FIRST THROUGH.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20298, 7 May 1934, Page 7

FIRST THROUGH.

Service Car Gets to Little

River. AN EXCITING TRIP. (“Star” Special Reporter.) LITTLE RIVER, May 7. With a high wind blowing from the south-west and banking up Lake Forsyth, Little River is again threatened with flooding. Residents this afternoon were frankly apprehensive, pointing out that the level of the lake was already up to that of the road, and riot much more water was required before the flats would again be inundated. The only thing that can save the valley from a similar ordeal to that of Friday night would be the dropping of the wind. The Wairewa County Council is doing its best to reli' /e the situation, and yesterday five three-horse teams were dispatched to the shore of Lake Forsyth, where every effort is being made to open the shingle bank. It is hoped that this may soon be completed. Prepared for the Worst. Although the weather forecast is for ari improvement, Little River is prepared for the worst. A service car, with a “ Star ” reporter as a passenger, got through from Christchurch this morning, being the first to do so since Friday. A powerful tourer preceded the large bus as a pilot car. and although it was many times doubtful whether the cat could negotiate partly damaged stretches of road and deep pools, the journey was made in fairly good time, after an exciting trip. These were the only cars to get through. Several lighter cars had to turn back. At times the water on the flooded road skirting Lake Forsyth was well above the running board. The only traffic met on the road from Kaituna consisted of light cars forced to turn back by floods and boggy slips. The twenty-five horsepower touring car acting as pilot for the big bus tried the worst places before the larger car, carrying five passengers, made the attempt. People living on the route came out to encourage the drivers, as they had been waiting for a successful journey before making the attempt themselves. Slips Everywhere. All the way along the road as it runs by Lake Forsyth there were slips of varying sizes, the worst being at Caton’s Bay, where the cars had to drive right over the top. Water was still running down the hill and banking up on the lower portions of the road. One stretch, just before reaching Little River, was a quarter of a mile long and from eighteen inches to two and a half feet in depth. In another place the bus had to leave the road and take to open country to avoid an impossible spot. Up till to-day there had been no railway communication with Little River except by automatic trolley. Kaituna was a busy railway centre this morning, with three engines, a works train and several assorted carriages and trucks stand ing by. The trolley to Little River brought the assistant railway engineer. Mr Simmonds, and a gang of men. They are working on the clearing of a slip near the Roman Catholic Church crossing, where over 1000 yards of rubbish blocks the line. This afternoon a train was dispatched from Kaituna for Little River, reaching there at 1.15. When the whistle was heard, residents immediately turned out and greeted the train with a cheer. The train consisted of an engine and a van, which picked up passengers by the big slip. They were taken to Birdling’s Flat, where they were transhipped into motor-cars for the remainder of the journey. Some idea of the conditions leading up to the past and present troubles of Little River is given by the records of rainfall kept by residents, which read as follows: —For the twenty-four hours up to 9 a.m. on May 3. 1.18 in; twentyfour hours up to May 4,8.26 in; up to May 5,4.26 in; up to May 6,1.526 in. Total to 9 a.m. this morning, 15.246 in. Rain Continues. At 2 p.m. rain wa,s still falling heavily and the sou’-west gale continued. In the opinion of residents of Little River who have lived in the valley for many years, the position was as grave as it was on Friday night.

CAUSE OF FLOODS. Cyclone Swept Down From Norfolk Island. Mr F. L. Wooles states that the stormy conditions of the past few days are due to a sub-tropical cyclone that began to form off Norfolk Island last j Tuesday. Shallow at first, it rapidly developed intensity Moving southward, the storm centre passed along the west coast of the North Island and out through Cook Strait towards the Chatham Islands. It is most unusual for a sub-tropical cyclone to exert its influence as far south as Canterbury and North Otago, but when such a visitation does occur it is natural to expect heavy rains and flood conditions. One reason is that a storm area originating in a sub-tropical region has a high moisture content and by moving into colder latitudes tends to produce an excessive rainfall. Another reason, at least as far as Canterbury and the east coast are concerned, is that the direction taken by the recent cyclone brought in winds from the easterly to southerly quadrant, the ideal rainbearing quarter for these districts. The reason why Banks Peninsula had the greatest rainfall, especially on its southern side, during the southerly was due to the hills acting as a condenser in the same manner as the Southern Alps influence nor’-west rains. After clearing on Saturday evening, the recurrence of rain yesterday afternoon and during the night was evidently due to the formation of a small secondary depression off the East Coast in the rear of the main storm area. The indications are that a further improvement in the weather should occur, though isolated showers are still likely. GOVERNOR’S BAY ROAD. The road between the Sign of the Kiwi and Governor’s Bay is in a verybad condition. There are three slips, and the ruts, in some places are two or three feet deep. Eight men started work this morni..g, clearing :he road. It is expected that cars will be able to | get through in the course of a day or so.