STRANDED IN THE BEALEY

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 October 1928, Page 8

STRANDED IN THE BEALEY

MOTORISTS TAKE CHANCE.

“Wise motorists truck their cars at Otira, others take a chance, and now we know better,” said the spokesman of three motorists who found themselves stranded in the swirling, yellow waters of the Waimakariri at Bealey. The motorists, who left the Motoi Traders’ Conference at Nelson to see New Zealand first, were Mr. Julian B. United States Trade Commissioner, and Mr. James Cruse, and Mr. 'Fred Barnhouse, of General Motors, Petone. . , x ., At 1 p.m., the tourists arrived at the bank of the river and telephoned the Bealey Hotel. A voice at the other end of the wire said that the river was hll right. Eventually the hotelkeeper came across the river on a hack, and wdht back to fetch a horse. The motorists told the man that one horse was no good and the reply was that the horse had hauled hundreds of cars across. So the haul began, but right in the middle of the turgid tor.rent the horse fell down on its job. It could not move the car, and the occupants watched the waters rising as the car settled down.

They made to get out as the waters entered and sought refuge on the roof and bonnet after they had made an effort to push the car. All were wet to the armpits. The man went to get another horse and Mr. Foster in the meantime made eight trips on the hack from car to gravel bank with the luggage. The party then carried the luggage to the bank after wading through three streams. One of Mr. Foster’s shoes was carried down stream, but the party managed to save their aptns The hotel was reached and two horses were used later to drag the car from the river.

/ Tho party went on to Christchurch by train, and the car was later railed through to Springfield. Even when the Bealey was crossed there were lather flooded streams blocking the way. The party at the finish did not seem to relish the idea that they had paid £1 to be towed into the middle of a river from which they had to escape as well as they could.