TERRIBLE WEATHER AT WESTPORT.
(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Westport, February 7. Communication with the outside world has been suspended from Friday night up to 3 D.m. to-day, _ , - , . , On Friday night a fierce storm of wind and rain was experienced here. The damage In town was slight, but serious in the country. The road between Westport and Beefton was completely blocked by slips, over fifty of these having taken place. Traffic is of course stopped, ana travellers were compelled to leave the coach aml wade up to their waist through mud and water, and over obstructions. Many telegraph poles were brought down, and these and the wire 3 were buried in the debris. The damage on the Bnller-road will cost LSOO to repair. The steamers off the coast caught the full .•force of the gale on Friday night. Later reports show that the damage to the roads in all parts of the Bailer district is •even greater than at first supposed. The DennifU Mokikiuna, Charleston, and Maramea-roads have all suffered through •sIiDS and breaking of bridges and culverts ; while on the main Bnller-road, connecting with Greymouth and Nelson, the slipsare astonishing in size and numbers. The roa is cut off 8 at the mountain and follows the Buller River, and the sudden torrents of rain and terrific gales of wind of Friday night, coming immediately after a long spell of exceptionally dry weather brought the mountain side in many places down on the roads. It is estimated that a month must elapse before wheeled traffic can be resumed, and horses will not even be able to get through for a week. The coach, however, carries the mail through this afternoon. The rivers were in high flood, and the driver of-Hall’s coach had an escape from being drowned in Larry s Creek. The weather has been altogether peculiar, and hail fell yesterday, when a day or two previously it was 80 in the shade. No such damage to the roads has ever been done in the district before. The county will have a difficulty in meetin g the extra expenditure ? immediately required. '
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Mail, Issue 780, 11 February 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)
Word Count
349TERRIBLE WEATHER AT WESTPORT. New Zealand Mail, Issue 780, 11 February 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)
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