FLOODS AT RANGIOTU

Horowhenua Chronicle, 5 February 1936, Page 7

FLOODS AT RANGIOTU

MOORE'S ROAD FARMERS HAVE ANXIOUS TIME.

WATER ENTERS HOUSES.

(Special to "Chronicle"). IPALMERSTON N., Last Night. .To get into Rangiotu from his water isolated home, a farmer on Monday had to crawl along the railway line holding on to the rails with his hands, so strong was the force of the flood waters that were sweeping across the iron way. In an endeavour to rescue cattle and sheep that were half submerged in the flood waters and nearing exhaustion, two young farmers had to swim to and fro for at least an hour through water over their heads.

Through one homestead the dirty flood waters poured to leave a deposit of mud and silt in every room.

While making his way homewards a factory worker, while in water up to his waist, had difficulty in keeping his feet and preventing himself from being swept away. These are one or two of the exciting experiences through which the settlers along Moore's road, Rangiotu passed, when the floods descended upon their farms almost as an avalanche on Monday. "When I got up on Monday morning I received the shock of my life to see the river in flood," Mr E. L. Russell

told ,i reporter yesterday. "It was right up to the top of the bank and I can assure you I lost no time removing some calves and a i.-iarc of mine in a paddock which half an hour later was like a lagoon." Haystacks only completed on Saturday on Mr Russell's farm were surrounded by water yesterday and stood out like islands in a lake.

When a reporter visited the locality yesterday, there was still very little grassland showing and herds were being fed on the road. Inside the separator room at Mr E. D. Hughes' milking shed there was evidence of the water having ueen over a foot deep. It had also entered his house and swirled in torrents around the building. Cattle and sheep had been drowned on the farms of Messrs K. G. Moore and D. G. Moore and the carcases could be seen floating in the water. At milking time at Mr E. G. Moore's place, the water was right up to the top of the stools on which the milkers sat. Cows that had been hastily removed to apparent safety were found shortly after cut off and again had to be shifted, so quickly did the low-lying lands fill up.

In the residence of Mr Kelly, water covered the floor to a depth of 10 to 12 inches. Mr Kelly has also lost stock. On Mr D. G. Moore's place a six foot wall of water roared through a gap in the stop-bank of the Oroua river.

Messrs Harrison and Lett lost 25 cows when a bridge collapsed. It was also reported that 90 of their pigs had been drowned.

The area has been subject to flood at various times but never has the river been known to rise so quickly and it is considered that had the Oroua river been in flood at the same time, the situation would have been desperate.

The highway to Foxton became negotiable during yesterday afternoon though the water was still deep across the road in several places.

Limited Eight Hours Late

WELLINGTON, Last Night.

Delays all along the line through damage by storm and flood were experienced by the Limited xpress from Auckland on Monday which arrived in Wellington at 12 minutes past five this evening, nearly eight hours late. The principal hold-up was at Tangiwai bridge about 230 miles from Auckland where the passengers had to be transhipped from Karioi to Tangiwai, a distance of four miles by rail. Pour hundred passengers arrived by the Limited.

The three p.m. main trunk express from Auckland was an hour late arriving.