WOOD-STREWN BEACH

Hawera Star, Volume LII, 5 September 1932, Page 7

WOOD-STREWN BEACH

RESULT OF HIGH RIVER. LAST WEEK’S ACTIVITY. High water in the Wanganui River during the week resulted in exceptional activity on the wood-strewn beach at Castlecliff. The beach wap a long line of wood brought down by the. flood waters, reports the ‘Wanganui Cnroiiicle.” It was of every kind —good, bad and. rotten. Mon . worked pii Tuesday evening with lgmps, saws and axes and were busy well into the night. They returned at dawn to renew their activity —some to find that others had visited piles of cut wood to select the best ior their own use. Good AA'ood was used first, and ratas up to 20 feet m the barrel, and some with a good spread of branches were soon dealt with. Later, the willows claimed attention and by the middle of the week branches and odds_ and ends from the good trees wer© being cut side by side with the second class firing. Different methods of’conveyance provided a study. Practically every road vehicle was brought into use. Motorcars made their appearance, carte moved slowly along the beach, side by side with gigs and sledges. Motorcycle side-cars were filled with wood and even perambulators carried a strange load. Dead stock in large numbers were brought down by the fresh. From the river mouth to the far end of the beach the toll £>f the waters could he seen. Carcases of cows, goats, pigs and sheep were buried by a harbour hoard official. .. People stood on The . city . bridges early in the week watching big trees go down, slowly turning; m the strong current.