STORM AT WELLINGTON

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 245, 16 October 1925, Page 6

STORM AT WELLINGTON

FLOODS AT PETONE.

RAILWAY LINE BLOCKED,

EXPRESSES DELAYE D#

Cny Tolegraph.-own Correspondent.,

WELLIKGTOX, Thursday.

The henry ram in the city this mo , mg was accompanied by thunder , lightning and sue], was the water which fell that drains a n.° ZL were all too .-mull t<, accommodate i? Overflows were numerous, and in ZJt streets the ordinary watercourses a«J others eaten out for the occasion W the form of raging torrents ti amount of rain which fell in Welling during tlie 24 hours preceding 9 am ° t day was equal to that which made Un the total for the fourteen previous <&,. -1.54 inches. It was also the second largest amount for one day durin<r \u year, the only heavier fall*luvinAceo 1.72 inches on January 27.

In the vicinity of Porirua flood waters caused a temporary blockage of the train service?. During the morriin* about 130 yards of the railway li ne oa the northern side of the station was covered by water to a depth of about two feet, making: the line impassable at that point. Consequently the express from Auckland, due in Wellington at 1.50 p.m.. was held up at Paekakariki, while' the departure of the 12.45 p, ffl ' train from Thorndon for Auckland was delayed until such time as the line was reported clear. Early this afternoon the flood waters at Porirua were reported to be receding, and , the railway authorities anticipated that the train's would be subjected to little further delay.

Later advice from the Railway Us. partment was to the effect that the'express from Auckland had left Paelcakariki at 1.50 o'clock this afternoon, and that the express for Auckland left Thorndon shortly after 2 o'clock. There was then only about eight inches of water on the line above Porirua, and it was expected that by the time the trains arrived at the portion of the line affected by flood waters they would fini the .passage clear.

The heavy Tainfall completely over, taxed the stormwater drainage in Petone and Lower Hutt, and in several places the roads became rushing streams. This was most noticeable on the Hutt road, where the creeks draining Riddler's and Huggins' Gullies „ became blocked where they enter the drainage system, and overflowed their banks, floodinjr several acres of land. In the case of Hugjrins' stream a portion flowed south, rushing through Mrs. Robertson's property on the corner of White's line, and then pouring part of its water into the Publi* Works excavation for the railway deviation, and the rest down ■White's line. The other portion flowed north, covering property occupied by Mr. Rouse several inches deep, and pushing on along , the road northwards, wheu infilled a large area occupied by the Power Board. Tbe water from Riddler's Gully completely covered a, portion of Riddler's Crescent, and then flowed down across Nelson Street, covering John Street with about six inches of water, and also a portion of Islington Street and the low-lying land round the Petone gasworks. Railway Avenue, Lower ilutt, was badly covered for a while.