ANSWERS TO OOEEESPONDENTS.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4430, 22 August 1939, Page 2

ANSWERS TO OOEEESPONDENTS.

Deader, Arrowtown.—The flood of ‘7B started about the 27th. or 26th September. The snowstorm of 1903 occurred on July I Oth, beginning at 7 p.m. after p day or two of continuous rain. Within a few hours six Inches of snow fell on the flat, while at Arthurs Point, Prankton. Arrowtown and .Skippers, a depth of I to 2 feet was recorded. The: weight of the snow had a disastrous effect on telephone and telegraphic wires, the line being broken in close on a hundred places between Kawarau Falls and Queenstown. As a result Queenstown wasi cut off from the putlefr world. Trees were levelled to the ground and the sound of tranche® breaking under the weight of snow was like gun lire. Coach and rail 1 services were carried on with great difficulty. During the snowstorm the “Mountaineer'’ took hours to come from Kingston, the density of the snow making navigation difficult and it being found necessary to heave to several times. Immediately after the snowstorm, a heavy frost set in and continued for live weeks. 18 to- 2(1 degrees of frost wore recorded. Everything liquid, except spirits, froze and it was no uncommon thing to. sec the contents of a burst bottle standing in a solid form. Hotelkeeper® and the local chemist were the: greatest losers as far as broken bottles were .concerned. Stock suffered severely las the frozen snow lay for such a long time.* The pond in the Park had recently been enlarged' and provided a< splendid skating rink for five weeks. Heavy rain then set in, clearing the snow away. Some damage' by slips- was reported.