The flood of 1902 - Uncontrolled rivers and floods were the bane of early explorers, surveyors, and settlers, delaying journeys and endangering human life, stock, and buildings. Improving drainage to cope with surface flooding and creating protection from rampaging river floods in times of major storms were slow and controversial. Periodically, rivers such as the Waimakariri and the Ashley gave sharp reminders of the need for such works, but their execution was delayed by disputes about who should pay. Such an occasion was in late March 1902, while local bodies were still haggling over or denying responsibility to contribute to the cost of extending river protection works on the Ashley. The proposal involved shortening the Ashley railway bridge by 18 spans. The flood struck first, sweeping away several spans. Much of the line was left as a series of suspended undulations, like a roller-coaster railway. The river waters swept across country to the already wet, low lying Flaxton basin, filling it to the fence tops. Amazingly the frail cart bridge, a little to the west, survived but even more weakened. Another 10 years of wrangling went by before road users got a new two lane, 1015 ft long reinforced concrete structure, which opened on October 25, 1912. It was a long time before the railway bridge could be repaired. In the meantime, 12 hired drags transferred passengers between trains at the Rangiora and Ashley stations, on opposite sides of the Ashley river. Whenever possible, the drags took a direct route by fording the river. Several great river floods have swept over parts of the plains, but gradually their effect has been reduced or controlled by the protection works that have been developed over the years. Frequent reference has been made of the "great flood" of 1868, but some observers claimed that the 1923 flood was greater and would have been more disastrous but for the stop banks then in place. Even so 200 families had to be evacuated from the Kaiapoi area, where one family recorded a level 15 inches above that of 1868. Extract from "Rangiora - An early pictorial record"