HEAVY DOWNPOUR

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 69, 15 December 1930, Page 12

HEAVY DOWNPOUR

City Streets Flooded HUTT RIVER RISES _• i - Heavy rain fell in the city and suburbs for about two hours on Saturday evening. With miniature rivulets rushing down every water-table the stormwater system was unable to cope with the sudden demands made upon it, and at many places flooding took place to the discomfort of many pedestrians returning home after their evening’s entertainment. ■ . At places on Lambton Quay, particularly outside the Government Buildings, the thoroughfare was a veritable lake, and the sheet of backed-up water extended from almost one side of the street to the other. As the downpour eased off in the late evening the floodwater gradually receded and made its way seaward via the storm-water system. • As a result of the rain the Hutt River rose rapidly and yesterday afternoon it was still running high. Forced upward by a rush of stormwater that followed the downpour, a man-hole cover in Willis Street became a dangerous trap for motorists. The heavy concrete and iron coyer of a man-hole near the intersection of Willis and Dixon Streets was lifted, and a muddy fountain gushed for several minutes. When the flow subsided the cover lay at a rakish angle, j’utting fully eight inches above the roadway. Several who passed by endeavoured without success to replace it, and motorists fortunate enough to catch sight of the obstruction steered a wary course. Had the cover been hit by a vehicle travelling at speed the driver and occupants would have been fortunate to escape with nothing more than a severe j'olt. ,