RIVER UP 40 FEET

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23591, 27 February 1940, Page 9

RIVER UP 40 FEET

PIPIRIKI EXPEEIENCE PADDLE STEAMER'S TRIP TURNED BACK BY WHIRLPOOLS [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] WELLINGTON, Monday The story of a trip by paddlesteamer on the swollen Wanganui River was told by a Wellington man who returned to-night after spending the week-end at Pipiriki, 60 miles up-river from Wanganui. Ho reached Pipiriki in his car at 7 p.m. on Friday and at 7 a.m. on Saturday left to travel upriver by the paddle-steamer to Retaruke.

« Progress was painfully slow against the current of'the rapidly-rising river and by 5 p.m., after 10 hours' steaming, they had made only 40 miles. They were then forced to turn back, as they could not pass what are known as "The Whirlpools." The river had become a raging torrent and tho return trip took only three hours. At Pipiriki they landed on the road at a point 30ft. higher than the wharf. A boat went down-river from Pipiriki to Jerusalem yesterday to 6ee if any help was needed. It was found that the river had risen 40ft. at Jerusalem and many houses belonging to Maoris had been flooded. Passengers on the boat were able to lean over the side and pick peaches from the top of a tree 40ft. high. The boat, which has a shallow draught, passed over the top of the Jerusalem Bridge. About five miles below Jerusalem houses 30ft. above the normal level of the river were partially submerged. Thousands of logs were being swept along, and a number of trees which had been torn out by the roots were noticed.

Tho Wellington visitor was forced to leave his car at Pipiriki and travel to Wanganui by the river boat to-day, as the road was 10ft. under water, and in many places had been washed away. The trip took seven hours and he reached Wellington by service-car at seven o'clock to-night. The visitor expressed the opinion that the road could not be restored before winter. A party of Pipiriki residents who left to go to Raetihi on Saturday Avere unable to get back because of washouts on the road. They could not get within seven miles of Pipiriki.