HEAVY FLOODS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19063, 27 July 1927, Page 4

HEAVY FLOODS.

NORTH AUCKLAND SUFFERS TRAINS DELAYED BY SLIPS. (PBBBB ASSOCIATION TBMGBAH.) WHANGAREI, July 26. Those districts most susceptible to flooding have suffered severely as a resuit of the heavy rains of the past 48 hours. At 1 o'clock this morning Whangarei was swept by a terrific downpour that had the gutters running like mill races in less than five minutes. The attack lasted for 15 minutes, and then eased off. The Whangarei gauge, for the 24 hours ended 9 a.m. this morning, registered 2.19 inches of rain, and for the previous 24 hours 1.18 inches. The readings at Kamo for the respective periods were 2.02 and 1.02 inches, and at Ruatangata 2.84 and .95 inches. „ . „ ~ j. A flood, reported to be the biggest in 60 years, is sweeping the country to the north, and several bridges have been carried away. No service cars. are running between Kaitaia and Otiria. A Kaitaia report states that the rainfall for the month totals 10.22 inches, as compared with 4.15 inches for the previous July. There was bright sunshine to-day and little evidence in town of the deluge, but at 7 o'clock again the lowering clouds gathered, and thunderstorms raged in the north and west. , , , , The north tram had a chequered career to-day. The line was clear to Towai, but the area between Maromaku and Opahi (about 25 miles from "Whangarei) is experiencing one of the worst floods in its history. The train was stopped 100 yards .on the Whangarei side of Opahi, on account of logs on the line. At this point the water was a foot above the bottom step of the carriages. As the Opahi platform was inundated, and the approaches covered by several feet of flood waters, the train was halted a few yards further away to permit of the passengers leaving and joining. As the result of a big slip on the railway line north of Waiotira the night J train from Auckland did not reach Whangarei till 8.45 this morning, eight hours behind schedule. Minor slips were experienced south # of Maungaturoto, and the train, arrived there two hours late. News of the slip was received at Maungaturoto, and the train proceeded as far as Waiotira, where the passengers were made comfortable for the remainder of the night. After the slip had been inspected, the public works train was dispatched from Maungaturoto. In a couple of hours the debris was cleared away, and after the passengers had breakfasted at Waiotira, the train proceeded without further hindrance to Whangarei. The journey occupied 16| hours, and when the train arrived the front of the engine and the underpart of the carriages were well spattered with mud. Five houses at Kaitaia had water inside and were hurriedly vacated by their occupants. Orua, Fairburn, and Peria suffered considerably. Miles of boundary fences are down, but many farmers had removed stock to high country before the flood water submerged their landat At Peria a big landslide brought down half a hillside. The bridge leading to the Courthouse at Reban, KaiWa, was washed away. The damage amounted to thousands of pounds. The flood water i 3 now receding.