A Bridge Wanted at Apiti

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 116, 14 November 1893, Page 2

A Bridge Wanted at Apiti

■ • . - — ♦ Yesterday when Mr J . G. Oldham, of Apiti, was on his way to Feilding| he had a narrow escape. When he got to the Oroua he found the river rather high, but being pressed by urgent business he determined not to delay, but to tackle it. He had nearly got over when he saw a large trunk of a tree being swept towards him. To avoid this Mr Oldham turned his horse down stream, and in a few moments was swimming. Luckily the horse was a good one in the water. An attempt was made to reach the landing, but the strong mountain torrent prevented this, and it was not until horse and rider had been swept down' a considerable distance, that bottom was again touched. Those who know this ford will see that it was a near thing, for bad the horse failed to land where he did, both horse and rider must have been taken into the dangerous backwater which has already proved fatal to so many unfortunate travellers. This incident is only another evidence of the urgent need which exists for the erection of a bridge over the Oroua river at this ford. We are informed that another petition (several have already been sent in) signed by fifty settlers in the Apiti Survey District was forwarded last week to the Government, which we hope will meet a better fate than its predecessors, for surely it is little short of manslaughter on the part of the authorities to compel settlers and travellers to risk their lives when the expenditure of a comparatively small sum of money in the erection of a bridge would remove the danger.