DROWNED IN FLOOD.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 76, 29 March 1920, Page 5

DROWNED IN FLOOD.

» 11 NORTH AUCKLAND TRAGEDY. - MOTHER AND CHILDREN SWEPT, AWAY. SEVERAL LIVES LOST. PAPAROA FNO. DATED IN THE X___HT. • (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) PAPAROA, Sunday. Several lives were lost and much damage done by the flooding of tbe Paparoa river, on Friday night and Saturday morning—the worst flood known in the district since 13.-2. Mrs. Matthews, the wife of a man employed on the North Auckland Main Trunk railway line, was washed away and drowned with three of her children. Mr. Robert Pearce was also drowned while attempting to get on to -high ground. A motor ear fell through a gap in a bridge partially washed away, and it is feared all the occupants have been lost. (MOTHER AND CHILDREN.SWEPT AWAY. The death of Mrs. Matthews and iier little ones «"as particularly sad. She and her husband and a family of five were living in a temporary cottage near the river, at the settlement of those engaged on the construction works of the raiiway, in the L T pper Paparoa \ alley, about four miles from the Paparoa township. The family wn_> roused at four o'clock in the morning by tho flood water reaching their beds. When the father and mo-ther got outside ine\~ saw t-har the place was quite isolated, and the father at once set -.bout rescuing the little -ones. He swam to high ground with i_e baby, and when :.-•? iiot back he put the mother and the re.-: of the children on the roof, the water rising ail the time. Suddenly the swirling waters carried the little cottage away and parents and children were struggling in the flood. The father managed to reach one child and save it, but the others were swept away and drowned. Mr. Robert Pearce. who was also living in the workers' settlement was also a victim. He was seen just as day broke making for tlie railway embankment which stood out of the water, but apparently ahe current was too strong an.] he was carried away. The body was afterwards reepvered.' REPUGE IN THE TREE TOPS. -his settlement of railway workers was the scene of a number" of very narrow escapes, and some of the people suffered much. One man who climbed int. a tree for safety was rescued after he had been six hours in his cold, perch. A woman wearing only a nightdress and nursing a child was one of those who had to take refuge in a tree. Another resident, Mrs. Cook, suffered very much from shock as the result of her trying experience. One man whose i»u_ was carried off by the rising flood, clung to the whirling building, and saved himself by jumping off __ien it was carried close in to a bit of high ground. DAMAGES IN PAPAROA TOWNSHIP. There were one or two narrow escapes in the township of Paparoa, but no lives were lost. Mr. Jordan, blacksmith, was awakened by linding the water rising in his bedroom, and escaped by swimming to Parson's boardinghouse. At Mr. Sutherland's boardinghouse the ladies had to shelter in the attic, but fortunately the Hood subsided after rising ominously high. In the meantime it had done much damage to the furniture, and carried away the outbuildings. In addition to Mr. Sutherland other-sufferers in this part of the township were. Mr. Craff, the baker. Mr. Wilkins, at the telephone exchange, and Mr. C. Taylor, the manager of the lime works. They were quite isolated by the flood. In j spit of the fact that the water nearly got as high as his oven, Mr. Graff stuck to his task and finished the batch of bread, which was duly delivered later in the day. Work at the telephone exchange had to be abandoned during Saturday. Mr. Taylor suffered considerably, his stable" and harness being washed away. ON THE RAILWAY WORKS. There are considerable works being carried on in the neighbourhood in connection with the North Auckland Main Trunk railway line, and in places the flood caused a considerable amount of injury to the .newly-formed embankment's and titlier formations. Tlie roads leading into the Puparoa township were blocked by bridges being washed away and by landslips brought down by the heavy rain. The intensity of the downpour may be judged from the fact that iat Maungatutoto the rain-gauge showed a fall of four inches for twelve hours. It is probable that in the Cpper Wairere Valley the fall was even heavier*than those figures indicate. j MOTOR FALLS THROUGH BRIDGE. j With regard to tlie motor car it if reported from Waipti Gorge that it wa. ! crossing a bridge which nad been par- ! t__liy uallied away by the and feii through a gap that could not Ik- seen. ; The body of the driver of the car ha.- . heen recovered lower down the river, ana lit is believed that the rest of the uc.'u i pants were drowned. It is not yet known j who they are, or how many mere wcrt !in the car at the time.