KOPUAWHARA VICTIMS.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 5 April 1938, Page 5

KOPUAWHARA VICTIMS.

INQUEST CONTINUED. EVIDENCE OF EXPERT. (By Telegraph —Press Association.) (Continued from Page 6). WAIEOA, This Day. The inquest on the bodies of the Kopuawhara victims was continued today before the Coroner, Air. V. E. Minter. The evidence to he culled to-day was to comprise, in 1 lie main, that of experts, the first witness being Edward Walpole McEnnis, engineer in charge of railway" construction works at Kopuawhara. Dining the course of the engineer’s evidence, the Gtfroucr stated that so far as lie was concerned, the dumping of spoil from the tunnel had nothing to do with the disaster. HcEunis said the ■camp was known as No. 4 and was in existence before he went there. It was established in 1930 and comprised, roughly, (ifty huts and tents, together with a cook-house, bath-house and carpenters’ shop: It was situated on the right bank of the stream. On the evening of February ISth, there were 42 men in camp, also two women and two children. The camp was situated on level ground, about 12 or 13 feet above the normal water level. He had never heard of the stream breaking over its banks before and what was looked ‘upon as serious floods in the past would not mean more than about a four feet rise in the river level. The two camps known as X T os. 3 and 5 were situated on either side of the camp. The road ’crossed the stream at No. 4 by a bridge approximately 80 feet long. The deck level of the bridge would be approximately level with the camp site, and with an average winter flood it would be about eight feet between the water ■level and the girders and the width of 'the stream would be at least 80 feet. The grade of the channel was fairly steep. The country which the stream drained was steep, with grass grown hillsides and fairly narrow valleys. There was a negligible amount of forest. It is understood that deforestation dated back 40 or 50 years. There were four or five main tributaries. On February 18th the rain was intermittent, being heavier during the evening. He saw the stream about 4 p.m.. when it was dirty with a slight rise. He was awakened about 3 a.m. and the rain then was verv heavy. When he saw the stream in the evening it did not give him cause for concern. After the • flood he saw some girders of the bridge, bolted together and weighing over five tons, some chains down the river. He was first advised of the tragedy about 7.30 in the morning and he sent two assistant-engineers to report on conditions there. Search parties 'were sent out, there being plenty of volunteers. The banks of the stream were scoured, also the area covered by •the flood. Other parties were detailed to make-the access roads passable. The upper watershed, on investigation, bore evidence of heavy scouring, heavy slips and scouring occurring throughout the watershed. He estimated that 200,000 yards of material were scoured away. Heavy logs and timber were scattered over the banks of the stream, some of the logs being 30 feet in length. There was heavy silting from No. 3 camp downwards and lighter silting further up. He had never seen driftwood beyond two inches in diameter come down in floods previously and did not know of any parts of the river where destruction could occur. He had heard it said that dumping spoil from No. 6 tunnel might have caused the disaster. The high water-mark near the tunnel after the flood disclosed a rise of 9 feet and it was higher farther down. If the water had wanted to, it could have gone up another chain and the water would not have been impounded even then. He considered the camp was a safe one and the site well chosen. He ihad never had any complaints about it and beyond saying that the rainfall was phenomenal, he could not say what had caused the flood. To Mr. Willis, witness said that records of the rainfall from 7 p.m. on February ISth to 5 p.m. on February 19th shoved 9JS inches. The work of boring the tunnel had been proceeding for about IS mouths and when boring was started spoil was dumped on the j boulder bod of the stream, but hot i:i 'the water. When they started dumping, the distance from the road to the running water at the corner ' where the spoil was dumped was approximately 100 feet. Spoil was dumped to a height of 9 foot at lliis stage. The Coroner said he would like it. to ■be known that he was satisfied that the dumping of spoil had nothing whatever to do with the disaster. Witness added that the rise in the level of the river at the tunnel was 9 feet, showing "that the water took the opportunity of spreading.