Family:John Runciman and Elizabeth Mitchell (1)

... "The Shag Valley was greatly inundated, and many sheep were drowned. It is reported that many lives have been lost there, but the report requires confirmation. The flour mill, house, and all other buildings were washed away, and Mr Runciman, the owner, his wife, tliree children, and three servants were rescued from the water wheel of the mill after having been there for eight hours" (assumed to be this family given that Elizabeth's MITCHELL brother John lived in Shag Valley at least around Aug 1884, although back in NE Valley by 1886) .. "The enterprising proprietor of the Shag valley flour mill, Mr Runciman, has sustained, we regret to say, a most severe loss ; the mill, house and stables having been swept away - himself, wife, three children, two men and a, female servant, at tne imminent risk of their lives, having with heroic fortitude remained from twelve o'clock m the evening till seven m the morning on the waterwheel of the mill until they were rescued from their perilous position by the praisworthy conduct of a man named William Gray, who swam across to their assistance with a rope, a temporary boat having been made by the inhabitants, when they were safely brought over. Mr Rich, we may mention, who witnessed the sad calamity, offered with commendable Christian sympathy, £25 to anyone volunteering to fetch a boat from Waikouaiti to relieve the sufferers. Mr J. Duncan, a livery stable keeper at Palmerston, at once accepted the offer, and without delay started on his errand ; but on reaching Pleasant River he was, much to regret, compelled to retrace his steps, the river being so flooded that he could not effect a crossing, the bridge, as before stated, havig been washed away. Glover's store at Palmerston, has also sustained injury from the flood."

1.   Irene Mitchell. Daily Telegraph.
2. ↑ Irene MITCHELL. Family of John Elizabeth (MITCHELL) RUNCIMAN by Irene MITCHELL, Url: users.uniserve.com/~imitchel/runciman.htm
   Marr. 13 Apr 1863 John youngest s/o Richard RUNCIMAN; Elizabeth 2nd d/o Jacob MITCHELL, Kingston Vale, Green Island (Otago New Zealand, from their marriage notice in: The Daily Telegraph, April 13, 1863), extracted Jun 2010.
3. ↑ Irene MITCHELL. Family of John Elizabeth (MITCHELL) RUNCIMAN by Irene MITCHELL, Url: users.uniserve.com/~imitchel/runciman.htm
   Marr. 1863 John RUNCIMAN & Elizabeth d/o Jacob MITCHELL & Mary CROSBY"a few short weeks after Elizabeth's arrival , from "The Story of Jacob MITCHELL" online at http://users.uniserve.com/~imitchel/story.htm, Aug 2010.
4.   Papers Past (New Zealand National Library), Url: paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/
   Flood, flour mill ?Shag Valley? Mr RUNCIMAN & family, from "Dunedin and the South", in the Timaru Herald, Volume VIII Issue 282, 8 Feb 1868, Page 3, extracted Aug 2010.
5.   Papers Past (New Zealand National Library), Url: paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/
   Flood, flour mill Mr RUNCIMAN & family, Shag Valley, from "THE FLOOD AT WAIKOUAITI", in the Timaru Herald, Volume VIII, Issue 286, 22 February 1868, Page 3, extracted Aug 2010.
6. ↑ Married by the Rev J McNaughton
7. ↑ "At Kingston Vale, Green Island, on the 13th instant, by the Rev. J. McNaughton, Mr. John Runciman, youngest son of Mr. Richard Runciman, to Elizabeth Mitchell, second daughter of Mr. Jacob Mitchell, Longbyre, Wishaw, Scot."
   (not immediately obvious in BDM Historical indices)