GERALDINE DEEP SNOWDRIFTS

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23258, 20 July 1945, Page 3

GERALDINE DEEP SNOWDRIFTS

A Record Frost i Settlers in the Rangitata Gorge behind Geraldine were still isolate i yesterday by bin drifts of frozen s'.iow in the cuttings behind Mt. Peel. The Counts’ staff has cleared the snow bevond Mt. Peel Station, but endeavours to clear the drift have so far failed and the County Engineer <Mr J. R. Hawcridge) sent out a bulldozer yesterday in an endeavour to clear the drills. A fall of 27 inches of snow was recorded at Mr A. Tavlor s home in th? Rangitata Gorge, and yesterday 26 degrees of frost were registered. All back country sheep stations are snowraking but the snow is not as deep at Mesopotamia station as between that point and Mt. Peel. Warm praise has been expressed at the prompt manner in which the County staff, particularly the grader drivers, have cleared the highways in all parts of the county. The engineer said that all roads with the exception of the road from Kakahu to Hanging Rock, and the Fairlie Highway, were open. County roads will now receive attention. A difficult time has been experienced by the staff of the South Canterbury Electric Power Board. The Geraldine maintenance officer 'Mr W. S. Parr* reported yesterday that all high tension circuits had been restored. He praised the help given by the Army to the Beard's staff. Power had been restored with the exception of a few individual consumer service lines which had to be temporarily disconnected because of broken wires and poles. A record frost of 19.5 degrees was registered at Geraldine yesterday, and indications are that the thaw will be a slow one.