AFTER THE FLOOD

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 14, 17 January 1930, Page 10

AFTER THE FLOOD

ESTIMATE OF DAMAGE LESS THAN ANTICIPATED (By Telegraph.) (Specia) to "The Evening Post.") CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. A change of the wind from east to south-west" on Wednesday brought a welcome clearance in the weather during the night, and yesterday was beautifully fine so that the flood waters rapidly disappeared, and the resultant damage will not be as great as was anticipated. Roads have suffered severely iv many places at Ashburton. The damage to the Main South road on the south sido of the traffic bridge prevented through traffic till late in the.afternoon.

The Midland railway line is still blocked, damage assessed at several thousand pounds having been dono to tho track between Springfield and Avoca as the result of the scouring and washouts. No mail trains were able to get through yesterday, but with a gang of about 00 meu working as hard as possible, there is every prospect of their getting through to-morrow. All mails to and from the West Coast have been held up in tho meantime. According to railway officials, the suspension of the traffic is the most serious that has occurred on this side of the Alps for some years. The damage is most extensive near Kowai Bush, whore it may be necessary to put in a deviation The distance between the places that have been damaged precludes the possibility of any transhipment of mails or passengers between Staircase and Kowai Bush, a distance of six- miles. The track is undermined for a length of about 80 feet in ono place and for about 80 feet in another. A big slip also fell across the line. A scour between Springfield and Annat, about three-quarters of a mile from the former station, marooned a eoods train for 24 hours, progress either forward or backward being prevented by tho volume of water flowing across the track. The train was eventually, released at 10 a.m. to-day, and it continued to Springfield. Reports from the districts beyond Springfield yesterday state that the weather is fine, so that tim snecial Gangs of workmen, including a ?rX load of 40 who left Middleton at short notice this morning, will bo able to make uninterrupted progress with the restoration work. No damage is reported on any other section of the railway in Canterbury.