TRAIN MAROONED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 97, 5 February 1936, Page 3

TRAIN MAROONED

THREE DAYS ON JOURNEY. PASSENGERS’ SCANTY SUPPLIES. (Per Press Association.) WHANGAREI, February 4. Road transport in the northland is still difficult and in many areas is impossible. Gangs are at work removing slips, but it will bo at least a week before some of the worst arc cleared. There is a dismal scene in the Hikurangi swamp drainage district, where there are about 15,000 acres converted into a lake, with the tops of trees showing out of yellow water. Passengers who left Auckland by train for Whangarei on Saturday , arrived to-day. They spent three days in the train, which was marooned at Taliekeroa, the only food being biscuits, bread, and tea, provided by the train crew and the wives of the railway employees at the station. Late yesterday afternoon they were taken by lorry to Helensvillc, where they caught the steamer for Dargaville, and then motored to Whangarei. So great is the damage done in the Whangarei county that an urgent appeal to the Minister for Public Works has been made by the council and the member for the district. Telephonic communication is being gradually restored throughout the north. MAIN TRUNK TRAINS DELAYED. WELLINGTON, February 4. Delays all along the line through damage by storm and flood were experienced by the Limited expiess from Auckland on Monday, which arrived at Wellington at 14 minutes past five this evening, nearly eight hours late. The principal hold up was at Tangiwai bridge, about 230 miles from Auckland, where passengers had to be transhipped from Karoio to Tangiwai, a distance of four miles by rail. Four hundred passengers arrived by the Limited at 3 p.m. The Mam Trunk express from Auckland was an hour late in arriving. FAMILIES ISOLATED.

THE DAMAGE IN WAIRARAPA. COSTLY WORK OF REPAIR. MASTERTON, February 4. In bright, warm sunshine, Wairarapa residents to-day surveyed the widespread damage resulting from Sunday’s storm. In and around Masterton the rivers have fallen considerably, and much of the surface water has disappeared. Slips and washouts, however, have made many back-country roads, puiticularly toward the east coast, impassable. Tt is anticipated that m some cases it will take a week or two to clear the debris. Twenty Masterton families arc isolated at' Castlepoint, a popular seaside resort as the 14 miles of road from Castlepoint to Masterton is not negotiable even to horses. It will ho necessary to pack foodstuffs across country. Feats entertained by lower valley settler's of a serious flood were realised yesterday, when water's from the swollen northern rivers reached the low-lying country around Lake Wairarapa. The lake is rising steadily, hut fortunately the outlet at the hake ferry is still open., allowing the waters to run freely. , ~ To date this financial year the l a>terton County Council has spent £3OOO repairing damage to roads after floods and heavy rain, ami now is faced with further heavy expenditure, a bridge on the Langdale Road having collapsed, and several roads being blocked.

IN SOUTH TARANAKI. DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT £30,000. COTTAGES WASHED OUT TO SEA. HAWERA, February 4 In comparison with other paits o the province South Taranaki escaped lightly the storm damage, but repairs to roads, bridges, and private property will cost somewhere about £30,000. With the exception of somo of the back roads all road communication north and south has been re-established. In Hawcra the damage is mainly confiend to fences and gardens, while some stocks have been damaged, th rough leakages in the roofs. In the outer districts the wiiw? played havoc, uprooting hundreds ot trees, smashing outbuildings and wrecking telephone and power lines. From 3 o’clock on Saturday for -4 hours rain fell continuously, ranging from 5.45 inches at Hawera to 16 inches at Dawson Falls. Tin* rivers are in high flood and all access to Opunako from the south and east lias been severed by erosion of the northern approach to the Waiana River bridge. On the main south road, the collapse of two spans of the railway bridge and the demolition of Patiki River bridge, and the Eltham-Opunake road. Bridges and oulvoi'ls in Waimate West County disappeared in the flood, and bench, cottages at the mouth of the Kaupokamvi River were washed out to sea. fit. Cuthbert’s Church, Manaia, was unroofed in the gale. Hawera was isolated for a time by the flood waters of the Tangahoe River, which submerged the Main South Road bridge and inundated I Detour Road.