WET CHRISTMAS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 28 December 1926, Page 5

WET CHRISTMAS

HEAVY FLOODS IN THE NORTH

SLIPS AND WASHOUTS

BRIDGES WASHED AWAY.

(By Telegraph.—Special to ''The Mail.")

AUCKLAND, 2711 i Dec

The roads in (lie vicinity of Waita'kere, Kumeu, Waimauku, and Swanson suffered severely from flooding yesterday and several bridges in t lie Waitcmata County were damaged. Wash-outs occurred on. several clay roads and the receding waters are leaving the touring routes in a very poor condition for holiday making. The bridge over the Swanson River on the iHelensvillo road below Knox’s store, at -Swanson, was under water from 2 p.m. on Saturday, when a, cloudburst- occurred iii th.e hills nearby. Several large • logs and a large amount of debris formed a dam at .this bridge and broke about 1.30 a.m. on Sunday morning. The rushing waters carried the bridge downstream, depositing it among the pine trees. Several large slips occurred _on the adjacent farms, and at one point over 50 acres of grass land slipped into a gully. Minor, slips . have occurred on the approaches t<> the Tunnel Hill, but the road is passable, and several cars, which were held up at Knqx s Bridge, were able to return to Auckland by using, this .road to Kumeu. At WailnkcreT the bridge leading to Bethel’s lias been washed away. Between Waitakero and Taupaki several hay crops, which .had been cut, were washed away. Between" Taupaki and Kumeu practically every fence on the flats is down, while a large quantity of logs and piles of debris litter the paddocks. The Kumeu Post. Office had four feet of water .in it at the height of the flood, the most recorded for fifty years. , The water rose fully two feet above the highest level reached during the floods of last. May, which were then reckoned to be' Hie worst ever experienced in the district. A POSTMISTRESS’S SWIM.

On Sunday morning Miss Barnes, the assistant-postmistress; swam to the office through five feet of water and rescued the ensh-hox and books. The latter were, in a thoroughly saturated condition. The switchboard has been thrown out of commission by the floods. At Waimauku the main Helensyille road was ufider water .in several places. South of Waimauku there" was','over eight feet of water in the' deepest part. Motors from.Huapai were able to proceed as far as Reweti - bv using a detour road through the Hiiapai estate, hut at both Reweti, and YVoodhill there was deep water over the road up to a late hour last night'. One fanner had to swim through the raging torrent yesterday morning to get his cows in for milking. It took him over an hour to do this, and lie was very nearly washed away in the attempt. ’ Finally Ire succeeded, and swam the' herd back ,to the shed'. ' The storm yesterday has completely isolated hundreds rff holiday-makers, and the - invalids ■at - Paraka, in the Ilelensville lint springs district. It lias also effectually dislocated: the arrangements of-the various boarding-house keepers, as many 'expected guests failed to. arrive yesterday. .' ■ " > .