BIG EARTH FALL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1748, 13 May 1913, Page 6

BIG EARTH FALL.

ON THE HUTT ROAD. THOUSANDS OF TONS COME DOWN. It is surprising that landslips have not been more frequent than has been the caso during, 'tJie reimtrkablo rains in which Wellington has soaked oil and 011 for tho past fortnight. In a city of steep hillsides and steeper cuttings such accidents,are the natural consequence of soaking rains. A very big fall was recorded yesterday, when the huge section of the high bluff immediately on the city side of Ngahaiiranga bulged out suddenly owing' to tlie water pressure behind, and fell across tlie road, which it completely buried for a distance of about a hundred yards. Tho fallen earth lay banked up against the hillside to the road, and thinned out 011 the asplinlt footpath and bieyclo track on the harbour side of the highway. The fallen mass must represent some 'thousands of. tons, and had any vehicles or persons been underneath at tho time the" spoil from above carried away, they might easily have lost their lives, or lit any rate have been seriously injured. As it happened, the road was clear of traffic at the timo (12.25 p.m.) for .some distance, and the only trouble incurred by the slip will bo tho hi bo ur iiiwl cost of its removal.

The Railway Department, which was at onco advised of tho slip by tho stationmaster at Ngaliauranga, soon had a gang on tine spat, and within half an hour they had cleared awav enough spoil from the path and cycle track to make the way possible, for vehicular traffic. Tho bulk of 'tlie fallen earth will take a couple of, weeks to shift off the road. But the end is not yet. There are several big lumps of- earth to fall before the cliffface attains tho angle of safety, besides whifh there is said 'to be a huge crack ten fe6t back from tjie present edge of the cliff in which tho water is finding a "lodgement. If this breaks away, it is not improbable that the Hutt Road will be completely blocked. Spectators who saw tlio fall state that it looked .as if an immense charge of dynamite had been used for the purpose of a big blast', and 'that the whole faco of the hill seemed to lie on tlio move. Local bodies, which are bsing asked to foot tlje bill for the cost of construction of the Hutt Road, will doubtless be at .1 loss to know if their 'troubles respecting this arterial highway are yet at an end.