HEAVY RAINFALL

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2600, 7 September 1909, Page 5

HEAVY RAINFALL

FLOODS IN VuWN AND COUNTRY.

TWO FATALITIES

The rain, which set in late on Saturday night, and continued on Sunday, lessened a little yesterday, although showers fell throughout the day. At 9 o’clock yesterday morning a fall of 3.36 inches was recorded for the previous 24 hours, and many people were afraid lest Povert- Bay should experience a heavy Hood as was the case about three years ago, when all the flats were under water and large numbers of sheep and cattle were drowned. IN THE COUNTRY DISTRICTS.

The flat land, in the To Arai and Muriwai districts, was covered with water yesterday, and the Waipaoa river at Buehmere had risen 22 feet, but was still a safe distance from the banks. At Ormond the rise was only about six feet, the river being a great deal wider in that locality.;' f rom Ormond to the sea the river was greatly swollen by the small creeks running into it, and even then the waterway had very little effect in preventing Muriwai and To Arai from .being in a state of flood; for many of the paddocks were literally lakes of water, which lay in places to a depth of from three to four feet. A number of sheep and young lambs have been lost, but the mortality reported so far is not high. " In .the Patutahi and Ngatapa districts the low-lying lands are all flooded, and the settlers had an anxious time, both on Sunday and yesterday, from fear that the Ngatapa stream would burst its banks. Most of the farmers have removed their stock to high land; but already mortality among lambs; has been reported, for the Patutahi settlers have seen the carcases coming down the stream. . In the Hangaroa, Tiniroto, and Nuhaka districts, heavy rain has fallen, but the bridging of the Nuhaka river has lessened the danger of Stewart’s crossing as a death-trap. In the Tologa Bay district the creeks are all running high, and the WaipiroTologa coach was unable to go further vesterday than Te Puia owing to flooded creeks and wash-outs on the road.

The Taruheru and Waimata rivers were running high all day, and considerable driftwood and silt were coming down. At Kowhia the Waimata was up 20 feet on Sunday, but had subsided a good deal yesterday morning. At Te Karaka the Rangitira ford was impassable, the Waikohu river was flooded, and the rivers and creeks in the Motu and Wbatatutu districts were all running high. Many of the country roads have suflered damage, and vehicular traffic has been held up altogether in -many places. The Tiniroto-Wairoa coach, which left town yesterday morning, was three parts of the way up the Gentle Annie Valley and had negotiated three bad slips, but on the driver arriving at a fourth slip, he found that the. coach could not possibly get over it. He had then to take the horses out, and with the assistance of the passengers back the coach to turn it on the narrow cutting, and return te town. This is the first serious slip on the Gentle Annie road for about 10 years, and shows the severity of the storm. The Morere-Wairoa coach was compelled to return to town owing te the river at Muriwai being in a state of flood. , The coach for Tologa Bay left Gisborne at 9 a.m. yesterday morning, and was stuck up at Pouawa creek for about four hours, being unable te get across owing to the high water running. Eventually the coach reached Pakarae at about 4 p.m., and remained there all night, and all being well will continue the journey to Tologa this morning.

LATEST FROM THE COUNTRY. According to inquiries last evening, Patutahi township was practically surrounded with water, the lower-lying paddocks being well covered, owing to the creek overflowing its banks. It was rumored that Mr. Parsons was a loser to the extent of about 100 sheep and cattle, and bodies of these animals, as well as that of a horse, were to be seen .floating down the river. The river was within five or six feet of the top of the bank, but was rising rapidly and( there bad been no cases of dweilings being flooded out, although in many instances the flood waters had come close up to the houses.. The rain was very light at Patutahi last evening, with indications of it ceasing altogether. Mr. Clark, junr., reported that there were large sheets of water lying over the land in the Opou and T© Arai districts. The Big River was very high, and in some places was only a foot or so from the top of the bank, but was still rising. The flood bail not been quit© severe enough to do any damage to the fencing, and the stock was said to be, in the meantime, at any rate, At Muriwai last evening all the land in the vicinity of the hotel was under water to a depth of several feet, the river and creeks having overflowed their banks. Mr. Tulloch is said to be a heavy loser in lambs, and other settlers are also reported to have suffered in a similar manner. From Mr. R. Sherratt’s Swarthmoor property came the news that the river was within a couple of feet of the •>ank, and was then rising Tapidly. Ike Ngatapa creek had overflowed its banks in many places, and Mr. McKenzie’s property was completely inundated. The ram was in the evening considerably lighter than it had been during the day. The flood appears to have been particularly severe at Ngatapa, and the occupants of Mr. GreaveA residence were aroused by the barking of the dogs early in the morning, to find the house surrounded by a vast sheet of water. The water later on rose to the level of the house, and flooded it out. All round’ the house the water was about four feet deep, and the occupants had to be carried to a coach, which conveyed them to temporary shelter at the Ngatapa station homestead. The waters or the creek overflowed its banks to a depth of over four feet, covering the |bndge, and also going over the top of a barbed wire fence adjoining the road. The Ngatapa station shepherds were working hard from daylight yesterday morning removing the stock to tlio higher-lying land, but it is feared that tlie mortality amongst the lambs will be heavy. A very heavy shower fell about 5.30 P* m M but later tlie rain was much lighter. It is feared, however, that should further heavy! rain fall the consequences may be most serious to stock genoi ally. The position at Bushmere, according to advices from Mr. Cbas. hi vans, was that the river had risen over 22 toet, but that it would have to rise another five feet before any serious damage could be done. The river was continuing to rise rapidly, and _ ther Paddocks were covered with rain water, but the rain had ceased to fall heavily. The Wharekopao river was almost a “banker,” and was very dose to the Ww Kridflf© Many landslips had ocSSrSrSd atttadgh there were » .. YY; - ji>,'Y-YYY ;Bai ; Y >' £i

cases of houses being! flooded out, all the settleis are weather-bound, owing te the water lying in the paddocks an cl ■ on the roads. It is feared that the mortality amongst the lambs will be very heavy, although the actual-losses cannot yet be ascertained. It was suu|i| raining heavily at Wharekopae last night. IN TOWN. The incessant rain which fell in > Gisborne penetrated almost everywhere, and even percolated through brick walls. This was the case with the Cosmopolitan. Club, where the walls are of the usual thickness, and with many other buildings, including those of Messrs Bennett and .Sherratt, Mr. vV. L. Rees, and the Borough Council Chambers, where the rain soaked through the walls. A lew shops and some houses in the low-lying parts of the town were incommoded by water on. their premises, and the rain .showed the need for some system of storm water drainage. One resident who suffered severely was Mrs, Smith, who | occupies a house in the yard of the s Okitu butter factory. The cottage stood like an island in-the middle of a pond, for water fully a foot deep was all round, even up to the level of the kitchen door, which is raised some fifteen inches above the ground. . It J was impossible for Mrs. Smith to get out of the house without wading through the water, and her young son floated a raft made of planks about the yard, evidently enjoying the novel experience. The rain has also played havoc with the roads and footpaths, and in many places the newly-laid shingle on the side walks has been washed away. In the centre of the town the water drained off quickly, and the tarred ;» portions of Gladstone Road stood out in marked contrast to the sloppy con--lition of the side streets. After a heavy rain it was formerly usual for water to lie in. front of the Post Office tS and the Coronation Hotel, but yesterday the w r ater-tables did their work well, and carried off the flood, water with reasonable speed. At about 10 p.m. in town last night the rain ceased, and the storm clouds, to a great extent, passed away, leav- - 1 ing some stars visible and giving promise of the break-up of what has been, an exceptionally heavy rainfall. Early this morning the weather was clear and cold.

THE MAILS. The mail coaches were all delayed on account of the floods, the MorereWairoa coach returned to Gisborne from Muriwai, and the Tiniroto-Wairoa coach returned after reaching Gentle Annie Valiev, the roads being in too flooded a condition to allow the vehicles to proceed further. The Manutuke and Waingake coach was unable to reach town owing to the flooded creeks. The Tologa Bay coach only reached Pakarae by 4 p.m. yesterday, and the passengers stayed there all night. The coach w-ill continue its journey this morning.. THE TE ARAI PIPE LINE. The borough water supply was cut off yesterday, and anxiety was expressed that the" pipe line might have suffered damage. "Upon inquiries being made it was found that the pipe line was intact, but the intake nas apparently become clogged; with silt, and unable to take in any appreciable quantity of water. On Sunday the borough representative at the repair works found the river crossing near hisi cottage at Te Arai impassable, and he attempted to cross in a cage on a wire rope. The sag -on the rope caused him to get an unwelcome dip in the swollen river, and he only got out with difficulty. One of the weirs at the Arai creek has been damaged by flood pressure, but no other mischief was reported last evening.

FLOOD FATALITIES. TWO DEATHS RECORDED. Information was reoeived by Sergeant Hutton yesterday morning that a young man - named Thomas Robinson, 18 years of age, bad been drowned while attempting to cross Gold Creek, a tributary of the Wathuka river. Both river and creek were' in high flood,, and the young man, who was engaged as assistant to Mr. W. Thomas in delivering the “Times” to the men on the railway works, was, in crossing the creek, washed off his horse and swept down the river. Constable Doyle, of Te Karaka, was unable to reach the scene owing to the flooded state of the river, and up till a late hour last night no news had been received regarding the recovery of the body. Later in the afternoon news of another sad fatality was received. The victim on this occasion was Mr. Dudley McKenzie, a young sheepfarmer, 27 years of age, who, in attempting to drive a horse and cart across a flooded creek at Otoko, the bead of tbe railway works, was swept down in the flood and was not seen again. Search parties were instituted, but a close scrutiny of the banks failed to reveal any trace of tbe unfortunate young man or of bis horse and cart. Mr. McKenzie had a contract to supply meat to the men on the xailway works, and tbe supplies were in the cart which he attempted to take over tie swollen stream, after the regular driver of tbe cart had refused to attempt the passage, deeming it too risky. Mr. McKenzie, with his brother, was a comparatively new arrival in PovertyBay, having come from Hawke’s Bay about two years ago. His relatives at present reside in Hawke’s Bay, and are extensively engaged in the pastoral industry.