SLIPS ON TRAM LINES

Taranaki Daily News, 22 February 1935, Page 7

SLIPS ON TRAM LINES

BRIEF POWER SHUT DOWN

CAMPERS DRIVEN FROM TENTS. FLOOD ENTERS BUILDINGS. Probably the most intense rain New Plymouth has experienced for many years fell last night for an hour as the culmination of a steady downpour throughout the day in all parts of Taranaki. The climax came at 11.20 p.m., when a blinding flash of lightning was the signal for the failure of electric lights in the borough, The cause of the fault was not ascertainable last night, but the service was restored within a few minutes..

After that the downpour appeared to ease, though the rain continued and there was another series of heavy storms about midnight. A report received at 1.30 this morning stated that the Huatoki had overflowed its banks and was rushing through the premises of Weston, Ball and Grayling’s offices and had overflowed into the yard of the Royal Hotel. Damage caused by the enormous volupie of water was reported from various parts of the town yesterday afternoon and last night. Thirty tons of earth from the southern bank of Breakwater Road dipped across the tramlines near the Breakwater Hotel at 3.30 p.m. just after ; a car had passed. Fortunately a trackman was in the vicinity and with help from the depot he was able to clear the lines after three trams had been prevented from going on to the port terminus. At 10.30 p.m. a second but smaller slip occurred in the locality, this time on the sharp bend, near Manning’s shop. Some shovelling by the tramwaymen was sufficient to permit the passage of the cars. A coincidence was that the first slip occurred on the site on which the harbour, board intended to remove spoil for the widening of' the thoroughfare.

' Leaks occurred in many shops in the centre of the town, goods being damaged, and even streets on high levels were running knee-deep in water when the rain was most intense last night. Shortly after 11 it. was almost impossible to see objects even five yards ahead of the rain. A torrent four feet wide rushed down the western gutter of Brougham Street, hit the footpath at the intersection with such force that it leapt five feet high and swept like a stream from a huge fire hydrant back into the gutters. The footpaths were inches deep in rushing overflow. Cars on the Breakwater road where the force of the storm swept in unchecked resembled speed boats at each intersection, throwing out wings of water hood-high. The Moturoa beach settlement appeared to have suffered severely late last night and it was noticeable that all the unsealed cross-roads were scoured severely by overflow from gutters that ran like miniature rivers. In some cases the scouring appeared, as, much as a foot deep. At 12.30 this morning three more ex» tensive clay slips had fallen across the tramlines at the Breakwater cutting, and other portions of the bank seemed likely to go at any minute. Motorists were driven from the Belt Road motor camp by the flood that rushed through the tents and eventually every site was abandoned. CAMPERS DRIVEN. FROM TENTS. At Fitzroy a sheet of water about 75 yards long and 50 yards wide swamped the lower end of the road to the camp sites. The shrubs in the little plantation were completely covered by the water which’ in the lowest level of the land was lying thigh-deep. Like a great pond the water flooded from the tennis courts almost to the camp kitchen and from the base of the hill to the old bathing sheds. The major part of the camp itself was remarkably dry,'very few of the tents standing even in surface puddles. At the south end, however, the. water was lying some two to three feet deep, an expanse about 25 yards square. Most of the tents seemed to be standing up to the weather extremely well. One only was tattered, with its fly rent and flapping. Nevertheless, though most of the occupants had evidently thought discretion the better part of valour and decamped, a light behind one canvas side showed that some brave soul was defying the deluge. In a wooden bach at the south end the water was lying 18 inches deep and camp utensils were floating in it. The door was open, and swinging idly on its hinges. In the top bunk, imperturbably sleeping, a man was taking his accustomed rest. Out at sea waves were whipped white as far as the eye could see. Enormous breakers roared into the shore sweeping in within 20 yards of the tussock on Fitzroy beach and licking the concrete protection ■wall at East End. There was a strong rip, a !°®S tfe® ..

wards East End and Ngamotu. As it swirled across the heavy surf flung on the sands great logs and broken boughs that the rivers had brought down. Down the rivers a tremendous volume of turgid and flecked water was rushing to the sea, a roaring noise minging with the. dull crash of occasional large stones. The water had risen above the banks of the Henui and Waiwakaiho rivers and was lapping round the trees and shrubs ;n the edges. At East End thv H-iui had risen close to the sewer pipe and was dashing against the concrete pillars.

A newly planted plantation opposite Baines Terrace was scoured by the rushing water, the clay lying about six inches deep on the footpath. Garagemen worked at high pressure al! yesterday afternoon and until late last night. The trouble in most cases was wet distributors, wires and ignition. One motor firm reported towing 40 cars during the’ day, and hundreds probably required assistance but could get it only in a minority of cases. No accidents of a serious nature were reported. Theatre-goers and late shoppers found no overcoat, even the efficient oilskin of the farmer in for the night, was proof against the downpour. Hundreds were soaked to the skin and waded across intersections knee deep in water. Men. and women removed their shoes and waded barefoot.. No roof guttering was capacious enough to deal with roof water from the cloudbursts