WIDESPREAD FLOODING

Grey River Argus, 29 November 1946, Page 3

WIDESPREAD FLOODING

GREY RIVER RISES fectrical Storm Swollen by the torrential rains that fell in the back country on Wednesday night, the Grey River rose two feet in the 24-hour period ended 1.30 p.m. yesterday, and continued to rise steadily throughout the day. At 2.30 p.m. the water was six feet below the level of the wharf, and at 7.30 p.m. had risen a further two feet and was still rising. There was a freshet of nine knots in the river, and the muddy discoloured stream swept logs and debris in swirling eddies to the sea. There was a considerable sea on the Grey River bar and flood conditions in general made the port unworkable. The s.s. Kaimiro, which has partly completed loading _ for Wellington, threw out additional cables as a safety precaution, and the engines were run ahead to ease, the strain. For the 24 hours ended 9 a.m. yesterday, rainfall in Greymouth was 2.25 inches, the greatest fall since October 1. Last night there were heavy showers in Greymouth, but comparatively little rain was reported from the back country. RAIL SERVICES DELAYED Rail communication between the West Coast and Canterbury was suspended when yesterday’s expresses to and from Christchurch were unable to run to schedule. The electric power interruption left the Otira tunnel unusable by electric locomotives, and there were slips and wash-outs on the line. At Nellie’s Creek a washout caused by flooding in the Otira River left a gap 30 feet long in the railway embankment. Work trains from Greymouth and Arthur’s Pass proceeded to the scene, and last night temporary repairs had been effected. All train services between Jacksons and Otira were suspended from 8 a.m. yesterday, but last night, it was expected that they would be resumed at 5 a.m. this morning. There will be no serious repercussions in connection with goods transport, either from Canterbury or the West Coast and it is anticipated that the leeway will soon be made up when repairs are effected.

MINOR FLOODING In - Greymouth there was slight flooding within the borough, but no damage was reported. In some areas blocked storm-water drains and drains unable to cope with the excessive volume of water, caused minor flooding to roads and footpaths, and the overflow from the river again made its way to the southern end of Mackay Street, causing inconvenience to pedestrians. POWER BREAK-DOWN Three powei’ poles carrying a double high tension circuit from Lake Coleridge to the West Coast were struck by lightning and completely disintegrated by Wednesday night’s violent electrical storm, plunging the West Coast into darkness at 11.7 p.m. The break in the line occurred near Mt. Misery, between Cass and Bealey. In the meatime, power for the Grey district is being supplied by the auxiliary diesel station at Dobson, and the hydro sub-station at Kaijnata. Unfortunately, at the time of the fault some of the equipment at the Dobson sub-station was out of service for overhaul this preventing the full output of the station being obtained. Last night it was expected that the normal power supply would be resumed late this afternoon. Delays caused by washouts and slips on the railways has alleviated the electrical position somewhat, as there is no heavy drain on power by electric locomotives hauling trains through the Otira tunnel. The day shift at the Dobson State mine was idle yesterday because of the power failure. The fans were stopped at 11.7 p.m. on Wednesdaynight, and in accordance with regulations, had to run for eight hours before the men could re-enter the mine, Work on the afternoon shift was carried out as usual. At Wallsend the miners did not enter the mine until a little later than usual, and at the Blackball, Liverpool and Strongman mines, and at private mines throughout the district, work was not affected. The loss m coal production is of no great conseqUGold dredges throughout the district were also affected, and nine units ceased operations yesterday. Gold dredges draw a heavy load from the local power supply, and tnemergency station at Dobson was unable to cope with the demand, and still offer a normal service to other consumers. Last night however a roster system whereby diea F". would each work for a limited period had been drawn up, and some units resumed work. The efficient and expeditious action of the State Hydro-electric Department in effecting a change over from the Coleridge plant to, the auxiliary plants on the West Coast, merits the highest praise, and wtL well appreciated by power useis. 1 n readjustment providing the Grey area with electrical power took only 35 minutes.

TELEGRAPHIC INTERRUPTIONS The storm also interrupted telephonic and telegraphic communications betwee’n the West Coast and Canterbury. Fuses were blown and line faults occurred in the AitkensOtira area. Yesterday all tolls were routed through Blenheim and Wellington. Faults also occurred' on the Canterbury side of the range, and last night it had not been ascertained when normal communication would be restored. There was no delay in the dispatch of telegrams from Greymouth, but tolls became congested, and long delays were experienced in making connections. ROADS BLOCKED The road to Canterbury via the Otira Gorge was blocked to traffic from a'n early hour yesterday. There were slips and' washouts on the Otira Gorge, but had these been cleared, it was doubtful whether Broad. Creek past Bealey would be negotiable. Ac-

cording to advice received from the Greymouth branch of the Canterbury Automobile Association yesterday afternoon, it was possible that the road would be claerrd to-day, but the Association advised motorists proceeding to Canterbury to rail their cars from Otira to Springfield. Heavy flooding at Saltwater Creek, Stillwater, prevented motorists using that route to the Lewis Pass, but when the flood waters subside, it is expected that this road will be open. The Big Grey river was in heavy flood yesterday, but no stock losses or serious damage to property was reported.-Late yesterday, it was reported that all roads in South Westland were ope'n.

Danger Past

The flood in the Grey River started to recede before S o’clock last night, according to advice received from the Greymouth Harbour Board engineer (Mr D. S. Kennedy). At 11 p.m. the crucial point had been passed. and there was no immediate danger to wharves or equipment at Greymouth. There was still a considerable sea on the bar, and the port remained unworkable.