YOUNG WOMAN’S ESCAPE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 23 October 1941, Page 3

YOUNG WOMAN’S ESCAPE

SANK UP TO ARMPITS IN MUD New Plymouth, Oct. 22. Trapped in the clinging mud of a slip across the Tahora-Tangarakau road. Miss Mary Walsh, a young Whangamomona woman, sank up to her armpits before she was rescued by Mr M. Timmins, inspector of permanent way for the Railways Department, who happened to pass that wayhalf an hour after she became stuck. Miss Walsh was severely shaken by her ordeal, but was otherwise unhurt. She was fortunate that aid came so promptly. She set out in the morning to visit Tangarakau and travelled to the present terminus at Tahora bytrain. She began to walk the remaining few miles, but had not gone far when she encountered a big wet slip which had flowed across both the railway line and road in the flood a fortnight ago. Since then the line has been cleared to permit the passage of work trains engaged on clearing a big | slip beyond Tangarakau, but the road j is still deeply covered. Had Miss Walsh walked along the permanent way she would have been in no trouble, but she tried to follow the road. She soon became firmly embedded and no efforts of her own were of any avail. It is considered by experienced railwaymen in the locality that had Mr Timmins not made his timely arrival she would have perished in the quagmire.—P.A.