FLOOD DISASTER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 45, 22 February 1936, Page 10

FLOOD DISASTER

DEVASTATION IN SOUTH RIVERS BURST BANKS GRAIN CROPS RUINED HEAVY LOSSES OF STOCK ( Per Ptms Association. ] CHRISTCHURCH, Feb 21. The rains of the past three days culminated in disaster for Canterbury last night and early this morning. Ihe worst of the floods ie> past, but thou sands of acres of farm lands have been and still arc under water, and grain crops in both North and Mid Canterbury will be almost a total loss. The pe..k of th.* floods came firtt in North Canterbury iate yesterday afte.-naon. Every river, except the Waiemkaiiri, burst its bank-. How many bridges hai e been destroyed is not kaown, but the read traffic cannot proceed fu-lher north than Kangiora. hover'd which almost every centre i-« isolated from every other. The Ashley River burnt its banks at three paces’. Around Fernsid-e thousands of acres were inundated and hundreds of head of stock were drowned. With water billowing over its top rail, the Lower Ashley bridge on the main highway below Kangiora disap pearerl in the fiord. On the south ride nine feet of water covered the road, and a section of the concrete paving was washed away. At « a.m. the north branch of the Waimakariri was carrying more water than at anv time since 1923. Only the diversion of the Eyre Kiver into the Waimakariri saved the Kaiap'i dis triet from a repetition of tire tragedy of thirteen years ago. Tn Mid-Canterbury the worst came early this morning when the furious torrent of the Ashburton Kiver so damaged both the railway and traffic bridges that they became unsafe for traffic. 'The southern approaches to both were whirled away and a chain of railway line is hanging in the air. Services Dislocated. With bridges washed away and others weakened bv scouring to suen an extent that they are unsafe for traffic there is serious dislocation today of rail and road transport services in Canterbury. The onlv railwav lino clear th.s morning was the Midland line, but no passenger services were run. Coings working throughout the night repaired a big wash-out at Staircase Gully, anti hv 6 o’clock it was possible to get goods trains through to Arthurs Pas«. Nn train* wvr** run this n»on>ing north of Kangiora. but railway officials state that they hope to be aide to have the damage repaired in time for afternoon trains to run further north. The flood waters were also very high in rhe Selwvn Kiver this morning, ami th® rf'outh express hnd to travel ven dowlv nvrr the bridge, causing n de lir in the time of arrival at AshburAttempts tn run the usual motor per ' from Christchurch t«> Blenheim this morning were not successful ov.ing to bridge bring vashrd RELIEF WORKERS SAFE THE .ASHLEY FLOOD LOSS OF EQUIPMENT CHKISICHL'KCH, Feb. 21. Fifteen relief workerc encamped on the north s.de of the Ashley liner, on the Alain North Read, w.io were isolated last night when the liver flooded, were rescued this morning by the engineer-iu-rhaigc (Mr. 1». Ai'lniyrv) w«lh a party .»i three. None ui lue workers was injured, and there was no damage to their property. However, the losses <4‘ looks and equipment leu on the job were heavy, line box ut took was noticed tuis morning in the branches vi a tree. eomp.ttcly sui rounded by water. In an interview Mr. Mclntyre said that he was very relieved that trie men had been successfully evacuated wita uut injury. He paiu a tribute to those in the camp, saying that ou hie airivai this morning he icund them in good spirits and ready to regard the whole adventure a? in the nature of a joke. At daylight he organised a rescue party which forced to wade vvei a considerable stretch of approach le Uie Kangiora traffic budge, whence they proceeded in a Public Works truck, taking with them a heavy rope. They proceeded along the Lower Ash lev road, but lound it impassable. At a lanu they found twelve of the WJ.ktis who had made their escape from the camp early ye?»ter<ay afternoon, and v.iu/ had spent tie night in a hayloft. From there to the camp, a distaiue of a mile, the party was forced to wade in water, at lunes being chesthigh. The journey to the camp oe cupicj some two hours. The pa-ty remained at the camp until lb u ’clot when the workers were evacuated in relay* with the aid of a rope and transported to Kangiora by tin- k. There is onlv one of th »voiVers missing. He is Mr. \ allaiii-e, of H-ightou, a.id it is known that he Ha hed safety with the party which aft the camp yesterday afternoon. Vaca the other members vt the party Jjeidtl to spend the night in a haylaft, Mr. Valianre set out for the Arh Ify bank and he ha* n r «, vet been reported. There were in all 45 inea brought back by truck and car. Asked what had been the position in the camp during the night, Mr. Mein tyre said that the water rose until it was just lapping the undersides of the hat*. Five or six of the men who at tempted to leave the camp last ev < n ing were forced to spend the night on the bank. They had advanced a certain distance a hen a break prevented them from continuing along the bank. the meantime their retreat had been cut off by another break