Waimakariri Threatens Stewart’s Gully Baches

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28523, 28 February 1958, Page 10

Waimakariri Threatens Stewart’s Gully Baches

A sudden break-through of the Waimakariri river behind a barrier of tethered logs and protective earthworks at Stewart’s Gully last evening, undermined the entire width of a road and tore out a circular bay a chain in diameter. The break occurred about five chains below the. railway bridge at the corner of River road about 40 yards from the Stewart's Gully store. Two holiday baches have been threatened, and the furniture of one has been removed for safety. The North Canterbury Catchment Board staff has been working all this week repairing dam-

age to this section of the river-

bank caused by the Christmas and has bulldozed up piles earth and shingle on the bank. Nearby trees have been cut down, bulldozed to the edge of the stream, and anchored with wire cables.

The river broke through between the logs shortly after 6 p.m., and quickly ate out a small bay. The swirling water undermined the roadway, and in less than an hour had cut its away to the edge of two properties. For more than half an hour there was a steady roar of falling earth crashing into the water as the undermined ground cracked and was swept away. Sandbags were thrown up across the road near the store, and a group of residents quickly gathered to see the last section of the footpath subside, leaving the back fence of Mr F. Fuller’s bach hanging in mid-air, with the posts completely bare. The water moved on its way to-

wards the next bach, owned by Mrs A. Bouchfeldt, and the furniture was quickly removed - by a team of volunteers and taken to a garage. At this stage, both baches were expected to be undermined at any moment.

The force of the river dropped as the tide began to rise in the lower reaches, and there was little further erosion. At 10 p.m. the water in the bay had become fairly static, but there were still occasional falls of earth from overhanging ledges giving way. With high tide occurring about 11.30 p.m., no further damage was expected until early this morning, when the backed-up water would resume its normal flow.