Normally it is a pleasant little brook, picturesquely bordered with willows and purling musically over its rocky and in places rather disreputable bed.
Even the recent heavy rainfall up till Saturday lst never appeared in any danger of seriously disturbing its mildness.
On that account so much the more exciting and unexpected was the occurrence on Sunday afternoon of the biggest flood on the Leith which that stream has known for many years - for at least a quarter of a century. In the opinion of some, indeed, no worse flood has ever been experienced in its known history.
The suddenness of the event was its most startling feature. The sight was astonishing and impressive. The flood did not come quietly but with a swoop. Its origin was evidently a very heavy cloud-burst over Mount Cargill and that vicinity, the course of the torrent at its worst indicating the source whence it had gathered its supply. In an amazingly short time the Leith, no longer a stream, was a raging and imposing river, running fairly bank high in its lower reaches which debouched into the harbour the combined flood waters gathered from its foaming tributaries tearing down the North-east Valley and Woodhaugh.
From Leith street downwards, where the river bed has its full width, the flood presented a novel and remarkable spectacle. Ten feet or more above normal level, the waters reached within a foot or two of the cross beams of the lower bridges. In its centre the torrent swirled and rolled along with imposing force, and trunks of trees, timber, and debris of all sorts came with it, dashing against the bridges at times with dangerous power or catching in the piles and threatening to block the outlet for the flood. The North-east valley particularly, and Woodhaugh suffered severely, and the aftermath in these places, though it might have been worse, was pitiful enough. The story is one of houses inundated and gardens laid absolutely waste.
The flooding was so extensive at the Gardens that the trams were quite unable to get through. Exciting as was the spectacle of the river on Sunday afternoon, the mud and debris strewn about the course which marked its overflow after the water had subsided was depressing.
*At this season of the year when human sympathy is more active than at any other time special thought is naturally given for those who are so unfortunate as to have to spend the season of festivity and rejoicing suffering in the Hospital. On Christmas morning the Hospital matron, Miss McKenzie, and her nursing staff assembled in force at 5.30 and sang some of the standard old favourite Christmas pieces to the patients. Their singing of "The first Nowell," "Hark, the herald angels sing," "O come all ye faithful," etc., was decidedly meritorious, and well deserved the patients' appreciation. As they sang in four different parts of the buildings every patient, including those in the isolation ward, was within hearing. - ODT, 26.12.1911.
