HUTT ROAD FLOOD

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 22, 26 January 1940, Page 8

HUTT ROAD FLOOD

TRAFFIC DELAYS

GULLIES SPOUT MUD AND

STONE

Along the Hutt Road the rain brought down masses of soil and rock from the gullies and blocked the outflows. The debris spread over the inland half of the road in several places, and, with water that topped the centre kerbing, blocked the road in several sections from about 8.30 a.m. onwards. * Gangs of men were put to work without delay and it,is expected that the road north will be cleared sufficiently for one-line traffic throughout its length this afternoon.

At the height of the downpour, which was about 8 o'clock, every gully leading down to the road was spout-

ing mud and water and the familiar wooden flume north of Ngahauranga was running full bore and flanked by torrents. This water spread right across to the railway line. Further south a leaping cascade deposited a great mass of mullock on the road and added to the volume of water, which soon covered the railway line for a distance of well over half a mile. FOOT OF WATER ON LINE. A slip, fortunately well back from the road^occurred near the Main Highways Board depot, but it was not of a serious nature. The flooding at this point was also severe and the water reached the top of the seawall, covering the railway line to a depth of well over a foot A big concrete wall erected to the south of the depot at a point that gave trouble last year stood up to its work well, and where previously debris had blocked the road for some time there was no hold-up of traffic. The worst aspect of the flooding on the road was at the Horokiwi quarry, south of the Petone railway crossing, where the. water from three quite, respectable streams has its outlet. Normally no trouble is experienced in keeping the water to its course, which terminates in a big culvert leading into the harbour, but this morning the water was right over the road. From 7.30 onwards the flood water rose rapidly and about 8 o'clock the stream topped the bank and began to tear a new course down towards the road. STREAM TAKES CHARGE. Mr. F. Dolling, one of the partners operating the quarry, had earlier put a caterpillar tractor to work shoring up the bank, but the stream took charge and tractor and driver had to beat a hasty retreat. Within a few a substantial part of a pile of metal minutes the stream had carried away that stood in its way and made the north-bound section of the road prac- j tically impassable. But for the fact that the culvert was able to cope with the huge volume of water which drained naturally into it the flooding would have been much more serious. "It was the biggest flood we have had in the six or seven years that we have been here," said Mr. Dolling. "The water must have carried thousands of yards of rubble out to sea,' and probably 100 yards of metal. He mentioned having heard that not many years ago eight head of cattle had been caught in a similar flood further up the stream and washed down to the site of the quarry. , Such was the force of the flood that rocks weighing upwards of a quarter of a ton were carried some distance from the point where the stream comes out of the hill. RAPID SUBSIDENCE. The sumps and the ducts placed a chain apart in the centre kerbing of the road did all that could be expected of them' in the circumstances. Once the blocked sumps were cleared she water began to subside rapidly and a couple of hours after the peak of the flooding the only point where traffic had to reduce speed after regaining the inner stretch of road was opposite the quarry. The blocking of one half of the road brought the full volume of traffic on to the outer otretch, but did not cause serious delay. Several small slips, none sufficient to hold up traffic, occurred on the Ngahauranga Gorge Road.