SETTLERS ISOLATED
WASHOUTS;-FOLLOW
STORE
CLOUDBURST IN KING
COUNTRY
SERIOUS DAMAGE TO
ROADS
A "cloudburst" caused a flood in the Wnimarino district on Thursday, and a rough estimate sets the damage done' to roads, bridges, and culverts at £2000, says tho "Wanganui Chronicle." Roads were quickly blocked by slips, and stream's rose rapidly, in one instance as much as 30 feet in two hours. Settlers were cut off, and tho only means of outlet some of thorn have'now is a track hardly fit for pedestrians. The county engineer considers that it will be three months before roads in the affected area will be fit. to cope with wool ready for the market. Mr. A. Millbank, secretary to the Waipapa-Mangaiti Settlers' Association, has sent the following telegram to the Minister of Public Works: — Cloudburst on Thursday; road access Waipapa-Mangaiti completely blocked; impossible to get iood.supplies in; local body unable to copo with damage. Urge you to authorise immediate investigation. Consider immediate relief necessary. The district was visited by Mr. 11. L. Hogg, 'Baetihi County engineer,' who, in describing his experience, said that1 a big slip 'started to move behind him. This followed the car, for some chains. As r he approached a bend ho saw that it was futile to push ahead, as another quantity of debris was slipping. It was a case of stand still and wait. The slip in the rear crashed over the road-and went several feet below. It became impossible -'for the car to be got out. Mr. Hogg made his way as best he could through liquid mud to the nearest residence. It took him two hours, and ho was fortunate to get there before nightfall. '' TRAGEDY IN DISTRICT. '' "A tragedy has overtaken the district,"' was how Councillor A. S. Ashmore, who represents tho Euatiti Biding on the Waimarino County Council, described the .results of .the storm. His residence is on the Makino road. Ho and one other settler in that locality could report little damage to their properties, but tho .others fared badly. Although Ms-property was on the fringe of the storm, Mr. Ashmorc saia that the rain flattened . out some of the' sheep.. Ho had seen, several of the slips the council would havo to contend with, and in his opinion it was impossible to exaggerate what had happened. One blockage' he -described as beiug two" feet deep and a chain wide—slimy mud and water. In another placa a torrent raged down tho hillside. It was' impossible to gel out of the district except «6n foot, and it would bo imv possible/he said, to get food supplies to the settlers for some-days. The county chairman (Councillor C. 11. Ball) said that-the council sympathised with tho' settlor's in the affected areas,' and everything ■ possible would be done to minimise tho 'dislocation. An appeal would bo made to the Public Works department and the Unemployment Board to assist. It is estimated that 50.miles of road have been blocked or damaged, but it was fortunate indeed that telephonic communication was not 'disturbed. A Raetihi' carrier had to- abandon his lorry, which ho had taken in for wool, and make his way out on foot". It took him all day to cover 13 miles.
SETTLERS ISOLATED
Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 120, 17 November 1931, Page 11
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Evening Post. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Log in