SCENES OF CHAOS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 314, 28 May 1913, Page 3

SCENES OF CHAOS.

3 SEA ENCROACHMENTS. | j lIOKITIKA RESIDENTS ALARMED. '.' Hokitika, May 25. ' Lashed into fury by the heavy sou- ; tlierly gale during the storm last week, ' big, green, froth-crested breakers dashed ' angrily in thunder against the rear of the business houses facing Hokitika's ! main street, and great damage was wrought. Old residents say that the tide was the highest known for years. The storm was a fierce one, and it was an anxious time for the business people. When the sea went down, a' scene of chaos was presented. Fences had been bodily removed, large six by four posts had been snapped clean off, sheet iron twisted and bent, outhouses and sheds wrecked, and driftwood and sand piled up in the back portions of the business houses and shops. When the waves dashed in fury upon the back premises and fences, big logs and large stumps of trees were brought in by the tide, and these were hurled in by'the angry seas, and the fences and sheds fell like packs of cards. The owners of the properties say that the sea has eaten away about thirty feet in eighteen months,-and the erosion continues. Fences and sheds j within lfiOft of the frontage to the main : street were smashed, and the water ran right through the business houses and shops out into the front footpaths. From the beach a good view of the damage can be had. There is scarcely one fence intact, and the places present a wrecked, appearance. To give an idea of the fury I of the waves, it might be mentioned that a large piece of iron, part of an old [dredge or engine, .and pleasuring (light | feet by four feet, with large arms, was lifted like a piece of wood and landed within a few feet of the fences. Thispiece of machinery had lain on the beach for a number of years, and no previous storm was .powerful enough to. shift, it. . AMATEUR PROTECTION WORKS.

I 111 many places the shopkeepers have } erected embankments and small protec- | tion works. Large -packing cases filled I with sand have been deposited, and these , have helped to break the force of the I waves. In some instances sandbags have been laid sideways on tiers, and these i have given some protection, although last week's storm dashed over these embankments and washed over the sandbag protection works and into the premises. Most of the owners of the business premises live on the spot, and they had a particularly anxious time. Water washed in everywhere—in shops and dwelling places. In one instance the water rushed in under the beds, and in another ease ' the water was awasli in the dining-room, and this room is within eighty feet of i the main frontage. Some of the owners have removed their fences back no fewer than six times, and the last storm demolished the fences. Altogether the position is regarded as serious by the Mayor and the townpeople. On Friday the Mayor (Mr. O. A. Perry) telegraphed to the Prime Minister asking that the resident Public Works Engineer be allowed to inspect the beach and report. Much satisfaction is expressed at the fact that a few hours after making the request, the Mayor received Mr. Massey's assurance that the resident engineer had been instructed to visit the beach and report on the damage done, and also suggest the best means of putting a stop to the erosion.

DISCUSSION AT PUBLIC MEETING. A public meeting was held on Friday evening, when the matter was discussed.. The business people in the main street were unanimous that the position was a serious one. It was suggested that one thousand feet of piling would be necessary, and the cost would be about £ISOO. The proposal is that the residents find one-third of the money, and- the balance be made up by the local bodies interested, and perhaps a subsidy from the Government. The Mayor said he thought the harbor works were somewhat responsible for the trouble, having changed the set of the current. There are no two opinions about the danger, not only to the business premises, but to the whole town. The business premises which back on to the ge.ich are built on a bank, and should the sea be able to destroy that bank, the water would have unrestricted entry into the low-lying portions of the town.