TREE BLOCKS HIGHWAY
Fallen Beech In Lewis Pass
Cars and trucks using the Lewis Pass route to the West Coast were delayed for three hours yesterday when a big beech tree fell and blocked the road half a mile west of Maruia Springs.
•The tree, which was rotten at the base, fell at 11 a.m. and by 2 p.m., when the road was cleared, there were more than 50 cars and trucks, including coal-trucks, waiting to get through from the West Coast side. One motorist. Mr C. L. Crowley, estimated the tree’s diameter to be sft 3in. Ministry of Works employees tried to blow the tree up, but only spread the obstruction. Mr Crowley said the tree proved to be rotten through the centre and could not be blown up successfully. No Ministry of Works bulldozer was available, so an army truck attempted to tow the tree off the road, but the wire rope snapped. A coal truck completed the job. Mr Crowley assisted by cutting the longer branches away. Motorists from the Canterbury side were warned at Maruia Springs about the blockage and waited there until it was cleared.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28606, 7 June 1958, Page 12
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190TREE BLOCKS HIGHWAY Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28606, 7 June 1958, Page 12
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