SNOW CLEARING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIV, Issue 21064, 16 June 1938, Page 6

SNOW CLEARING

Difficult Work In Back Country Roads Not Visible To the ordinary person snow clearingjust means running a plough along a road; but in the back country with the present heavy fall of snow, the work entails many difficulties. When the ground is covered to a depth of two feet, there is on the Mackenzie Plains often not even fences to show where the road should be. The driver of the snow plough has to peer ahead into < the icy stillness and only hope that . he will miss culverts and that his machine will not go over a bank. When | wind starts to shift the frozen snow. ( banks and drifts look the same. < On Tuesday, nearly every snow clear- , ing unit operated by the Mackenzie ( County Council encountered misfor- j tune. The machine that left Tekapo for Burke’s Pass slipped over a bank before it proceeded very far, and the < driver had to walk to Tekapo for assist- . ance. The unit from Fairiie slipped over a bank at the Long Cutting in j Burke's Pass and had to be partially , dismantled before it was replaced on th 2 road with tractors about 1 p.m. j yesterday. The driver on Tuesday night had to walk several miles to the < Burke’s Pass township to telephone for < assistance. The third accident affect- ( ing the Council's plant on Tuesday occurred when the lights failed on one of the lorries returning from Haldon, and it crashed through Doyle’s bridge and stopped suspended over the flooded stream.

Commenting yesterday on the hardships encountered, the County engineerclerk (Mr D. Jeune) said it was all ver„ well having ideas and theories about snow clearing. The trouble was that many unexpected difficulties had to be overcome. Few people would be able to appreciate the very trying work that had to be done by the men who were working to open the roads.

Snow plough units were working yesterday on the Rollesby, Haldon and Braemar roads, and it was expected to have those cleared last night. A tractor and plough is on the Braemar road, and the two Diesel graders with snow plough attachments are working on the Rollesby and Haldon roads. To save time, a lorry and trailer was to transport the tractor unit back to Tekapo last night so that it could start on the Richmond road, where drifting has occurred. In case of accident, drivers have been instructed to telephone progress reports. Except for a heavy covering on the tops of the surrounding hills, there is no snow in the vicinity of Fairlie. Snow is still on the ground from the Allandale School onwards, and is about two inches deep. On the lower parts of Sherwood Downs, there is about one inch, but the depth increases as the higher levels are reached. Throughout the County yesterday morning there was a heavy frost, and indications were that another would be experienced last night. There was sunshine during the day.