GALES AND RAIN.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 25 May 1925, Page 4

GALES AND RAIN.

SEVERAL TOWNS FLOODED

MAIN THUNK LINE BLOCKED

(ItV TI'.UCURACn.— I’IIKHH AHHOCIATiON.) TAIJAI A RUN UI, May 23,

The effects of yesterday's heavy rainfall were not leifc until between seven and eight o’clock last night, when the Wanganui and Oogenic rivers rose with remarkable rapidity. The water rose until it was a loot deep on the flat area, whereupon restdents made a hasty escape. At eight o'clock tiie river rose to its highest point, and Lite singing waters tore the bank awav almost to the main, bitumen road. It is estimated the rivers washed away from 30 to- 40 feet of the bank for a distance of hull a mile. Residents of the lowin’ part of 1 anmariiitui had unenviable experiences, the Witter in places rising to the flooring. The river receded quickly utter hall'-pasfc eight, and dropped three feet in an hour. The water rose a foot above the flood of last week. The Ongarue river also rose rapidly, and at eight o’clock it was a raging torrent. The Taringamotu .stream bridge, on the main highway, was complete!- washed away, and the Ongarue bridge, on the road to the hospital, was declared unsafe by the Public Works Department. Road communication is cut off to the hospital by a big slip half-way up the- hill. The Ongarue '.river has also receded, but the damage is very heavy and can be estimated in- tnousands. In Manunui slight damage from rain water was done. Numerous slips are reported in the outlying districts. The flood damage in and around Taumarunui is serious. Several feet of the river bank was scoured out by the Wanganui 'river, on the TaumarunuiMatapuna road. At one point the river has eaten right into the road and broken part of the bitumen surface. A favourite walk round the river bank, known as the Esplanade, was completely washed away. Residents of the flat portion of the town suffered from water in their houses, and one man had over 40 feet of propert- eaten away. The water is two feet deep in a house on- Winter’s Island, on the Wanganui River, occupied by Mrs F. Langstone. who vacated the building and waded waist deep through the water in the dark to a dairy, where she lit a fire and stayed till 11.80 last night. R" that time the water had subsided a good dea 1 , and she returned to the ” house.

Slips occurred on all roads leading to the town and in outlying areas, and the damage will take thousands to repair.

SLIPS ON MAIN TRUNK

ALL TRAINS HELD UP.

The railway line south of Taumarunui is blocked bv a large slip and a subsidence near Pin aka.

The express from the north arrived at Taumarunui, about 5 o’clock this afternoon, and passengers transhipped to Piriaka, walking round the slip. Other railway services were held up by slips and wash-outs on the line. A big slip at the southern end of the Poroatarao tunnel blocked any connection between Te Kuiti and Taumarunui, but it is expected that this slip will he cleared shortly. Slips on the Main Trunk lin e at Taringamotu and wash-outs between Waimiha and Ongarue held the .service up for twenty-two hours. The line south of Taumarunui is also" blocked, and it is not expected to he open until late on Sunday. Passengers from trains/ from the. north were brought into Taumarunui by, moto-r----’bus, and passengers for the south motored to. Piriaka and picked up the south-bound' train there. DAMAGE AT OHAKUNE. In Ohakune borough, two bridges were demolished and two were seriously damaged. The ro.ad .was wlaMtcdi away for two. chains and there is a large subsidence at the approach to a bridge on. the main road to. Raet-ihi, It is estimated that the damage will amount to £2OOO. A heia.vy ’bus laden with passengers had a, miraculous escape, from being engulfed in the road subsiding. The ’bus had barely passed the spot when the. hole opened. A youth on a bicycle wag engulfed, but was extricated without much difficulty. Rain continues keeping the rivers high. MAIN LINE BLOCKED. PALMERSTON N.. May 25. The Standard’s Shannon correspondent advises that a. small bridge two miles on the Palmerston North side of Shannon, has been damaged, the piles being washed out by the recent rain. All trains are held up, the passengers ueing transhipped. AUCKALND. May 24. The first passengers to reach Auckland from Wellington since Friday morning arrived bv a relief train from Piriaka shortly after half-past one this afternoon.

Friday’s tr aips from We Ping ton were made into one at Oliakune, and that train on Saturday afternoon went to Piriaka, just north of which there is a big wash-out. The passengers had to transfer to a special train waiting on the other side of the slip. The train proceeded to Te Kuiti, arriving there at half-past eight last night, when word was received that the line was under water in the vicinity of Hangatiki, between Te Kuiti and Frankton. The train accordingly had to stay the night at Te Kuiti, leaving at’ 8.16 this morning. The passengers spean in high terms of the efforts of the railway officials to make the journey as comfortable as possib’e. Saturday's passengers from Wellington are expected to arrive some time after 6 to-night. The express will leave to-night for Wellington as usual.

AT WHAKATANE. WHAKATANE, May 28. The biggest floods experienced hero for twentv years inundated a large portion- of the low-lying area this morning. During the last two days a fierce north-easterly gale, accompanied by heavy rain, has swept over the town and country. Good work was done by the police, who went up the river and took’ settlers away from their water-surrounded homes in the early hours of this morning. Manv settlers are engaged in rescuing stock and gettmrr the animals to higher ground. As far as is known, little damage bar been done to stock. Damage to some small craft in the Whakatane river i« reported, and Mr 11. West, a local resident, lost a weli-equippcd launch.

eron were appointed at the same fee as last year. The auditors’ report was read by the secretary and received. A vote of thanks to the chair, to outgoing officers, and to all who had worked in any way for the* association concluded a very successful meeting.

TAURANGA’S EXPERIENCE. TAURANGA, May 23 . An easterly gale developed yesterday morning with exceptionally heavy ram, resulting in a heavy flood in_the Omanawa river. Debris brought down blocked the intake of the tunnel, causing a teinrxn-ary stoppage of the eleotno power supply. ’ • The river rose nearly forty* feet under three hours at McLaren’s Falls, where the now electric power works are neqr:itg completion. The engineer reports that the dam stood the test without injury of any kind. "-0 damage is reported in the immediate district. The weather is now fine. DAMAGE AT OPOTIKI. OPOTIKI, May 23. Heavy rain resulted in the town and the surrounding low-lying country being inundated, the streets being under Wilier. Flooding Tn The town commemced at 8.30 last night, and by six o’clock this morning most of the hoed water had disappeared. IN OHAKUNE AREA. OHAKUNE, May 23. Intermittent rain during the week ended in a Heavy twenty hours’ downpour yesterday, resulting in serious floods around Ohakune and district this morning. _ Bridges have been washed away and roads washed out. The main road in Ohakune was scoured out for three chains. \