WEST COAST STORM

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26124, 29 May 1950, Page 6

WEST COAST STORM

Heavy Damage To Bridges GREY RIVER NOW FALLING

From Our Own Reporter GREYMOUTH, May 28. The storm on the West Coast during the last four days was the 1 worst for years. Bridges were swept away, houses were entered by flood waters, roads and railways blocked by slips and wash- ‘ outs, and telephone and telegraph communications severed. Any possibility of serious flooding at Greymouth had passed this evening. Although heavy rain was falling at Greymouth and other districts, the Grey river had fallen eight to 10 feet, in spite of the high tide, and other rivers were gradually receding, though still swollen. One exception is the Teremakau river, which is still in high flood. ’Hie weather appeared to be clearing this evening.

Although only inches from the top of the Greymouth wharf on Friday night, the flood waters did not reach the height of the major flood in the spring of 1936. Damage in the country was greater. The damage to bridges alone in the province will run into several thousand pounds. Main bridges damaged are;— Blackball combined road and rail bridge, providing the only rail link with the township and the Blackball mine.—About 150 feet of the structure swept down the Grey river. The Waitahu combined road and rail bridge between Reefton and Inangahua Junction. —One span swept away and 40 feet of approach scoured out to « depth of 30 feet. The Teremakau traffic bridge, near Kumara. —Four spans swept away, leaving a gap of 400 feet. The Stoney creek bridge on the Greymouth to Reefton highway.—The approach washed out. Little Grey and Rough river bridges on the Ikamatua-Atarau-Blackball road, near Ikamatua. —Approaches washed away. Deep, creek. Day creek, and Harry s creek bridges, in the Rotomanu district. —Approaches washed away. A number of smaller bridges have been washed away or damaged. Stock losses were exceptionally heavy, particularly in the Upper Grey valley area, where the surface flooding of farms was the worst, for years. At Otira there were 32.37 inches of rain in four days, and at Greymouth a little more than nine inches. Severe flooding of the highway to Waimaunga from the Little Grey river at Mawhcraiti on the Reefton highway was caused cither by the stream overflowing the stopbanks and the protection works, or by its having washed out the protection works. There was considerable damage to the road, which was covered with huge sheets of water for some miles. • There has been a serious wash-out on the county road to Arahura valley and a major break through of the Teremakau river near Wainihinihi. where serious damage to property has occurred. The Westland Catchment Board has received no reports of serious damage to the stopbanks.

Teremakau Still Rising The Teremakau river was still rising to-day and was cutting in badly near Aicken’s and Jqfksons. Some residences in low-lying areas in Greymouth had about two or three feet of water in them yesterday. Cobden suburb had serious flooding through the overflow from the Grey river. Other areas had the overflow from the Blaketown lagoon, which rose to its highest level. Cellars and basements in hotels and shopS on streets alongside the wharf were covered with about four feet of water, and during the week-end the staffs worked 1o put stocks on higher places. Some damage was done to goods. The overall damage is not yet known. Mr Samuel Stewart, a butcher, of Greymouth. lost 70 head of sheep on Cobden island, and 12 tons of salt at his shop. Another GiWmoutn resident. Mr Rear. Jost a motor-launch which was moored on the Cobden side. At one home in Greymouth the water was right up to the doorknob on the front door. Streets and footpaths in low-lying areas were badly flooded, and surface water temporarily blocked many routes and left big scars on the roadway. Milk rationing is in force temporarily at Greymouth because of

transport difficulties. In South Westland At Hokitika the position was serious as the river rose rapidly and flooded several parts of the town. Although the rainfall in South Westland was almost as great as at Otira, there was not the same serious damage. as the flood waters have a ready and short access to the sea. Slips and washouts are the main damage to highways there. TTiere was no serious flooding or damage to the Buller Gorge area or other northern areas of the province. This evening hydro-electric linesmen temporarily restored a single line from the Coleridge power supply, which was damaged by flood walers near Otira. This will enable the coal mines and the dredge lo resume work tomorrow. At Blackball only repair work will be done. A Road Service bus had a narrow escape at the Blackball bridge. Crossing the bridge, the driver was suddenly faced with a gaping hole when a span had collapsed. He pulled up within a few inches of Ihe edge. A motorist, Mr Peter Richards, who was crossing the bridge from the opposite end. had the first warning of the collapse when his headlights pickI cd up the swirling waters. Two railwaymen on a velocipede near Otira jumped from the vehicle seconds before it was derailed by a previously unknown washout an*d crashed into the river. The driver of a locomotive stopped by a slip at Aicken’s climbed the slip, but was stranded on the other side

when there was a sudden avalanche of debris and water from the hillside building the blockage to one of major proportions. A message was then sent back to Otira for a relief driver, but while he was being brought down by a velocipede a large section of the line was washed out at the rear of the locomotive, which was then stranded between the two points. “It had to be seen to be believed.’ said one of two post and telegraph linesmen who returned this evening from the Otira line district, when they described the extensive damage to the railway line. At three points, they said, the line was suspended in midair with the river cutting in under it There were breaches up to 60 feet anc a drop of at least 30 feet in one instance, where the whole of the running track substance had been completely washed out. The three fishing launches Diane Georgina and Nnrna arc reported 1c be safe, sheltering in the south. The Georgina is at Milford Sound and the 1 other two at Jacksons Bay. The ves 1 seis were unable to get back to Grey- ! mouth.