Aurora Terrace too, has suffered somewhat, the gas and water pipes being exposed, while ■ at its junction with Wellington Terrace ithere is a large heap ot stones and *fc>bris brought down by the flood, A good deal of damage has been . dor.e in the vicinity of Polhill Gully, the flood of water rushing down the Te Aro stream like a miniature Niagara, At the top end of Aro street the water forced its «ay under the foundations of three adjacent houses, and in the centre one let the slove and chimney right through ie to the cavity thus formed, leaving only the chimney stack remaining, while the owner of the next house had a large number of chrysanihomums washed up out of his garden and floated off, The culvert at the top of Epuni street' burst, and the liberated waters tore down the hill, washing a big hole in a seotion of land, and tearing up the roadway and side walk, and strewing stones and mud around in a most remarkable manner. In Wordsworth street several homes were flooded by the overflow of the Te Aro stream, the water flowing right across the road down into Willis street in one broad, rushing stream. Continuing up Aro street several landslips noticed, and the same thing has happened in several places along the road, and leading -thence into Tinakori road. At the far end of the Botanical Gardens a large portion of the road has slipped away, while in the Gardens we noticed that one or two trees standing on sloping ground had been uprooted by the force of the water, 1 '

InTinakoriroad, near tho entrance

to the Gardoria, t|ie heuyy rainfall paused s rpna into the pad at that poinf,, and flowing in a wide, danp Btream down the road flooded, several gardens, and entered the cellar of Mr Bouthoy's store, though, we understand, without doing very much damage, At Makara the storm did not pass off without loss of life! Susan Davies, the wife of a fuli<hawker, living at Makara Beach, was driving along the road about 7 o'clock at night when the torse shied, and 'with the trap, fell over the side of the cliff into the stream below, wliiob. was in.flood f owing to the heavy raiufall, the con« sequence being that she was drowned, The Coroner has been informed of the circumstances of the case, and will pMilbly"lio!<l an inquest pu the body ibid afternoon. • " "' In several instances the pressure of the water caused the tops verts to burst, causing deep floods in the vicinity. All the Bteej? streets in tho city wore for the time being turned into flowing watercourses; The metalling : of these • roads has suffered considerably, and the various fjights of steps in 'the town..were washed 8B whjt? as 1 a pew pin. :