A WINTER BLAST.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 576, 3 August 1909, Page 6

A WINTER BLAST.

AND HEAVY DOWNPjOURS. ■ - > '"' TRAINS' AND' TELEGRAPH INTER,-' . . rui'ted. " Hoavy .-rains rind gales on Sunday .interfered .with Railway-and telegraph'lines in the back 'country, ana the result was seen in delayed .'communications.-; yesterday.. The railway lino was .impeded by , slips in the ManaIwatu Gorge, near'Lorigburn, and north of the Makerua- Swamp,' and the morning train from'Palmerston: .arrived about four hours late--at : '■Weliingtoii' from .this : cause. The mail . train • forVNew ; Plymouth was also do.layed'forJhajf- an 'hour.;-; On the other, line, tlie.'.Wairariipa mpj'nitig.; train,and .wall tram from-Napior werc dolayed about an hour by slips !north,-of'Kfiitoko; and: at'. Rakaiatai and ilauriccvillo. V Clearing -gangs were -scop at ,work,arid by tlic pveiling most of the obstnictioris were removed. The express train from. Auckland-arrived to time, and the express from New Plymouth'was only 15 min-utes-Into;, .Telegraph';.lines,iveje down;in many places, and there "was no communication with Patniorston until. the afternoon. The efFeots; of fcho. gale'were, specially seen ; about Paekakariki, where- trees' and • fences were:bloWn^dowh.. • ; ■' A. TRAIN'S .ADVENTTJRE IN THE GORGE. ' : - DISLOCATION OR TRAFFIC. .>■ V ; '.(By Tolcßraph.-Speclal Correspondent.) , N. '; . ' ; Palmorston, August 2. '-The l oaHy ■ Wdrning\i :; Mastor.tohAVoodviUe .train,.'had; a somewhat Isensatipnal experience \vhsn hearirig' The train .had shortly".before" passed': over, a,.repaired,, washi'but'i " and- ; ' the 'driver-' was ' proceeding alon£ very carefully, when-suddenly a heap of mullock slipped from 1 the'overhanging- hill, and came down'"upon. thd - loconiotivG, bending its headlight:': aiid- bespattering ;it. and .tho. car-, riages.. The driverapplied the brakes, immediately but';, the tram. was ,on' an' 'incline • at" ihe,,'time,.'and ploughed through all mud before „ it; KM • .'-pulled.*? up. ..The; passengers.and; the. state" of their .'.nerves - was not 1 improvedfurther.: on, when ..the'' train had to: again pull'up, while" the';,engine-driver,, .-fireman,' . and - guard swept another , fall of earth oil 'the: line. ;iThe niud-bespatte.red .locomotive ■ ,ivas .an object- for at' Woodvillo . ••.todiyj* as - : ,it .-'sliuiiited;.; aßojitethe • yard. , ■/» :::;;;There have been-;'six.slips,-; on the'.Mana.watu'. (Jorge; line,, .and although; these were :not:bi& ones,, they,;;wereVsufficient to close the; line for until; .T'Tp'cldck- to-night. Three of .'the . bptween .the : first and, second 'tunnels on the Ashhurst side, the largest fall being*: ; right. in the : .inbut!h of, : ;Thp . remaining: three . slips'iwere ib^t'idtirjmijes'.'ffoni' Woodvillo.' i.Tiie:::iravelling-: k publiclcpmplain '.of- being lcdpt- till ; tlay in. Woo"dvilleV : .wheh .the, three: slips near that placecould easily havo been .cleared.aridtrains-run to'within both. sides' ; 'of Hhe^hree^slips<oil'.the' Ashhurst side, ;' ■liy putting on more men.",Also-at the ."Waod- . ville end '.been cleared by five .o'clock'. For some., hotirs .travellers'..waiting atjAYpodville-.could obtain liareliable' from officials.-as to when. .trains.;.wouid': arriyei there from Mana-,: wat'u,; and -leave vfor The, uricertainty'; . appeared-: to . "prevail,' ■ari'd''?tfaTellers;' : :Wefe undbr ,';the: impression that' sbnie 'serious mishap, had . befallen the, iir.e., ; : The : Dominion representative' walked- , through-'frpm .':W6bdyille to'Aihhurst on.'the : railw&y. -lini*; 'in'.compariy'with ' Mr. B. Coker. - The'journey vwas acfcbriiplished. easily;! in, two and :.a :half hours, and : en ; route it was; seen that''the ;threPi/.slips tbn - the;,.:Woodyille end wer'p -small., quioklj-V^lpar^i^VMiyiv th®' • hillside'iwais bii - tlaXmpve. '-, aiid' one ; l of the slips cleared , till, early tP-rii(irrow:inomiug, , ;At' 2 ,p.m; to-, ■day'the inrillock.-liad not; heen touched by-the lin6 : aK-all, '.workman in ■sight was-an officious',ridyyy'-.who"rode up-and -a trolly and attempted 'to,, pedestrians;. 'Tho iworst slip was. at the- ; .Ashhurst end of; the'second tunnel, where '^^..;was'''C'.h^vy'j'laU. 1 "isioveri' men'MVere' employed : liefo.Two,'.ojihef . ■ WW??! 1 >^4,- !'' the.day.",' V,' v, -The old .has been-, furtlher dis- f ; I rfigUred' >vith*; slips :'pf earth -during the past 1 24'. ' hours,■''•; ana !l iltK'onp ! place -;a "' sort' '. of; • avalanche has scored, the side of the-hill with a fairly deep chasm?- ''Atf'present' tho' road is . 'absolutely.:impassable.- •■" The'Manawatu lliver. v ,riear ' -Woodville vis. •very-"high", and 'its' overflow -is . covering huii■dredS .'.'of acres'- fif land. Above AVoodville i •one of the roails is covered , with; wat-cr. six , 'feet' deep. In the. .Bush' distnpts, there has i been , a''Very , :hbSvy;fall;of , tairi, arid hundreds ' ■of-aorcs- aro'-subniergid. -~ , : INUNDATIONS NEAR PALJIERSTON. ; ■ weaihW'last-nightVtobk a siiddea turn'' for.' the';,-worse.-/. A'. : heavy;,:sbuth : easterly. gale ; .suddenlv ■spraug''up,.;.and;'rain':fell in'.- tor- ; ,rpnt?.'',\The wind blew a .this morn-, ( jig,-' arid^'^esently,. , 'iherft,givfire''-'m^ny, l sighs of ; ■its : restrictive" effects.-:',; Culverts , became :blo6ked,' result that, those living in, lpw : lying places \yere' surrounded w'ith water.'-,-In s'omecase'stHe;water:inyadc'd,thehouses and : 'arid tho occupants,,,only got'out.by, .wading. > The •Slariawatu':RiYeras;higher;than has. been : ' the, caie. - for' a' very long''period'. 'M Long-.-.buW."-- -Is ■'visible,- , tne. , ',roads;being;Coveredt"eighteen, inches. deep 'in; Wij|'burn;f '• : • lba3ing^ed#'M, : -B!6^f.dpißn/. The-wind.also icbmplete, - :^toppageypcour'red ..v.'iiear-'' Linton, 'where a bole 'was" carried', a'wayrby, i; washout, :-and°£be 7jliries; ;directly;; ; connecting- Palpiers- j "ton " with- 'At 1 the, only 'tbl6graphic';putlet obtainable 'la-by a einglo \rir-o through thfe Gorge,- arid 'via Wairarapa. 1 RIVERS BANK HIGH. Foathersto'n, August-2. Heavy raiit'has, fallen ..here .for the past thirty-six -..hours.- '.The- rivers are , running -bank',high, and 'are still rising..-: fhe Ruamahunga :'is. 'across' its .banks near. Martinborough, and'there are prospects of a bad flood.; The lower 'lake : .is . open,; 'and. if' there 1 aire'rio "exceptionally', heavy seas in' the bay 'to, block- it, the ''.wa.ter',will';be able" to get away freely. * ROOFS AND FENCES SUFFER. ~■■ , Shannon, August. 2.: The gale experienced on this coast oil Sunday night did considerable to property .locally.: A corriigated iron roofing ,was t-orri off, verandahs blown down,' and a numberof fonces'-were- levelled with the, ground.-' The water in 'the': local creeks rose rapidly, and the Palnierston North and Foxton.roads are severalfeet; under water.' ' The • trains were! delayed owing ■to :a wash-out between Linton and Tokomaru. BAD TDfE FOR OLD BUILDINGS. ''- ! 'v' •'' •;, Otakl, August 2. . Last night's buildirigs, arid fences, and : in its -fury levelled' many'; to' the ground. Trees .were also-uprooted, and; at the railway 'the windmill was dis- : lodged and- damaged..- Owirig' to' two wa;shouts between .Tokoinarii r ind Linton/ tha ! dowA- trains to-day were considerably dolayed. COACH SERVICE SU-CK lIP.' (By Telteraph—Press Association.) , : ■ Dannovirko, August' 2;, ■" I Heavy ram set in yesterday ovening-from;, i the riorth-east..'.During thp. ;night tho wind i changed to the south-east,: accompanied by. s a "perfect deluge: The 'Manawatu; River is very high and '-still rising; ;,The. backing up ' of t-ho Kaitoke stream proventiid the: Weber coach making ■ the usual outward trip today. • , WINDOWS BLOWN IN.- . ; Lovin, August 2. ■ A. raging .southerly/ galovbleW along . the ' 'coast all last night, 'accompanied .hy t-or-l rents of'rain; Tho first Palmcrston to Welr lirigton train is blocked north of Tokomaru by- a -wash-out, -which will take -a couple of s hours to clear. • There", is a large area of , country uricfer ; water between Shannon and 3 Tokoriiaru. At Levin windows were blown in trcos uprooted, and fences razed. The storm has now subsided. ' -'