HAIL AND SNOW

Southland Times, Issue 25367, 20 August 1935, Page 8

HAIL AND SNOW

AUCKLAND STORM ABNORMAL WEATHER IN MOUNTAINS ' MAIN LINE CLEAR (Per United Press Association.) Auckland, August 19. Cold and boisterous weather, with occasional thunder and lightning, again prevailed in the city and suburbs, culminating in one of the heaviest hailstorms experienced for some time at about 6.30 to-night. During the short time the hailstorm lasted, small’drifts piled up in the gutters and in the spouting of buildings. The hailstorm was followed by blinding flashes of lightning and deafening claps of thunder. Driving snow which reduced visibility to about five yards covered all tracks within a few minutes. E. W. Yates, of Auckland, was lost for several hours on Mount Ruapehu to-day. He succeeded in returning to Salt Hut on Scoria Flat, however, where he was found by a search party. He was suffering from cramp brought on by the cold, but was otherwise uninjured. Abnormal snow conditions continue to be experienced on the mountains and the fall above 5000 feet is the heaviest for five years. It is still snowing this evening. Gangs of men working throughout the night succeeded in clearing the slips which had blocked the main trunk line north of Taihape sufficiently by 7.30 this morning to allow traffic to pass. The Limited express from Wellington, which was diverted through Taranaki on Sunday night, reached Auckland at 2.36 p.m. to-day instead of at 9.40 a.m., nearly five hours late. The afternoon and Limited expresses were despatched to-day over the main line, which had been used by goods trains throughout the day. Although reduced speeds were necessary over certain sections, expresses from the south are expected to arrive at the usual times to-morrow. MAIN TRUNK LINE RAIN CAUSES SLIPS. EXPRESS TRAINS DELAY’ED. (Per United Press Association.) Wellington, August 19. Completely blocking the Main Trunk line, slips which occurred at Ngaurukehu, north of Taihape and at Hihitahi. a few miles further north, dislocated all train traffic over the line on Saturday and Sunday. The Auckland express arrived at Wellington about four hours late yesterday and the Wellington express reached Auckland over seven hours behind the scheduled time, the passengers having to be transferred to Ngaurukehu. The slip at Hihitahi came down after that at Ngaurukehu had been cleared. Until the line has been cleared the trains between Auckland and Wellington have to be diverted through Stratford. Heavy rain is considered to have caused the slips, the first of which occurred late on Saturday evening and covered the line for over two chains. The line was actually cleared once, but there was a second landslide of smaller proportions and the work had to be gone through again. The line was opened yesterday afternoon, but early last evening word was received that another slip had blocked the track again at Hihitahi.

Trains arriving at Wellington this morning were several hours late. As the result of slips on the Main Trunk an Auckland excursion train with 500 passengers, due here at 7 a.m., arrived near 11.30. PASSAGE THROUGH MUD GOODS TRAIN RUNS INTO SLIP. (Per United Press Association.) Palmerston North, August 19. Drawn by a seventy-ton engine a goods train proceeding down a steep winding gradient ran into a mud slip at 6.30 a.m., a mile beyond Whakarongo on the Palmerston North-Woodville line. The obstruction was not visible until the driver rounded a bend. He applied the brakes, but the dead weight of the train made it plough through the slip covering the line for 15 yards to a depth in places of nearly two feet. The soft mud yielded before the train’s momentum and the engine pulled up beyond it with the guard’s van stuck in the mud, one wheel being off the line. The remainder of the train proceeded to Ashhurst, while another locomotive was despatched from Palmerston North to pull out the van. The slip was cleared at 10.30 a.m., and traffic was restored after four hours’ interruption. Instead of the 7 a.m. passenger train for Napier leaving Palmerston North, the passengers were motored to Woodville, where a train for Hawkes Bay was made up. The Limited express from Auckland is coming via Stratford owing to Main Trunk slips. It is not expected to reach here before 11.15 a.m.