A STORMY NIGHT IN WELLINGTON.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1062, 27 February 1911, Page 6

A STORMY NIGHT IN WELLINGTON.

BIG LANDSLIDES. TRAM AND TRAIN TRAFFIC INTERRUPTED. DAMAGE AT KARORI.

From among tho conventional expressions which aro generally accepted as adequate descriptions of tho weather, it is difficult to select ono which will exactly fit tho delugo which fell upon, tho city and surrounding districts .on Saturday night. The Scotch resident who remarked that it was "raining cats and dougs : and auld wives," left a good deal unsaid; another man who asserted that "it was coming. down in buckotfuls," was hopelessly out in his estimate. AH ono can say, for. want of a. completo'illustration, is simply that on Saturday,- from about tea-time—tho Tain had been driving in from tho south all-day, moro or lessit rained and rained, AND rained, all night, tilt it positively couldn't rain any more. Tho city received a thorough soaking. Miniature torrents foamed along tho gutters, streets bocatno canals, while hillsides slipped portions of their substance, to tho confusion of traffic and tho perplexity of j'chus and pedestrians. The downpour eased, off yesterday' morning, and with tho.approach of noon the sky lightened, a watery-looking sun struggled through at odd intervals, and tho rain ceased. All ovcr v tho city and suburbs, however, • the delugo left its mark;

High Figures. • Anyono who observed the downpour on Saturday evening must. hnvo known that the volume of the rainfall w-as extraordinary, but the figures aro a little staggering. At Mount Cook the registered rainfall from 9 a.m. on Saturday until tho same hour on Sunday, totalled 6.32 ■ inches.. At Karori 0.38 inches wcro registered, and at Wninui tho rainfall amounted to 5.75 inches. ' Tho amount that fell'at Mount .Cook, 6.32 inches is stated to bo equal to 110 tons o£ water to the acre. ._ .- , '-.■"'. Big Slip at Karori. To merely cataloguo tho numerous slips and subsidences that occurred , in .different parts.of tho city and suburban areas would take up a lot of space, but on tho Karori Road tho road was cut away to a surprising extont. Near Croswick Road tho main road crosses a gully upon an embankment of ' artificial • formation, which slopes away steeply on either hand.' It became known about sunset on Saturday ovening that tho tremendous downpour which then began to attain its maximum volumo was doing 'serious damage to tho ; main road at tho snot indicated. Spoil was falling into the gullies on cither hand, and tho collapse that ultimately occurred was anticipated. It becamo necessary to keop a bright lookout to onsuro tho safety of tho cars passing up and down. The last car to negotiate tho damaged road left tho Karori Council, Chambers' at ten minutes past 9. soon afterwards tho road was declared impassable, and for the remainder of the evening one car' maintained tho service nbovo Creswick Koad, and cars from town terminated their journey on tho main road short of that thoroughfare. A Gradual Collapse, Apparently there was at no time '£ sudden fall of any largo quantity of spoil,'but throughout tho night the swiftly falling water continued its remorseless work, and when day dawned it .was seen that tho road had sustained dnmago that will probably tako weeks to repair. Tho largest slip is on tho right hand sido of the road, about fifty yards above Creswick Road. For a length of about fifty ynrds the embankment bordering tho road has slipped awhy, leaving a great wedge-shaped gap, 50 feet across at > its lower end. The edge of the road has fallen away for forty yards or more, and a conduit, which had been placed widerground, to carry the feeder, wires for tho lately completed Karori extension lino, has been left suspended in the air. Hundreds of tons of spoil will be required to make good tho damago done at this spot.

Sleepers In the Air.

Lower down the road, just opposite Crcswick Road, a slip has occurred which makes it impossible to tako a car over the track. This is a smaller affair than the enormous subsidence higher up the road, but for about twenty-five feet tho supporting ground has completely fallen away from tho track, and sleepers, asphalt, and rails are left suspended. Tho posts of a roadside fence, 'which wcro sunk, before the slip occurred, four feet deep in the earth, also Tcmain snspended in the air. A little way lower down tho road a similar slip has occurred. As in tho neighbouring slip, tho fence is left hanging. The track in this instance is not affected, but if tho rain dad continued a littlo longer jt would no doubt have been undermined at this place also. Between Creswick Road and tho Botanical gardens the Karori Road has suffered damage at various points, but nowhere to anything liko tho samo extent. Ono slip has deposited about a dozen yards of spoil in close proximity to-the tramline on tho road-bend just above the viaduct. Lower down the bend, tho top of tho bank, which at "lis spot is about 35 .feet high, fell down on tho line. ' Tho few tons of resultant debris have already been shovelled to tho other side of tho road.

Below tho viaduct there is a small Kiilly, which yesterday evening still carried n considerable volume of water. Apparently the culvert by which it should hnvo escaped wns choked. At its opposite, edge tho road is damaged by a small slip. Near the last entrance gate of the Botanical Gardens two slips have occurred clo?e together. Knch is about,twenty feet in length, and in each nt its widest the Toad has fallen away for n width of ten feet. Strangely enough bodi these slips have occurred at n placo where the road embankment was at a gentle slono of about 45 degrees. Tramlines Submerged. The first interruption to the tramway service occurred on the Xliramar and Seatoun line between six and seven o'clock on Saturday evening. On this occasion the cars wcro held up for about forty minutes, somo portion of the overhead equipment being put temporarily out of action by the copious rainfall. The trouble, .a minor matter, was quickly rectified, but' it was tho forerunner of others that were, moro serious.

Storm-water gathered quickly aud submerged the track on all the lower levels. At various points difficulty was experienced, and in a few places tho running of the cars wns of necessity suspended. Ono such break occurred on Clyde Quay near tho Corporation Vnrds. Here tho water was so deep upon tho track that the cars bound for Oriental Day could not run through it. From about ten o'clock one ear wns run back and forward from the terminus to the Corporation Yards, and tho ordinnry service "was maintained to tho other side of tho break. On Lambton Quay no actual interruption to traffic occurred, but at times it became i\ matter of difficulty- to force the cars through the water. At niue o'clock double-deckers and box-cars which aro lower., built than the other corporation

cars, were, taken off Lambton. Quay run and diverted to Jervois Quay. Tho remaining cars, of other types, continued their running. At Brooklyn a good deal of troublo was experienced. A number of small slips camo down on the track, and during the evening it becamo necessary to interrupt thosarvico at Nairn Street. Afterwards cars wcro run back and forward on either side of a slip that camo over the break at that point.'. '• . A temporary obstruction was caused in Krnt Terrace, nenr Elizabeth Streot, where a storm water drain burst under "pressure, and deposited wood-blocks and other debris on tho track. ■ This obstruction was romoved with little loss of time. Slins of minor importance, occurred on .the Constable Street routo and on the Sentoun lino, near tho tunnel, but none of these gave any serious trouble. At tho Caledonian corner, adjoining tho Basin Reserve, tho water was knee deep on the track, .but tho service was continued 'with only n'n occasional temporary interruption. Save- for ono car that was thrown, out of gear by the water that penetrated,its under body, the whole of tho rolling stock was kept on tho lines, and tho various services, save whero absolute breaks occurred, were maintained with a fair approach "to regularity. To-day, except for tho' big break caused by tho slips on tho Karori Road, tho tramway services will everywhere run as usual. At Karori a twenty-nrinuto service will bo maintained above tho break with tho single box-car now. uvailnblo on that section, and if necessary another light car will bo taken, empty, over tho undermined track, so that a ten-minuto service can bo run during tho rush hours.

■ An Amusing Incident. .Such a phenomenally heavy rainfall ns was experienced in Wellington on Saturday night, following upon a full day's steady rain, could not" fail 'to prodiico incidents having an element of humour. When the rainstorm was at .its height, at about 9.30 p.m., Willis Street more nearly resembled a trawling stream than a.woodblocked city thoroughfare. On the flat, about half-way between Manners Street and Stowart Dawson's corner, the waters banked; up-on either sido to a height of over twelve inches, evidently being unnblo to get a clear run-away, owing to tho demand on the surface water drains, A corporation employee, in oilskins and "sou'-westcr," armed with a long-handled shovel had waded into tho flood and was poking about in an endeavour to lift up tho grating over a sump, when two young men camp, upon .tho scone, and imagining tho man in oilskins to be in grave troublo dashed into tho water, and commenced to pull him "to land," the rcsult'bcing that ho was soon sprawling into tho water. Tho incident was witnessed by about 300 laughing people. • ■''.■ . A Rushing Torrent, Tho force of tho flood which toro down tho gradients from Mount Victoria' was exemplified at tho junction of ..Majoribanks and Roxburgh Streets. At that point' there is a manhole placed a few lcet away from'tho kcrbing of tho footpath, surroundcdiby an iron collnr.'which was buried in tho macadam of the road, and was almost invisible. Tho torrent which rushed down that thoroughfare on Saturday ato away tho road formation and part of tho cement setting of tho collar, which' now stands some inchos clear of tho surface of tho road, A resident of tho neighbourhood had a most disagreeablo experience. Owing to a stoppago .of- tho sewer ■ in Roxburgh Street, .the backyard was flooded to n considerable depth, and tho water hud to bo cleared away at once, which was by no menns a pleasant task. Two feet of water flooded the basement of Ilowden's Buildings, Farish Street (occupied by. the Dominion Sign Writing Company), and committed dnraago to tho extent of fully .ESO. . -In. Lambton Quay. ' ■ ■' Just opposito the Government Buildings, Lambton Quay, about 8' o'clock, assumed tho nppearanco of 'n canal. Tho nightwatchman at tho buildings, coming on duty about that hour, had to wade kneodeep through the coffee-coloured flood to reach'his post. As for tho official cellers, which,.,of, course, were invaded by tho storm-water, they have uot been opened yet,' but their condition may bo imagined. At the' lambton Quay Police Station the flood water reached to tho doorstop. Tho police officers on duty during the worst period of tho flood had a particularly busy time with the various mishaps which had been caused to sowerniains, roadways, and flooded premises. Thcro is little doubt that a good many shopkeepers will eyo their premises with ructul countenances when 1 they open up their establishments this morning.

Willis Street, during tho worst hours of tho deluge, was awash. Pcoplo desirous of boarding cars' had to do so at considerable risk of getting more than wet feet. On the Quay, ono party of young cavaliers took off their boots and stockings, and gallantly assisted ladies in distress to board their respective cars.

Minor Damages. , • ' To record tho minor discomforts that wero endured as a result of tlio flood and tho minor damage it inflicted in all parts of Wellington would be a matter of great difficulty, but an example culled at random hero and thero will servo to indicate the general stato of affairs. • Occupants of houses in Nelson Street wero compelled to get off tho floors of their habitations on Saturday evening for nearly every floor in tho street was under'! water. Cellars belonging to tho Hotel Windsor, the Empire Hotel, and other buildings in Willis Street wero flooded during .the latter pari of Saturday evening, and iu some cases baling operations were continued neaily nil day yesterday. .•■•• There is an old military road runuing from Northland to Creswick, which' is much in favour with residents of the neighbourhood as a "short cut." At present it is seamed with ruts that in places arc a foot deep. Tho flood inflicted a liko domngo on other roads and tracks of similar character nt various points. Tho looso shingle lying on many by-roads was carried down by the water and deposited in heaps. The town and its surroundings as a whole bore n remarkably washed appearance yesterday. At a few points, as in Lnmbton O.uny opposite tho 'Government Buildings, a deposit of silt was left whMi made the roadway resemble the bed of a dried-np river. Hutt and Petone. At Petone and Lower Hutt no very serious damage was clone by the downpour of Saturday evening, but a considerable amount of inconvenienco was caused' to residents by the banked-un storm water befuro it got away. Tho Hutt River rose abnormally during tho night, and ran several feet higher than usual. Lato yesterday afternoon it was still considerably swollen, though then falling rapidly. In both Fetono and Lower Hutt surface water banked up in a number of streets on Saturday evening, and wayfarers who were'.compelled to bo abroad had to wado with tho water half-way up to their' knees! So far as can bo ascertained, shopkeepers, even whoro tho wnter invaded their premises, appear to , havo suffered little damage to stock. Most of them were forewarned, and took oft'octivo precautions, in good time, to save their goods-from damags.

At I'ctone several minor washouts occurred on tho Gear -Company's p'rivnto railway line, which runs' along the water front. A new street, known as the Melton Street extension, which is now under process of formation, suffered considerable damage, tho partly completed formation being badly cut up by the water. Testimony to tho power of tho flood, whilo it lasted, was to bo noted at the Petone water-front yesterday, when flotsam in the shapo of boats, small sheds, timber and other debris, much of which appeared to have come from other parts of the harbour, was brought to shore by a band of amateur snlvors.