FLOODS FOLLOW RAIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19456, 12 October 1926, Page 10

FLOODS FOLLOW RAIN.

ARAPUNI DAM WORKS. HUGE ** VOLUME OF WATER. POURING OVER THE GABIONS. WORK STANDS AGAINST STRAIN. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] ARAPUNI, Monday... Great satisfaction was felt at Arapuni on Saturday morning by the. contractors with the progress of diverting tho Waikato River. The placid water between the gabion dam and the lower auxiliary dam had been lowered 10ft. by an elec-trically-driven pump and by Tuesday it was estimated that the dam site would bo pumpod out.. The lower auxiliary dam ■wtis only partially completed but sufficiently to allow the dewatering of the pond. Furthor protection against floods, •was to be made this coming week. However, 3in. of rain fell on Saturday night and this heavy downpour falling on the Waikato's upper basin, already saturated by rqpent rains, brought on the biggest recorded flood since 1907, when 32,000 cusecs passed down the river bed. In 1907 the then Waotu Bridge, just above Arapuni Gorge, was washed away and the whole countryside at Mercer was completely under water. Tho present flood reached the 24.000 cusec. mark at 6 a.m. on Sunday. Tho river came over thp gabion dam and since then, at its maximum, a wall of water 4ft. high has been pouring over tho gabions, the wholo dam site beiDg awijsh from one rock face to the other. The groatest damage will be at. tho lower auxiliary dam. Tho gabions liavo held fast and no gear has been carried away. Notwithstanding this, tho contractors have suffered considerable loss in tinjo and money. In additiou to this tho company will be forced to move the deposit of silt accumulating during tho flood. .Had the lower auxiliary dam been completed before tho flood, the set-back •would not have been so severe. The diversion tunnel, constructed to handle 14,000 cusecs, has been carrying successfully 22,000 cusecs. The power-house site has been completely Hooded. The river is running from cliff to cliff totally submerging tho coffer dam and tho excavations inside, it. The hissitp, foaming water, shooting out of tho outlet of the. tunnel, forms a most beautiful sight, the power developed by the rushing torrent approximating 24,000 h.p. ADVENTUROUS JOURNEY. BUS ALMOST AFLOAT. ! FALL .OF A HUGE BOULDER. V s •' - : f ... £by telegraph.—own correspondent.] TE KUITI. Monday. The motor service Te Kuiti and Hamilton has been maintained under difficulties" owing to floods. The occupants of the bus from Waitomo had an adventurous passage this morning when the veliicle nearly became afloat. It was feared that , it. would capsize, but the journey was accomplished without mishap. The main New Plymouth Road is in ■worse-condition to-day than yesterday. In addition to the water on the road, eight miles from Te Kuiti jj slip a chain longoccurred ' this morning at the seven-mile peg. The road itself is subsiding beneath the .slip.' It is not expected that this portion of the road will be passable until Thursday. Water on the Te Kufni had subsided sufficiently to allow service cars to get , through, to Piopio to-day by the alternative yoUte via Mairoa. One. car at- ' tempted .to continue the. journey, to Awa- . kino but was held up "by a' large slip • 15 miles out, tfee road, beingcompletely ' blocked. Other slips are reported upon ; the coast, but the'has from New Plymouth reached 'Awakino to-day. -The slip on the-Mangaotaki hill, six. ; miles south of Piopio, has been cleared sufficiently to permit traffic. The Kopaki-Arataro Road is blocked by a huge boulder which, covers the road from sido to side. Blasting will have to be resorted to and it is not expected that the road will be clear until to-morrow. Very little rain has fallen in Te Kuiti to-day and the floods about the town am subsiding. The primary department of the school was closed to-day owing to the flooding of the grounds. The weather is cold and threatening. DISLOCATION OF TRAFFIC. GISBORNE AND MOTU, CONTINUOUS RAIN YESTERDAY. {BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT ] GISBORNE. Monday. Thp road' between Motu and Opotiki Is completely blocked by a three-chain slip on the Meremore Hill. The telephone lines have been swept away by the slip. Traffic is now also being stopped between i Gisbornp and Motu, the Otoko Hill having got into a very bad condition. It is considered that it will take at least three days to clear away the slip between Motu and Opotiki. The weather to-day is very heavy, with continuous rain. The sorvico cars leave Gisbornc tomorrow at 6 a.m. to connect with the Auckland train, via Palmerston North. This arrangement will continue until the rood is cleared. MARTON SUFFERS A r \' IN. BUSINESS AREA INVADED. SAWMILL PLANT AFFECTED. [BY , TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] WANGANUI, Monday. At Marton tho deluge caused Broadway, to be flooded and a number of business premises wero invaded. The Marton Sash and Door .Company's sawmill at Marton Junction was invaded, and it is estimated that damage amounting to £IOO was done to tho plant, etc. Tho Wangamii River is running very high, although it still has a few feet to go to reach tho flood level of a couple of months ago. The flooded state of the river is interfering with loading operations on the liijer Rimutaka, which in in tho roadstead. * Work was suspended to-day on account of the volume of water and debris passing out to sea. MANGATAWIIIRI VALLEY. DAMAGE TO FOOTBRIDGE. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] POKENO, Monday. Tho Mangatawhiri River rose several feet as th.o result of the rain and caused flooding in several parts of the Mangata-. whiri Valley. The Paeroa-Pokeno main highway was covered in places yesterday, but to-day the river is receding at a good rate and traffic through tho valley is not impeded. The .footbridgo on Appleby's lioad is in • a precarious position as the result of erosioa, though pedestrians are still able use lt ; The vehicular ford just beiow was jmpassable to-day and repairs to Senary apr ' o:,cllOS 10 lho fo: ' d will be