WEST COAST.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1498, 19 February 1861, Page 2

WEST COAST.

[PROM OUtt OWN COBESPONDENT.] Wo regret to state that the bridge over the Wangaohu river, on the line of road between Wanganui and Rangitikei wag destroyed on Wednesday morning, the 13th instant, by a moat unexpected and unprecedented rush of snow from the mountains.

It appears that the Maories living by the river, side had noticed at daybreak an unusual decrease of water in the river, as though the stream had been somewhere checked, a.n.l at about six. o'clock a.m., was seen an immense body of what in the distance appeared like solid ground filling up the river from bank to bank and extending for more than a hundred yards along its bed ; this enormous mass which proved to be composed of ice, snow, and great tree trunks closely packed into a solid body, moved slowly on towards the bridge, where its progress was for the moment arrested ; forced on however, by the weight of *water which followed and the accumative material, it was soon raised to the level of the platform of the bridge, vrhich was wrenched up from the piles, and then with a tremendous crash platform and piles gave way lea ring a free course for tho floating mass. For three or four hours afterwards the water remained almost as high as the level of the bridge, carrying down huge blocks of ice, black masses of Bnow, and rotten timbor ; towards evening, however, the river had fallen again to within a foot of its usual height, though even then lumps of ice wore swimming down in the muddy water, and the immense deposit on the Wanganui side was gradually melting away though enough still remained as evidence of the enormous weight which must have beeu brought to bear on the unfortunate bridge.

About one half of tho bridge, — that on the Turakina side whero the channel was deepest — ia gone ; the portion still remaining on the other side seems scarcely injured, it owes its safety to the fact of there being at the time of the occurrence, for some distance out on that side, no water to float the mass along, which in consequence stranded on the shingle bed, and was the moro easily checked in its course by the piles of the bridge remaining there, when the rest of the mow had forced a passago for itself, and acting in fact as a protection to the remaining portion of tho bridge by turning the body of water, that cam© rushing down.

No provious instance is on record among the Maorioß of any similar occurrence ; the inhabitants of the little pa by the river side were terribly frightened, and rushed out from their warriea exclaiming that Tongariro was coming down upon thorn, and indeed it would appear as though a tremendous avalanche had precipitated en masse tho contents of one of tho snow filled ravines of that mountain, into the river bed.

Wo believe that no structure, however, solid could havo long withstood tho enormous pressure to which it was subjected, a pressure which would havo increased tho moro as the resistance to tho bank of snow was the longor offered, and we therefore regard it as a fortunate circumstance that tho money devoted to the purpose of strengthening tho bridge had not been expended upon it ; as the sum will now bo moro usefully employed in forming a safe and convenient forry, such as will meet the requirements of an important and daily increasing traffic.

To the districts of Turaldna and Rangitikoi no ferry arrangement*, however good, can compensate for the loss they have sustained by this unexpected occurrence, as tho existonco of a bridge and consequent facility of getting their produce to market had stimulated the settlers to great, efforts in the way of farming, and we find in the Kangitifeei alone a breadth of land under crop at loast three times as great as in any previous year ; the population too has been greatly increased on the faith of the existence of a good road to the port. The necessities then oi these districts demand that tho inhabitants should not be left to return, as before the orection of the bridge, to the extortionate domands, tho childish caprico, and the expensive inconvenience of an old Maori with & wet canoe.

Tho rebuilding of tho bridge must be loft for future consideration, we have to deal with the present pressing requirements and would urge the appointment without delay of an European ferryman, tho provision of a suitable punt, and tho outlay of a few pounds on tho approaches to the river on either side. Till this ia done all traffic must ceaso, or bo carried on only at au immense inconvenience and expense.