SNOW-BOUND CANTERBURY

Evening Star, Issue 16777, 4 July 1918, Page 8

SNOW-BOUND CANTERBURY

DISTRICTS STILL ISOLATED, INCLUDING LAKE COLERIDGE. [SrTCIAL TO THU 'StaB.T ; CimisfcßUßCH, July 4. _ ' The greater portion of Canterbury still snow-boun-i, and communications b*» yond a comparatively small radius of 4SI& city westward and northward are absolutely cut off. Heavy damage has been: occasioned to telegraph ana telephone' wires, but the full extent of it is not ascertainable. Losses of stock are also inevitable. The railways, roads, and rivers' are impassable in many places. The Laks Coleridge electric power supply is still cut off, and the power-house la isolated from the city, 25 miles of roads being now snow-bound. Industries and the city generally are still affected seriously. D'isastor has undoubtedly overtaken the back country, yet here It is only possible to build surmises on what baa happened, for the weather conditions have shut down in a censorship which could hardly be more effective. In mast parts of North Canterbury it is impossible to approach th.<t> immediate foothill districts, owing to ths impassable barrier of enow, whilst the telegraph and telephono systems in many places are a tangle of jumbled wires and poles. The storm is possibly the worst within memory of trre present generation. Even tho historic initial fall of 1895 is claimed by many not to have approached this in intensity. Unless a warm rain sets in in tho back country the losses in stock will be enormous. The electrical section of tho Public Works Department is making strenuous efforts to communicate with the Lake Coleridgo power-house, but as all the telephono lines are interrupted, and the roads are snow-bound and impassable, it is in an unpleasant quandary. Consequently it is making an urgent appeal to any persons who are willing to make efforts to deliver a message to the power-house by any method. Tho Mayor stated th.it a proposal had been mndo that Mr Hill, the Aviation Company's instructor, should fly in a machine to the lake and tako a messenger to the engineers at the power-house, but it was decided that, as Air Hill does not kmov the country there, it would not be advisable to make the attempt. Instead of that, arrangements were made with a Russian, a member of Mr Birks's staff, to make an at tempt to reach the powev-houso. He was supplied with a pair of ski that were used in Captain Scott's Antarctic expedition, and were presented to Air Kinsoy. lesterdav's news from Hnrorata was to the effort that the aid of the vil'age blacksmith had keen invoked, and that all hands w-ve ie.-y nirgim.'. up some i';u-,hiou of a snow phuiji in front or one of the cars, it is Imped to get through with this one, while the other will act as a messenger for the plough party. Failing this, an attempt will probably be made," if permission can be obtained from the Sehvyn Coiui-y Co-oieil, to get through to tho lake by iraeiioi: engine.