THE CAMP DISASTER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22975, 1 March 1938, Page 15

THE CAMP DISASTER

Sir, —I agree with other correspondents that the Koupuawhara camp was put in a very dangerous place. It may be looked upon iis an act of God, but it is also very much for the want of knowledge in man. Anyone who has seen the damage a cloudburst has done in other lauds would not put a camp in a place like that. The fact that the trenches have never been silted up before is nothing to go by at all. 1 had my experience of one on June 14, 1903, when half the town of Heppner, in Oregon, was washed away and 280 peopie lost their lives. No white man had known of such a flood there before, but the scars on the hills showed that there had been such tilings, although it seemed to have been some hundreds of years before and no notice was taken of them. The town of Heppner was built on both sides of a creek, although the Indians gave warning and said all the white babies would be washed away. When the flood came no rain fell at Heppner. Terrific thunder was heard in the distance, but no notice was taken of that. Then the flood came down, and it all happened in a twinkling. Few had time to run for their lives, I have told many people about such things here, but I have always found them very indifferent. Now after this sad experience lot us profit by it and see to it that all camps in places like that are at 10 to 15 yards above high water mark. Highlander.