The Snow Block

Southland Times, Issue 19098, 14 July 1903, Page 2

The Snow Block

lit is usual to speak of a fall of snow as a "' stoiun," but our present visitation wfis^ as far as can be ascertained, perfectly windless, and to that fact is to bo attributed the most outstanding disablement the snow brought — namely.

the failure of the telegraph service. lUid there been wind tho snow would have boon shaken from the wires as it fell, but in a 'dead cntni it lay and, in course of time-, bridged tho spaces between the wires till the weight necajne ' too great for \<enerable poles, and metal which ha.i hung .so long that all tho "nature" if* out. of it, and it parts like pips steins. A contemporary says that one wire was noticed which had a coat of snow three inches in diameter. Kven so, had all the material been sound the wire should Lenr the strain. The <lebacle has keen general , and jis a consequence, there are no " backi lanes " by which the breaks could I>e circumvented, in the pH-st a way out could generally he found via the goliltields. or, further north, via the West Coast, to Wellington but there is no sjch \ent on this occasion, and. so far as can be learned, the entire friiillic is dependent on one wire from north of Christchurch. Some belated news came to hand yesterday evoning, but at midnight the Department intimated that the wires had again parted north of Oainaru, and nU wns silent for the night.

'I 'ho multiplicity of the brciks iroin Invercargill to Kingston, across the g'old,liok!s. up the Otago Central. from Oamaru to A'lnberle.v. and in other directions, is so great as to suggest an early renewal of the lines on a lifore substantial basis.

In Central Otugo the snow lies from two to three feet deep, aiwl considerable anxiety is felt for live s>tock, and also lest there should bo nn early and rapid thaw, which would Hood the rivers and probably cause land slips.

The linemen are of course working under great disadvantages, for thfit worx. of repairing so many breaks is 'tedious amid the snow. Between Haiolutha and tr-ore t'hdre were over 00 splices to ;mako and in other localities the woril is even heavier. Matters looked more hopeful yesterday afternoon, when a f«ir}y dear run to A/mberley, 34 miles north ol Christchurch, wns got, but the breakdown tiorth of Oiunaru spoilt all* and the latest cable news to*day in Saturday's.

Locally, the " storm " does not appear to l><? causing much anxiety to country residents, uitn tiers meteorological were not over-promising in the early part of last night, »mi a few Hakes of snow fell, hut at tho time of writing (2 a .'in.) the s-y is clear.

Our Lti-msden correspondent writes :' — On Friday e\ ening the heaviest full oi snow that has taken place -here for some years wus experienced. Railway tra/lnc on Saturday was somewhat disorganised

but nothing more than trains arriving a little late occurred. On Sunday the wea-

thcr was cold and foggy, with very little thaw, and there is now (llonday) ovcry appearance of a change — very much

like more snow. Unless a nuick thaw sets in it must be a serious mat-tor for stock, as 2t.1l vegetation is covered ; an the other hand, a rapid thaw means a

flood, with what results we can only conjecture.