THE WEATHER.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16262, 12 July 1918, Page 6

THE WEATHER.

BOUGH AND UNPLEASANT.

SOLDIER SETTLERS ISOLATED

The weather at present seems unable to remain the same two days together, a reasonably fine day, such as Wednesday, being followed by a day reminiscent of the depths of winter. Yesterday a bitterly cold sou'-wester alow all day, blowing very strong in the evening. In the forenoon a good deil of rain fell, in the form of stinging showers, but it was a little clearer in the evening. Judging by what could be seen from the city, it must have been fino in the back country, for though the sky was overcast and grey here, the glint of sunshine could be discerned on the hills.

Matters arc normal in respect of the railway traffic, and the supply of current from Lake Coleridge. An engineer of the Public Works Department, who has had experience of hign-power aerial transmission lines in America, states that often enough the power is held up by blizzards. The only way in which tho designers of electricity producing plants can ensure continuity of supply is by tho use of duplicate or triplicate transmission lines widely spaced, so that if one or two lines go down the third will be left intact. Another method is to have two or more power stations dotted about, so that if one is snowed up or othsrwise disorganised, the others may still be able to carry on. Some asc is also made of stand-by plants, which can be utilised in an. emergency. If there had been three transmission lines from Lake Coleridge tho probability is that one would have escaped. As it was, the- south line was only slightly damaged, most of tho serious trouble occurring on the north line. The town of San Francisco could get no current for three weeks once," said the engineer. "So accidents will happen even in places where they are used to snow conditions."

THE TELEGRAPHS.

In conversation with a representative of "Tho Press'' last niglit, Mr E. A. Shrimpton, chief telegraph engineer, gave some interesting details regarding his trip of inspection of the north line telegraphs. Mr Shrimpton left Wellington on Monday night, and, after arrival in Christchurch, set out by motor-car, accompanied by Mr Gage, district engineer. Nothing of pailicula" interest was noticed until Rangiora was reached, but here about 50 per cent, of tho telephone subscribers' lines were down. A telephone line from Rangiora to Amberlev which follows the railway, was badly knocked about, about 30 per cent, of the. poles being out of place. No serious damage to tho main telegraph lines was visible until Amberley was reached, but here, whore all the north converge for testing purposes, the main terminal pole, among others, Was down. From Waipara, Mr Shrimpton travelled right through to the Weka Pass and Waikari. Here the wires were in a bad state, there being hardly a span without more than half down, and arms broken all over tho place. From Waikari to Culverden, so far as the poles wero concerned, the line was not in a bad state, but the wires were broken in many places. Strange to record, north of Culverden to Rotherham, where the snow was deepest, the line was intact, but from Rotherham to Waiau it was knocked about very badly. In the township of Waiau things were in a deplorable condition. Numerous totara poles were broken, and ironbark poles wero torn rut of the ground. Two miles north of Waiau eight poles were down, According to information roceived from Kaikoura, the lines were in a very bad state there. It would probably be a week before a reliable service was established between Waiau and Kaikoura. Permanent repairs to the East Coast lines might take six months. "We are hampered in this way," said Mr Shrimpton. "Like everybody else, our best men are at the front. However, the men we have are working very well under the circumstances. Tho work in the snow is most trying, especially when the wires are buried in frozen snow. North of Waiau the greatest difficulty is to feed the men, and in places where accommodation is scarce a great deal of travelling backwards and forwards is entailed. Tho shortage of material is not a serious matter as regards the repairs. The Public Works Department have kindly lent the Telegraph Department a number of poles, ae the shortage of shippine prevents us getting all our orders fulfilled."

Mr Shrimpton left Waiau on tho return journey at about 1 p.m. yesterday, and there v/as then about 18 inches of snow on the ground. There was, however, a bieger thaw around this town than at Rotherham or Culverden, and a good thaw around Waikari. Ho noticed a great quantity of dend stock in the country through which ho passed, especially on the flat about Culverden Hundreds of ipcn were engaged on the big slip at the Conway river. Much difficulty"was experienced in getting material to the telegraph gangs the snow-bound country, and improvised sledges had to be largely used, but the work was very trying for tho horses.

"It is a remarkable fact," concluded Mr Shrimpton, "that T noticed not one iron bark pole was broken. Ferro-con-crete and totara poles were broken in largo numbers, and strong railway metal poles were bent almost in a semicircle, but whatever ironbnrk poles were displaced were simoly uprooted." The Christchurch Tefegraph Office had tho uso of three wires to Wellington last night, and ono to the "West Coast- The last-mentioned eon Id, however. be used to communiento with Wellington, if necessary. Tlr.is, so far as the Christchurch telegraphic matter is concerned, conditions are fast returning to normal.

ijjr the Countky.

AKAROA. After a week of "bright, sunny days and occasional nippy frosts following the-storm at Akaroa at the beginning of the month, the weather has broken. A strong southerly gale worked up yesterday morning with heavy rain, and a high sea is runnmg up tho harbour

KOWAI BUSH. Local farmers are becoming accustomed to the present weather conditions. The snow is still deep, but is gradually thawing. The losses among stock are fairly heavy, but not so heavy as was expected. The tram and mail services have been regulnr this week, but there can be no traffic between Kowai Bush and Springfield except b\- horse. The school was closed from the Ist to the 9th inst., when it re-opened only to be closed again next day owing to an accumulation of snow water. The snow on July 3rd measured from 3ft Bin to 4ft on the flat, and some of the drifts were extremely deep.

ASHBURTON GORGE. Mr T. Hicks, who has the mail contract from Mount Somers up the As'iburton Gorge to Clant Hills Station, visited Ashburton on Wednesday, when tho first reliable news from ttie back countrv was available. Mr "Hicks stated that ho made his first trip since the storm up the Gorgo on Saturday last. He left Mount

Somen At 9 a.m., and did not reach Clent Hills until 6 p.m., the return journey being made tne next day. in fine weather the whole journey out and back is accomplished in nine hours, luo trip was made on a fairly heavy horse, and although Mr Hicks knows every inch of the road, ho got off tho track once at a cutting, and was soon into a snowdrift, experiencing some dilUculty in getting out the horse, xle stated that the snow had settled down considerably, but in tho Gorge proper there had been practically no thaw, and the recent frost hnd made the surface like glass, making travelling very difficult for a horse. He noticed sheep on many of the spurs, which were well sheltered-, and no doubt these would | survive, if only on tussocks,_ but he was of the opinion that a serious loss of sheep would result, as tho drift snow was verv deep in some of the cuttings and guflies. Before f ho storm three _ waggoners with 21 horses from Oeraldine wont up the Gorge to load chaff at Hakatere, and had just got the chaff loaded when tho storm commenced, and the waggons were left, but the horses made Gernldine, the journey through the Gorge to Mount Somors occupying two days. The driver of the Lnkc Heron waggon started out for Mount Somers Inst Saturday on horseback, bringing with him three pack and two saddle horses. They readied their destination on Sunday. On iSiesdav two shepherds from Cliribtchurch reached Mount Somers en route for Lake Heron, to assist in snowraking, and it was anticipnted that they wouid reach the station on Wednesday night. The fall varied considerably. At Luke Heron 22 inches fell; at Mesopotamia station 20 inches; at Mount Potts 30 inches: and it Mount Somers about 23 inches. Tho tramline to the coalmine is out of commission, and the mirers and quarrymcn are idle. The telephone lino from Blount Somers up tho Gorge, which was recently completed. stood tho severe test well, and only a. few minor brenks were found. _ These wore soon fixed up, and communication maintained between the various stations along tho line.

HOROr? ATA. After a week of warm, sunny days and frosty nights, the weather changed on Wednesday night, and a light rain started to fail yesterday morning. Hie rain is very welcome to stock owners, as it will molt the snow which is still lying thick all over the district. There is sin about the towliship, and over a foot nearer the hills. Farmers are all reporting a few sheep going mopey from the cffects of no green feed, and it is feared if the snow does not get away soon the loss among ewes will be very heavy. The Hororata school was closed for a week on account of the snow, and very few pupils turned up this week, as it is not safe to drive 011 account of the slippery state of the roads.

LEE'S VALLEY SETTLEMENT. Som© of the members of the party of Lee's Valley settlors, who unsuccessfully -attempted to return to thoir holdings. were interviewed on their return to Christchurch last evening, and thoy stated that the position in the valley is causing grave anxiety. Seven men are isolated in the valley, comprising Mr Starky, a settler, and two employees, Mr Whitelaw, a sliepherd on the Snowdale run, a carpenter and liis assistant, and Mr Lott, a sottler. When the storm of ten days ago rendered access to the valley impossible, seven of the Lee's Valley settlers were in the city, spending the weekend, and they have been unable to return to their holdings since. Several attempts have been mslde to get to the valley, hut without success, and it is feared that those settlers and others snow-bound in the valley must by now be experiencing a shortage of provisions. In any enso the speedy restoration of communication is considered extremely necessary if grave hardships and possible less of life is to be averted, The settlers excluded from their holdings are not relinquishing theif efforts to reach the valley, but they feel very strongly that at this stage the Government should come to the rescue with an expeditionary party properly equipped for enotf work. In the opinion of the rosiderits of the locality interviewed last evening, two parties should set out simultaneously, one along the Blow Hard route, and the other along the rond. If carrier pigoons were taken the condition of affairs in the valley could be. communicatcd to the outside world with a minimum of delay, oilce either party rotlched its objective.

It was added that on© of the excluded settlers set out from Glentui alone, and without provisions, on "Wednesday, in an attempt to reach the valley, and up to 3 p.m. yesterday nothing had been heard from him. v Many of the other settlers have practically "knocked themselves out" in fruitless attempts to battle through the snowdrifts, and their chances of success in further efforts are for that reason handicapped. They feel that the Government ought to help, particularly aa Lees's Valley is a Crown settlement. TheCommi6?ioner of Crown Lands for Canterbury (Mr W. H. Skinner) has instructed Sir F. H. Waters, Government Surveyor, to do everything possible to reach the valley. On Wednesday a party, including Messrs Waters, P. O'Malley, P. Duckworth, W. Lilly, H. Francis, J. Lukics, A. Keats, and E Gibson, had reached an altitude of 2030 feet on the slopes of tho Blow Hard' Peak (3439 ft). Four men on skis are also attempting to reach the snowbound settlers.

GERALDTNE. In the bright sunshine, which is of daily occurrence, the suow is disappearing slowly from the Gcraldino district, but bard frosts at night aro causing the melting process to be long delayed. A decided thaw began on Wednesday, and n'any of the open paddocks are now ngain uncovered. Hereabouts the storm has caused little damage, and the 6toek apparently have come well through their rough cxpericnco. Almost every waterpipc in the district has been burst in placcs, but, according to tho plumbers, this cannot be counted altogether as a loss.

Towards Orari Bridge and Belfield, and by Arundel, along the Ealing road, the effects of tno fall are still causing general inconvenience, but affairs are gradually returning to a normal state. A great number of sheen have been brought down from tho inland stations, in ono case from as far as Fairlie?to the plains. Somo of these sheep have had a hard timo of it, and are in poor condition, and tho death-rate among them is still rather high. At one farm, to which a rescued half-starved flock had been driven, they were put on turnips, and eleven of them were dead within tho next few hours.

In the vicinity of Woodside and To Moana, most <,f-the sunny facings are now fairly.clear, but on tho farms about Peel Forest, Woodbury, and Pleasant Valley, snow still covers the land to a depth of several inches, deepening towards the uplands. If the thaw continues at its present slow rate of progress, a considerable time_ must elapse beforo the fields are again free, and great difficulty is being experienced in finding food for the stock. Luckily, a fair amount of hnv remains over, but oat-sheaf rhnff is almost unobtainable.

In the hill country near Orari Gorge, the Tripp Settlement, "Waihi, and Four Peaks, the work of snow-raking has continued vigorously, but it has proved impossible to secure a sufficient number of men for the business, and a great many sheen are still snowed in. It is only too probable that tho losses will ?>o wHors, but in some cases good progress has been mado in tho work of rescue, as on ono of tho smaller runs near Woodbury, where twelve hundred Bheep were brought down snfely in a day. The cold has been of most exceptional severity, and usually within a few moments after sunset, tho roads aro like ice, and tho whole country is again frozen hard.

With snow plough and road graders the roads towards the hill country have

now been made--passable, and • good nanny sheep have been brought down to lower country. The Qeraldine branch of the War Relief Society took action to secure feed for the sheep of soldiers and returned men, and have so far arranged for the feeding of fivo thoosand.