WESTPORT NOTES

Grey River Argus, 9 February 1943, Page 6

WESTPORT NOTES

[Our Own High Tides, Port of Westport: a.m. p.m. Tuesday, 9, 02.58 03.32 Wednesday, 10, 04.01 04.40 Thursday, 11, 05.23 06.06 Friday, 12, 06.47 07.22 WESTPORT. Feb. 8. An 18-carriage train carrying 640 excursionists from the Grey Valley, Buller Valley and Reefton arrived on Saturday morning. Disadvantage was experienced in the weather, as a coastal fog rested on the town all day. A shunter engaged on the Westport railway, Henry Carpenter, aged 35 years, met with a fatal accident this afternoon. He was caught in the ponts in the railway yard, the wheel of a vehicle passing over his left leg. He was admitted to the Buller Hospital, where his death occurred this evening. He was a married man with three children. The late Mr Carpenter was for a number of years employed by the Railway Department at Brunner as porter. .Mrs Carpenter belongs to the Grey district, being a daughter of Mr H. Jamieson, of Cobden. I A. C. Winter Morgan is spending leave with his parents. Messrs J. Lorimer, W. Burgess, W. Gouey and L. Carmine representing Edgeware Bowling Club are playing Buller Clubs in friendly games. The funeral 'of the late John .Stanley Scott took place on Sunday afternoon. The pall-bearers, six members of the. Returned Services’ Association, were W. Borlase, F. L. -Lynch, C. Walker, A. G. Petley, T.! .Jorgensen and E. Potter. ■ ■ Heavy rains, believed to be in the nature of a cloudburst, on Saturday morning considerably damaged roads and railway, north of Westport. Slips occurred on the Stockton, Millerton road, the road between Hector and Mokihinui, also on the Karamea road and the Seddonville side of the Mokihinui tunnel, experienced heavy slips on the railway. A large slip near Seddonville twisted the railway line and blocked the road. Many farms are badly damaged and there have been stock losses. Workmen engaged in clearing these slips have been working up to their waists in mud.

The Little Wanganui River has experienced the highest floods for 21 years, this making the fourth flood in a week. Heavy losses of cattle, sheep and pigs are feared. One farmer has lost 45 sheep. The paddocks have received another coating of silt on top of what was deposited in three previous floods. Some farmers estimate the damage as being as heavy as that in the flood after the ’quake when the big dam broke away. _____