FLOOD WATERS ABATE IN MOST RIVERS ON WEST COAST

Grey River Argus, 25 February 1949, Page 3

FLOOD WATERS ABATE IN MOST RIVERS ON WEST COAST

Although yesterday remained overcast and showery at times, there was no further flooding on the West Coast. However, most of the main rivers still carried a large volume of flood water, with an almost complete absence of the debris which came down during the flooding on Wednesday.

Yesterday morning the level of the Grey River was more than eight feet from the top of the wharf at high tide. Stock losses, although high in parts of the country, were not yesterday reported to be as high as was earlier feared. None of the stock on Cobden Island was lost, and most upcountry farmers were able to report that their sheep and cattle safely survived the flooded rivers and creeks.

Blocked in two places on Wednesday afternoon and night, the Grey-mouth-Blackball road provided problems for Railway Road Service drivers. One bus was stranded early in the evening near Stillwater, being marooned in the middle of two stretches of rising waters. The passengers walked along the railway track higher up and oined another bus, but the bus had to be towed into Greymouth late in the night. Passengers for Blackball found a further obstruction when water blocked the road between Ngahere and the Blackball bridge, and they had to walk over the railway line to be picked up on the railway bridge. Similar changes had to be made throughout the evening as passengers proceeded to and from Blackball. The Lewis Pass and Otira Gorge roads were still closed yesterday, but the South Westland Road which was blocked near Wataroa, was re-open-ed. Air services were restored to normal yesterday, and work resumed on the Greymouth waterfront, where the Anchor Line motor ship Puriri completed loading coal for Nelson, but remained bar-bound. The Kiwitea was still awaiting favourable bar conditions yesterday after days in the roadstead, but the Anchor Line steamer Rata, after waiting for two days put back to Nelson. BUS IN BULLER GORGE Traffic was disrupted by flooding at Big Ohika, Three Channel Flat, and Inangahua Junction, passengers through the Buller Gorge having to be conveyed by boat and lorry to Berlins, where they had to spend the night before going on to Westport yesterday morning. The flood was the highest since 1926 at Hawk’s Crag, where the waters were only two feet from the top of the road. The Lewis Pass road is negotiable again as far as Maruia Springs, but a slip has occurred between the summit of the Pass and Hanmer Junction. It was hoped that repairs would be completed and the road reopened last night.

At Stockton S.G6 inches of rain fell in the 14 hours to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, bringing the total to 31.72 inches for the month. The heavy rain made many difficulties for those engaged in open-cast mining. BOAT CAPSIZES

Two men, Mr Percy Adams, and a youth, Robert Rawcliffe were thrown into the flood waters in the Cobden Lagoon on Wednesday afternoon, and washed about 150 yards downstream before being able to get on to a shingle bank. They were endeavouring to secure a line to a launch owned by Mr Adams, when the flat-bottomed boat in which they were proceeding capsized. They managed to cling to the overturned craft until it was washed near the shore, and later were brought to the riverbank in another boat owned by Mr Gordon Curtis.

Later the moorings of the launch gave way when a large log struck the vessel and snapped the line. The launch drifted down-stream, but was carried back into the shelter of a bank by the backwash and safely moored to the shingle bank.