RAIN AND FLOODS

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 April 1938, Page 5

RAIN AND FLOODS

MARLBOROUGH DAMAGE ORDEALS FOR SETTLERS [FEB PBEBB ASSOCIATION.] BLENHEIM, April 16. 1 After the most severe storm in the memory of settlers of outer Pelorus Sound, a large landslide swept down a steep hillside in Admiralty Bay, near French Pass, completely smashing a new homestead belonging to Mr. Robert Sharron Turner, aged 53, who later died from shock. A cloudburst over Mount Turner changed a quiet creek into a raging torrent, which changed its course and swept tons of boulders right through the back of the house. In the next bay, Puketea Bay. three houses occupied by Mr. E. Guard and his two sons were also in the line of the storm and were completely wrecked. Mount Turner, which rises about 1800 feet above Mr. R. Turner’s houses, and on the other side of which is Puketea Bay, where the Guards’ three houses were destroyed, appears to have been the centre of a cloudburst. It had rained consistently all day on Wednesday and Thursday, ending in thunder and lightning and a terrific down pour about 6.30. • In not much more than half an. hour the worst was over, and the water was receding, but the damage wrought in that short space of time was almost indescribable. What were grassy paddocks and attractive homesteads became wrecked homes amidst thousands of tons of huge boulders.

With the heavy downfall huge slips occurred on Mount Turner in all directions, many falling across the usually tiny creek bed. For a period the waters were held up. only to break with a rushing swirl, carrying hundreds of tons of boulders with them. The hillsides appear to contain enormous quantities of smooth, water-worn boulders. These were released by the water when the slips reached the creek said Mr. H. M. Baker, an eye-witness, rushing water. Some of the boulders arc of enormous size, and so strong I was the force of the water that they I were hurled about in every direction. BOULDERS IN THE HALL. At Mr. R. Turner's homestead, which had been rebuilt only two years, after a disastrous tire, boulders of all sizes were swept, through the hall of the house and bounded down a concrete path to the sea with great force. Tn the kitchen the evening meal had been prepared, and as the men were out looking at the flooded stream plates were placed over the food. By some means or other the table was not upset and was lifted up as the room filled with boulders to within five feet of the ceiling, and the meal remained intact —but there was no time to eat. Those watching the stream only had time to warn the womenfolk to leave the house. A swirling wall of water 10 feet high was seen coming down the creek, breaking the bank behind the house, and it was only by clinging to a wire fence that the men managed to avoid being swept away. Five very distinct flashes of lightning wfere seen in exactly the same place, and it seemed to the settlers that the slips moved simultaneously with the flashes, but of this they could not be certain. There has been a building on the site of Turner's home for about 100 years. The Hammond family were there some years before the Nelson settlement was founded in 1842. The Guards’ three houses on the other side of Mount. Turner suffered a similar fate. In one instance only the roof of the house is showing above the boulders. The view of the Mount Turner hillside from a launch is as if it had been subjected to a merciless bombardment.

At II o'clock at night the three men from the Turner household went, up (lie creek where it had broken through and with difficulty dammed it up to turn it back into its original course.

“It was uncanny to hear the roar of slips coming down in all directions.” sasid Mr. H. M. Baker, an eye-witness. “There were huge landslides on Mount Turner and boulders were carried right down to the house. Sanding at the door of the whare we could hear the boulders thundering down the creek bed and crashing against the back of the house." All the houses round Admiralty Bay were affected to some extent, but. not so badly as Mr Turner’s or the Guards'. The Turners came by launch to Nelson yesterday, bringing the body of their father. Telephone communication witli this portion of the Sounds is ent off. The scene at I’uketea Bay is also appalling. As many of the telephone lines are. out of commission, it is not known how many scattered settlers fared. Another building owned by Mr. R. Harvey, of Waitata Bay, was badly damaged by a landslide which went through the house. Practically all his belongings were lost. Mr. L. Harvey’s woolshed at Bulwer was ’seriously damaged. McCauley Bros., of Bulwer, had water and silt through their house and lost all their fishing gear. Mr. P. G. Hope and helpers had a hard light with the land slip all night. Messrs A. S. Turner and Son’s engineering workshop was threatened by the slip. Messrs McCauley Bros’ homestead at Orchard Bay, Port Ligar, was practically ruined being covered with boulders from the landslide and the woolshed, too, was almost wrecked. The sheep yards were covered over with spoil. The total damage is estimated to run into many thousands of pounds.

THUNDER AND LIGHTNING

NELSON, April 18

A. S. Turner, of Turner Bros., who with others, succeeded in saving. their engineering workshop after thirteen hours’ work following the Mt. Turner cloud burst, says that while he realises it is against the accepted theory, he with others were convinced from observation that the slips occurred simultaneously with reverberations from great peals of thunder. They checked up on this by watching a nearby bank and this crumbled away, so it seemed, -with each peal of thunder. The lightning was a great ball of blue flame. FLOODS IN TARANAKI. NEW PLYMOUTH, April 16. Slips and wash-outs have occurred on almost every road and railway line, and bridges have! been washed away by the most serious: floods for years in East Taranaki. They followed prolonged .torrential -rain in the area be-

tween Whangamomona and- Stratford. Yesterday communication by road was completely, disorganised, and with the whole district affected it appears likely to be some time before' it can be fully restored. . It i* easily the worst flood for ten years. The rain begun to fall on Wednesday and became heavier on Thursday and through the night it came down in shegts with scarcely a break until the fall eased yesterday afternoon. In the meanwhile, rivers, normally little more than creeks, had been swollen by rains pouring off the hills, the soil of which is 1 not very porous, and steep hillsides. began to slide.

Bringing 370 passengers for Taranaki and Wanganui from Auckland and Main Trunk stations, the train that left Auckland at ten o’clock on Thursday night arrived at 2.15 a.m. to-day instead of 9.30 a.m. yesterday. Slips at both ends of the Kiore tunnel, on the Stratford l Main Trunk section of the line, caused the train to be held up at Whangamomona. yesterday morning, pending the arrangement of road transport over the gap. The blocked roads were cleared earlier than was expected, and this led to the abandonment of those plans, the train returning to Taumarunui, to travel to New Plymouth via. Marton and Wanganui.

Floods and torrential rain were re- ' ported, on Mount Egmont during the t past few days. The worst, flood for * several years occurred in the Kapuni , River at Dawson Falls on Wednesday t night, and the site of the old power , house was completely covered. The ’ rain which fell at. North Egmont Hos- .' tel on Tuesday overflowed the rain “ gauge, which measured up to Ilin. I VICTORIAN GALE. (Recd. April .18. 8 a.m.) , MELBOURNE, April 17Although the Easter holiday ■ weather at Melbourne started well, a • change developed on Saturday, bringing winds of gale force, which swept, all parts of the State, causing much ■ damage. A north-west wind coming ; over the drought-stricken northern areas, brought vast clouds of dust, causing showers of red rain. Campers had an unenviable time. Many tents were blown down, causing holidaymakers to pack up and return to Hie city. Many yachts and fishing boats were blown ashore. There is little rain yet, but heavy falls are expected. ADELAIDE STORM ADELAIDE. April 16. Severe rain, with lightning and a hailstorm struck Adelaide last evening. The storm lasted for about 15 minutes, during which it. is estimated that 60 points of rain fell, causing considerable damage and interrupting the power supply. Some roads will be impassable till the flood ■waters have subsided. SUNSPOT’S EFFECTS. (Received April 18, 11.30 a.m.) LONDON. April 17. A jnagnetic. storm affected telephones and telegraphs throughout Britain yesterday. Mr IL Spencer .Jones. Astronomer Royal, states a sunspot, ten times larger than the surface of the earth, caused a magnetic storm sixty miles above the surface of the earth. North America is reported to have had the most brilliant Aurora Borealis for thirty-five years.