HUTT VALLEY RAILWAY LINE DAMAGED.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 16, 18 July 1912, Page 8

HUTT VALLEY RAILWAY LINE DAMAGED.

Up till 4 o'clock yesterday the heavy i Tains of the last few days had not had | muck effect on Petone or Lower Hutt, there being very little water on" the lowlying land. The rain continued incessantly, and soon the water began to ! back up in various places. The Wai■wetu stream overflowed ite banks in the ] evening, and the result is that the greater portion of the Hntt Park and j surrounding land 'is inundated. Consequently the Hutt Ilorough. Council has ! been unable to work the pumps at the eastern septic tank, thus causing con--siderable inconvenience to come residents. Alioetown has suffered much, while portions of several of the unoccupied estates are inches under water. Thie is particularly noticeable on the land below the railway line at Lower Hutt. Land near i-he pumping station at Lower Hutt is also covered, while the area adjoining the Petone gasworks is mostly under water. Several other areas in the district are similarly affected. All the small creeks in the Hutt - County are unusually high, Black Creek, at Lower Hitfcfc, being particularly so. There .Lac been no perceptible rise in. the Hutt River — in fact, it has not gone up in the- least since yesterday. It is -not likely the river will rise to any apjiraciable extent while the southerly continues. . A noticeable fact v> that there is no water in Leary-street, Lower Hutt, ■which on other occasions has been badly affected. The new drain recently puc in, by the borough engineer has, it w'll •■be seen, been very; effective. Coneideiing the sta*o of the weather, ' k, is rather remarkable so little actual damage haj> been reported. There have beer, several small slips in ♦he district. One reported on the Lowry Bay-road is rather more seriods than •usual, while tw» or three minor clips have- occurred on the Belmont->-oad. Petone has, comt> through the ordeal v«y well, the only damage of Importance bein^ a slip on the Kcrokoro-road, which is being attended to. The road was completely blocked, but was passable late in the afternoon. Very little damage has been reported so far In the Hutt County, except for two or three small clips on the new road formation at Plimmerton and Pukerua. THE RAILWAYS RAILWAY BETWEEN PETONE AND NGAHAURANGA. The southerly ha 6 had its effect on the railway line between Petone and j Jfgahauranga, thero being two waehodt* caused by the heavy seas breaking on td the track. The sea in. the harbour is Unusually heavy, but the new protec- \ tton wall recently erected proved its efficiency in several places. The damage done is being repaired expeditiously. Throughout to-day only the single track asbeing used, -ut the traffic has not been eeriouely disorganised. None of the ,-trajns have been running more than, -three or four minutes late. It was expected the repairs would be completed at "about G o'clock this aiternon. MAIN TRUNK. The Main Trunk express from Auckland to Wellington was delayed for an -■ittnir and a half near Mangaweka by - a hearts- slip, -the eOTa£iel» dearaiire of*j

which was well forward vhen the train left. She was nearly three-quarters of an hour late on arriva-1. WAIRARAPA LINE. On the Wairarapa line, near Featherston, th« washout was, as stated elsewhere, successfully overco'mc, and although considerably behind time the train was eventually got through. The Railway Department . is nojjr successfully coping with the obstruction to the service dtie to the severe weather of the past few days. No trouble on 4he lines has been reportod to-day other I than the obstructions referred to.