THE RAILWAYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1917, 17 August 1888, Page 14

THE RAILWAYS.

The Railway department have supplied us with the following particulars : — Communication on the South line has been interrupted between Owhiro and Otakia, owing to the Taieri river having overflowed its banks. On Saturday the train from Clinton, due at Dunedin at 11 o'clock in the morning, managed to reach its destination in safety, although the line between Owhiro and Otakia was completely underwater. The express train for the South was also able to get safely past the inundation, though some little delay was experienced on the journey. Later on in the day the water had risen some feet above the rails, and was running over the fences on each side of the railway line. The South train in the evening was consequently unable to reach Dunedin. It came as far as Waihola, and after waiting there for about three hours to see if the water would subside so as to allow of the journey being continued, it returned to Clinton, some of the passengers remaining at Waihola and other#going back to Milton. The passengers by the 420 train from Dunedin had also to return to town. An attempt was made to take them by means of drags from Mosgiel to Waihola, but when the drags got as far as Palmer's, between Otakia and Henley, they had to return to Mosgiel, owing to the road, which was covered with water, being deemed impassable in the dark. After returning to Mosgiel they were conveyed by train to Dunedin, which was reached at 10.15. To-day it is intended to send the morning train from Clinton to Waihola, and also to despatch the 8 o'clock train (the express) from Dunedin as far as Mosgiel. Drags will there be in readiness to transfer the passengers from one train to the other. The Bame plan will likewise be adopted with regard to the evening trains. The slip which occurred near the Chain Hills tunnel, on the South Ifne, on Friday was cleared away by about 4 o'clock on the following .morn,ing, but as another slip appeared imminent there it was found necessary yesterday to send a gang of men cut to keep the line clear. The railway line between Dunedin and Oamaru was quite clear, and a goods train was despatched from Dunediu to Palmerston on Sunday. The river at Middlcmarch was in a state of flood on Saturday, aud rose four or five feet during the day. During the night, however, it only rose about four inches, and in tHe morning it commenced to go down. About 3 o'clock in the afternoon the weather began to clear up, and it was then found that the river had fallen three inches since the morning.