DANGER PASSES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23791, 19 October 1940, Page 10

DANGER PASSES

WEST COAST FLOODING ' GREYMOUTH ESCAPES communications' restored [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] GREYMOUTH, Friday Following rainfall totalling 5.24 in. in much less than 48 hours, Greymouth was faced with -flood conditions similar to last February, but an abatement early this morning allayed fears of the Grey Kiver rising over its banjis and flooding the business area of the town. The rain in the country districts was even heavier than at Greyniouth and caused the immediate swelling of all streams. The downpour ceased at 9 a.m. and at 11.44 a.m., high water, tho river was still about lft.,. off the top of the wharf and the danger hour passed without the expected flood.?

Water backed up across street junctions at two places, but did not enter business premises. Some business people had removed stocks from the floor level, expecting the river to break its banks.

The river rose at approximately 6in. every half hour and in its roaring course seaward 'took with it many large logs and many carcases of cattle.

Repairs werof. effected to the Goat Creek bridge on the Otira Gorge route to-day, and the road is now open from this side to Arthur's Pass, but traffic is blocked between Arthur's Pass and Cass, owing to the Broad Creek ford being washed out. while there are slips in the Waimakariri cutting at Paddy's Bend. The Lewis Pass road was flooded at Glenwye and was in a bad condition to-day. The Post and Telegraydi Department reports that communication has been fully restored with Canterbury and Blenheim without any great inconvenience to traffic, excepting a period of isolation and delay early last night.

TORRENTIAL RAINFALL 6* INCHES IN FEW HOURS [BT TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION"] CHRISTCHURCH, Friday Preparations for another serious flood were made this afternoon by the "Waimakariri River Trust, but the rise in the river reached its peak without overflowing the banks, and by 11 p.m. the level had dropped more than Bft.

Three hundred workmen were on duty in the morning guarding key points in the flood defences. Torrential rain fell in the watershed area yesterday, the fall in a few hours being 6.57 in.