THE MAIN TRUNK SLIPS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15123, 14 October 1912, Page 8

THE MAIN TRUNK SLIPS.

A DEVIATION NECESSARY.

TRAINS MAY PASS TO-MORROW

ONER A HUNDRED -MEN AT WORK

It is hoped that the express service over the Main Trunk line can be resumed without interruption to-morrow night. Several of the lesser slips in the group that blocked the line "between Ohakune and Horopito have been cleared away, but there is in particular one very large slip which cannot- easily be removed. It has entirely filled a- cutting with a mass of earth." boulders, and trees, and is so packed and sodden that it.; removal may take weeks. A deviation is therefore being made to carry the trains round it in the meantime, and with speedy and uninterrupted work it is hoped to have, it hi running order to-morrow. It may even be possible ,for to-night's express from Auckland to get through. About- 120 men are engaged in the work of making the deviation, working at both ends, so that no time is being lost.

Experiences of South-bound Passengers.

A passenger who went, south on Thurs day night, and who thus shared in the first experience of tho interruption, said that warning of the delay had come to them at Taumarunui. As the train was proceeding towards Horipito, they were surprised by another stop, caused by a washout near Manunui. The rails had sleepers were clear of the ballast, but luckily the damage had been noticed some time "before, and a gang of men was at work. The train could not yet pass, however, and the train officers and a number of passenger set willingly to work with whatever tools they could get and got the line into a passable condition. The train then went on and reached Horopito about five p.m. The mails- were seized by a scratch company of farmers and Maoris, who carried the bags up the embankment and loaded them upon the vehicles that the Department had waiting for them. The coaches then started to cross what one of the passengers named " The Devil's Path." It was an ugly road, and one part of it hung over a 40ft drop in the most threatening way. Two of the mail waggons were bogged, but by unharnessing the horses from the accompanying coaches the bogged waggons were pulled out. On arrival at Ohakune, the passengers and mails were promptly despatched to Wellington, arriving there at five a.m. on Saturday.

On the Northward Journey. Passengers from Wellington had an equally trying and exciting time. They had to spend the night at Ohakuue, either in tin? hotel, in tho sleeping berths of the train, or on the cushions of the carriages. At 4.50 a.m. on Saturday the waggons with the transferred mails set out for Horopito. After going about a mile and a-hali: the pole horse of the waggon went through into a broken culvert on the road, almost out. of sight. The escort unloaded all the. waggons, carried the mails across the hole, rescued the unfortunate animal, and then pulling the empty waggons over, reloaded and resumed their journey to Horopito. The train left Horopito at nine a.m.. arriving in Auckland about 7.35 Many of the passengers were apparently annoyed at the frequent stops en route to Auckland. In their opinion the line ought to have been kept clear for those who were already long overdue. "That might have kept a suburbanite late for the picture show," was the interjection of a bystander. All, however, expressed their admiration of the endeavours of the officers ami men of the traffic ami engineering departments to .effect the early passage of mails, aim the clearing of the obstruction between Horopito and Ohakuue.

All Trains Running Late. The express arriving hero on Saturday did not get into Auckland till 7.35 p.m.. a little over hours late. Yesterday, however, the arrival of the train was less delayed, Auckland being reached at 5.30 p.m. Passengers who arrived yesterday stated that after spending the night at Ohakune they left at 5.30 a.m. yesterday. The train brought them over about two miles of railway line, from which the debris had been cleared away, and the coaches then picked them up about three miles on the other side of Horopito. Some delay occurred through the coaches having to make a second trip to bring the luggage on.

The passengers who went South last night will proceed by train to the Taonui Vicduct. They will arrive there at seven o'clock this morning, and coaches will then convey the passengers and mails for about two miles till a connection is effected to the train at Ohakune.

The district in which the slips occurred is an extremely wet one at times, as is indicated by the fact that on Thursday sin of rain fell in the Ohakune area. This heavy rainfall and the nature of the ground are conducive to slips on the railway works, and in order to reduce the likelihood of similar mishaps in future it is probable that the Railway Department will take into consideration an extensive drain age scheme. '

A WALK ACROSS THE SLIP. PULLED OUT OF THE MUD. Our Taumarunui correspondent walked over the dip from Horopito to Ohakune on Friday night. He says:—"At Waimarino 1 thought of returning, but a Mr. Poinie, director a I the Tailwpe Dairy Company, badly wanted to get through to attend a meeting, and wo agreed to walk together. At Horopito we met an Ohakune doctor, who had ridden by road to catch the train, so as to got to Owhongo, 30 miles away, to attend an urgent, case. This is back block life. Wo borrowed a lantern at Horopito, and set out at ten p.m. For the first few miles there were no difficulties, but at last we came to the first danger signal, a red lamp hung on a pole. Here we crossed a minor slip, which had been cleared somewhat, but the ground between the rails was full of soft mud. Presently we came to the big slip. A great piece of the hill-side bad°como away en masse, and pushed the railway line right off its place. There was a. confused mass of boulders, mud, and rails, for several chains, and in the very midst of it a powerful cranoon its iron platform. We had much difficulty in crossing the slip. I got into a mass of stiff mud. from which my companion had some trouble to pull me out. From this point there was no other obstruction worth mentioning. The gangs had evidently expeditiously cleared all. We reached Ohaki::ne railway station at 11.45, some six miles, in an hour and three-quarters. The same correspondent, walked along the line from Ohakune to Horopito on Saturday, and noticed that the minor slips, of which there were seven or eight, were quite inconsiderable. They were caused in most cases by a cap of earth at Die top ■ of it solid papa bunk sliding off and falling on the line.

TRANSPORTING PASSENGERS

MISHAPS ON TIIK. ROAD. [itV TKI.EGHAIMI.— OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

Ohakuse, Saturday. .The work of carrying passengers, mails and luggage from Ohakune to the train'•beyond the slip this morning was very tiding. Eighty passengers, large quantities of luggage, and four tons of mail matter, were transported. Nearly all available horses, coaches, and traps in Ohakmio were engaged. Last night a slip occurred on tin; road, and tho mail drivers got a gang working at a railway slip to remove the obslructioih A culvert on the road broke down duriii" the transit, and a horse disappeared from view. Two hours were, occupied in digging tho animal out, and in repairing the culvert. ° '•