FIFTY YEARS AGO

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21880, 16 August 1934, Page 8

FIFTY YEARS AGO

RECLAMATION WORKS CITY'S CHANGED WATERFRONT Few of the younger generation of Aticklanders probably realise how much of the city's present waterfront has been reclaimed from the sea. A landslip which occurred at Britomart cliff 50 years ago /recalls the reclamation of the -'site on which the old railway station was afterwards built. The Herald of August 16, 1884, related the incident as follows: —"Shortly before five o'clock yesterday afternoon, as a number of men were obtaining ballast from that part of Britomart cliff which abuts upon Customs Street, a tremendous mass of earth, loosened by the late rains, fell to the roadway hurrying in its headlong career, men, horses and drays before it. Fortunately no one was killed. "Two men, who were working on the face of/the cliff at the time, had a most wonderful escape. So soon as the earth began to give way, they ran down the incline in front of it and finally succeeded in jumping clear. / When the /enormous quantity of fallen earth, variously estimated at from 10,000 to 15,000 yards, is taken into consideration, their immunity from harm is even more wonderful to contemplate. The Beach road is now blocked on the eastern face of the Britomart, cliff for three eh ains. The present accident can scarcely be said to be unexpected The face of the cliff hiis been in a dangerous condition for some time. Some months ago the city authorities were warned of the danger to the public in using the road, but the question of expense has interfered with the adoption of a temporary road further out on the reclamation." /