DESOLATE COUNTRYSIDE

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 82, 5 April 1924, Page 13

DESOLATE COUNTRYSIDE

ANXIOUS TIME FOR RAILWAYMEN

(II TII.ECIUPH.— SPECIAL *T0 THE POSI.J

AUCKLAND, This Day. All the flats between Kumeu (25 miles from Auckland) and Wharepapa (35 miles from Auckland, and three from Helensville) are under water, and the railwayman are having an anxious time watclimg numerous bridges and-culverts. On this stretch of> the Kaipara line trio whole countryside looks very desolate, and in mai/y places the flood waters are so high that the fences are completely out o£ sight. . ' . . Dairying people arc seriously inconvenienced by .the sudden inundation and m several instances stock was in considerable danger before it was shifted to higher ground. All this country drams into Kaipara Harbour, and settlers fear that. there will be further trouble when the tide will be full It js thought that with so much, flood water over the country and the tide backing it up more damage will be done. ' A telegram from Paeroa says the suddenness .with which the waters rose was ,<J,\ llte.. remarkable. At 5 o'clock on Xhurs'day afternoon the river was just about normal, but! at ,9.p.m. the residents were getting. put or their homes, in many cases not; having time to get fully clothed, and household' efiects had to be left to their fate/ Unfortunately. Quite a number of poultry houses were in the flooded region, and. poultry were. o£ course, drowned before anything could be done for them.' Otherwise "there was little .loss of stock. -■ ■ , Yesterday morning the" houses presented a sorry sight inside. The floors were covered with silt and carpets and other articles were ruined. A copper and set of tubs were washed away in one case, tut houses themselves stood the strain of the waters. Tho ' other" side of the river-did not escape, for the water got through gaps in the stop-bank.' The residents, however, were not forced to leave their homes so hurriedly.

.. It is. said, that the present is. the worst flood experienced in the- district, the rise of water, being. 9£ inches higher than was the case in the biggest previous flood, which occurred in March, 1910. It usually, takes 12 hours for the river to rise to such an extent that trouble is anticipated, but: on Thursday the water rose in three hours. ' Most of the trouble is-said to have been caused by the fact 'that the, stop-bank on the western side of the river diverted the flood waters on to the eastern side, and the fear is entertained that those bridges which are still standing, will.'act. as. waterways for further floods. Mr.: H. Poland, M.P.. inspected the damage. yesterday ' morning and communicated witli the Minister of Public Works on'the subject.

An - exciting experience befell Mr. Alex. Hunter, a well-kno,wn taxi driver, of Helerisville," who was travelling up from Auckland to Helensville oh Thursday night with a passenger. - When the car got past "Kumeu it ran into several parts of the road where in low-lying parts there was a good deal of water in the way; but all wpnt well until nearing Waimauku. which is. some 29 miles from Anckland by rail. ; Although the-road has never given .the slightest cause for anxiety in previous floods, there are a couple of dips crossing gullies that during Thursday's downpour bepaihe flooded.; It was in trying to negotiate ' the nearest of these dips towards Waimauku that the car ran' into trouble, and the ocbu-. pants got the surprise of their lifes,L when, instead of running, into the same sort of thing as they had. experienced elsewhere along the road .where-the water covered, the track'for a''few inches, the car was submerged, and the :driver. and passengers found themselves up to necks in water. The driver bad to swim for it in the end, and then, they made their way,back to .the Huapai Hotel; where they landed at 2 o'clock yesterday morning, one of them minus his nether garments. The car'is still under water.l , ' . . : J