SUCCESSION OF SLIPS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18445, 7 July 1923, Page 12

SUCCESSION OF SLIPS.

FOUR •IN TWO , CAYS. RESULT OF THE -RAINS. '': ■'.'.. :" ''(■■".', 'V-:':/, : "l:"' l: <: : ::'< v'- A':' ! ,'\-' r : '-:6'-:- ;'.".-'ji'-,. :yy-.;,y' ■.';<■ ,';:,-;■'":.,.';. DANGER SPOTS NOW , WATOHED. [BY teleoeaph.-own correspondent.] WELLINGTON. Friday. '.< The slip at.Ongarn© is 'theyfourth that has interfered with the Main Trunk' railway service in* two days, and; all-nave happened^ in the; heavy country north: ana ; south of Taumarunui ■ within,, a,, radius; of : , about 50 miles of.Waimarino on the .ele- | vated plains of the same names . in« weather" in the middle of the island appears from all accounts to hjiVe been exceptional. for some days past, and r advices from Taihape state that the : conditions are the worst ever; experienced. in thatdistrict. Further north, too, floods-have been prevalent,- holding up railway traffic and bringing : outdoor .work to a standstill. ; •> Three slips came down on the evening of July .4, the first between; Owhango and Kakahi,; about 186 miles south of Auckland, the second about m hour later at Mataroa-, about 260 miles y south of Auckland, and the - third at . Bennett's Biding, Taihape,. about six miles further eouth. . •'■■■•! Taihape reports; that rain continues;;to fall, and that other slips may come-down ■south of that station. The danger■:points are ' being carefully; watched. - - According to an ex-Wellington 'resident, who is now stationed in the district in 'which the slips have occurred, ,the slips have hot! been unexpected, and although the authorities ; have been ' doing their best to prevent any serious /falls of earth -' along v the line J the naturae of i the country, particularly I:,', its yy volcanic ; ! characteristics, is such as to/be much - disturbed by wet weather; •* " The slips,'"' be said, " were bound to come." '.'--•

THE BAILWAY SEEVICE.

NO EXPRESS LAST NIGHT. DETAILS OF ARRANGEMENTS. yj There was ho express to "WeUington last evening, nor .did one strive : yesterday from the- Southern centre. A train.is. due in Auckland -: some time this afternoon! with v passengers y from Wellington and other stations, and it is probable that one will .be despatched 'to Wellington tomorrow evening. :';';'-) Uninjured passengers from the wreck ;at Ongaroe were taken from the scene of ; the accident \ -to .Ohakuhe 'by y a special , train. | This was " the only train to; run- yesterday between To Kuiti' and Ohakune. A train; left. Ohakune for Wellington at about | 10 o'clock last night, and was due in the; I Southern centre early this morning, ,' , i ; The train . which left Wellington for 1 i Auckland ;at mid-day yesterday was held j j at: Ohakune . until. about midnight, last I ! night. ,It was H then, to y proceed .to the scene- of. the accident where the passengers, light ; luggage and 'letter-mails' were to be transferred into another; train whitja jis due in; Auckland this afternoon. There were about 200 passengers on the train when it arrived •at Ohakune. The ■'• same ■ procedure will : ■ probably hare to }be observed with: the train which', leavesWellington to-day, and therefor© . tho express arriving in Auckland to-morrow will! probably - be ; considerably latey in reaching the city. ' ■ • • , '■ "The obstruction on. the : line at. Kakahi has not yet been removed,- but 1 ' a loop lino was expected!to tbe laid round .the spot by midnight and transhipping 'will therefore be avoided. The express which left Wellington for. Auckland «a Thursday did not run past - Ohakune.- ; Some of the passengers returned \to their homes, others went to New ;Plymouth and. continued * their , journey to y Auckland y by 6teamer to. Onehunga;- while :a" few- remained at, Ohakune.

y'' Three - passenger calls were attached to the goods, train which left Auckland for Erankton at 7.50 p.m. last evening. About 40 -persona travelled by ,this, train; Passenger accommodation was also to' be provided on the; goods :train which is -due 'to arrive in'. Auckland from 'Frankton at 5,55 a.m, to-day. " : : . The normal y train services '! are ' being maintained between ■ Frankton and To Kuiti, and south of Ohakuno,' but between Te Kuiti and Ohakune very few trains are being run. All traffic from,the northern to the southern aid© of Te Kuiti is suspended for tho present. /Th« flood* at -Rukuhia are not nearly So serious as, was. at first anticipated, and the line there is now considered to bo safe for normal-. traffic. .■ The -flood at Mercer . was v still high, last night. . '> No yother landslides arey reported ' aind careful watch is being maintained 'over the whole line. ' ' , .'■-• ] ;..

PARLIAMENT'S SYMPATHY. :■: .' v-; / -.^.^.. r^.-■r^T^?■::,_;f..=;^:;^; ; V:•:■ ADJOURNMENT OF JfITTINQ. TRIBUTES TaILAILWAYMEN.H [BY TELEOnAPH.— association £ WELLINGTON. -Friday. ; I Sympathetic erericij was wade in : the House of '''Representatives thiiii "'.afternoon: to the railway disaster at. Ohgarue. After the Minister for Railways, ; had read," an official report on ! the accident, Mr. Massey moved that the House adjowrn until 7.30 as a mark of respect to the citizens who lost their Uvea, and also that the Bouse express itu {sympathy with the relatives of the?deadj£ and the hope thai; the injured; ■would be speedily restored to 'health, ' ' The Prim© Minister said he thought feeling of ■ every member """when the ' newty arrived this morning; must have been on<; of shook; and regret at, the loss of so man J 1 useful lives and the injury to other pas;! sengers. This waathemoßt serious accident that had ever occurred on the New Zealand railways, '.;,which 'had enjoyed! marked immunity !froiin'., such .disasters! This was due to'the'splendid work of the men engaged in the'vrailway service. Only yesterday a passenger . who arrived, from the North had told!;'him of the heroic efforts of the ! men running the trains, a work - which at this time was of a particularly trying nature. ; The sympathy of all woyld go out to the bereaved and the injured, > and. he trusted s■-.5■-. that He who tempered the wind;' to , the v. sh<jirn; lamb would "be 'with those who;had 5 lost loved ones;in>sudden and triigic manner. -t.' Mr.: Wilford, 'in seconding the - motion, ■ said his party was in full?accord with- the Prime Minister's sympathetic references ib the : sufferers 'by the accident.; X «He thought th,e„country was to ,be congratulated on the freedom from serious acci- ; dents" in the past, *f He 'agreed i whole*'' hoartedly with the references to the work ; of the men who ran the * trains in this difficult part of the country, ,; It was to-the' splendid work of these men 'that 'the jjasfc immunity 'from.; seriouS trouble wa(v ' due. ' .Mr. Holland, on behe,l.f of , the iiabour Party f said [he wished to' add ;.. thai ■■ party's expression of regie and sympathy these voiced in. the, Prime Minister's- motion. To-day there was sadness in many "homes as the .< result 3of this ■ deplorable, ifjccidepfc. Mr. W. A. Veitch'•'(WarJgßnui),..as.■.un■ ex-railwayman and locomotive driver, and Mr. L.,; Mcllvride '; (Napier), ■; lis a, member -of the ?; workshop department j of<f the railway service. ' also" added ; sympatby. > Wo* Boas<& i&en adjcwa&d. ''-