MAROONED

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 237, 8 May 1933, Page 4

MAROONED

PUNIWHAKAU SETTLERS Colossal Flood Damage BRIDGES WASHED AWAY MILES OF ROAD BURIED STRATFORD PARTY’S TRIP Huge slips, where 100 ft. banks have thundered down, wash-outs of enormous proportions, acres of pasture land covered in several feet of silt, bridges swept away, big-boled trees strewn everywhere, and colossal damage to the Puniwhakau Road—such is the result of an unprecedented flood amounting to a waterspout which occurred in the district on Wednesday night.

Settlers on the Puniwhakau Road | are marooned and will be unable 10 get out for weeks or probably months. Great difficulty is being experienced in securing supplies, which will have to be “packed” by the settlers themselves until a bridle track has been cut through. Losses of stock have occurred. Settlers are thus isolated for the winter, as before any cars or other vehicles can pass a tremendous amount of road work will he necessary. New bridges will have to be j constructed and work of an unprece-! dented nature carried out. In order to gain an idea of the mea- ( sure of assistance required a party,j comprising Mr. VV. J. Poison, M.P.. i Mr. T. R. Anderson (Stratford j County Council chairman), Mr. L. i Bunn (riding member of the Conn-1 cil), Mr. J. W. Spence (County en-j gineer), Mr. P. Anderson (Public Works Department engineer) and Mr C. Campbell (County clerk) visited , the devastated district on Saturday, j and tramped over miles of the flood- ■ ed area. The party proceeded by car j to a spot about 27 miles from Strut- ! ford, and about two miles past the ! residence < 1 Mr. L. Bunn, and then ! proceeded - ;00l for a further six : miles Mr it. Ure’s property. The j stretch el six miles was a continuous! Sf.ries (if slips, washouts and block- j age-;, many chains of fencing having ! been -wept away, and large portions j of ihe read obliterated. Blockages and slips on the side- j roads such as the Taurakawa clay i rued are as disastrous in their effect: at tlm damage on the main road, as 1 hundreds of head of stock have been f isolated. Settlers were particularly j lucky, however, in regard to stock, I and although their losses will am- j ount to a large sum in the aggre- j gate, the flood did not wipe out enmasse any large numbers. In one j case over 100 hoggets, the property | of Mr. Martin Ford, were taken from I the dangerous area to higher land j by extraordinary means. The block- j age of logs in a portion of the stream | was so great that a jamb occurred, a j natural crossing thus being formed, i One animal was carried across and ; the remainder followed.. In another instance a mob of sheep clustered} close to the road fence and escaped 1 the surging waters by only a few \ feet. j

Banks Strewn with Logs Leaving Stratford shortly after 9 i a.m. the party proceeded direct to i Puniwhakau and en route a glimpse j of the flooded state of the district ! was gained. The low-lying land was j under water, which was making a j very slow get-away and passing along | the Puniwhakau road the Mangaehu i stream was seen to be in a particu-1 larly muddy state —the small spark-1 ling brook of a month or two ago j having risen to a stream of great | proportions. A stop was made at the ,i residence of Mr. Bunn, where the ! party partook of some refreshment, | and from the road the great height | to which the Puniwhakau stream had j risen could be seen. Logs and debris , lay strewn along the banks. Another j two miles and the cars were left, members of the party changing into I more suitable attire. From that time 1 onwards the almost incredible effects j of the big rains came into view in j quick succession. The first stretch | of road covered by foot was a mass | of silt, logs and debris of every de- j scription, and yet its level was 30, or 40 feet above the river to which i there was a long sloping bank. Here | several chains of new fencing re- I cently erected by Mr, Martin Ford: had been swept away. Mr. Ford’s loss j was as heavy as anyone’s in the dis- ! trict as two bridges connecting his j properly with the road were washed j away, leaving the occupants of the I house entirely isolated. A temporary j wire suspension is in course of erec- j lion. :

A chain or two on the flooded stretch, a County Council lorry, although equipped with wheel chains, had been unable to proceed further. Some distance along the road a party of workmen was engaged in cleaving a bridle path through a big washout, but as there was no semblance of firm ground, the inspecting party made its way across by stepping or leaping from log to log. Thus the ground was covered, ami before Mr. lire's property was reached ten big slips and many minor ones were encountered. Most mpressive of the colossal nature of (1m flood were the huge logs —hundreds In number —which had been b-a high and dry on the road 40 iv.n a be. " i lie stream level and surrounded by several feet of silt, mud and debris. The banks were lit-'efc-d -.villi logs of tremendous girth, l-.’v i. its elusive eel bad not escaped the disastrous effect of the occurrence and many were seen lying dead in 1 lie .middy silt. It became more apparent at this stage, too, that many a ■ ic.i of the best pasture land in the disudet —that along the river banks - had been ruined and obliterated. In some places the road was impassable even with the assistance of heavy boots, and detours down the hanks to the river’s edge and up to (he road again had to be made. Further on a concrete bridge had been swept away, only the lower portion remaining, and members of the party bad to cross on a narrow strip. At another crossing, where the bridge bad disappeared, a precarious crossing was made on logs. Everywhere the desolation seemed complete. Back in the hills one could see (he bare clay faces where big landslides had occurred, hundreds of tons of earth having avalanched into (he gullies. The return trip was made with more baste, in view of approaching dusk. The cars were reached in daylight, however, and further refreshment

having been partaken of at the residence of Mr. Bunn, the party returned to Stratford. It is understood that a suggestion will be advanced, advocating the establishment of a relief camp in the district, so that the damage will b<j repaired in reasonable time.