HOKITIKA'S PLIGHT

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2122, 14 April 1914, Page 5

HOKITIKA'S PLIGHT

ANXIOUS TIES THE WORK OP DESTRUCTION CONTINUES

BUILDINGS 3EMC DISMANTLED.

(By Tolejr«oph.—Sjedal Oarrcstioadeat,) . Hckltllva, April 13. After Seven days of violent stomas and heavy .seas on. the waterfront and seven days of nnxtety and itrcmuuis but Unsuccessful fight against the ftnsJanghts of th» Sereo sens flat liavo pounded the shores at every high tide, residents wear .a disconsolate look ,md an. intenSo feeling of dcpi'esHiVrn prevails. ,1/ho town, of fioiiit'ika wore an extremely fsrlarn and dismal appearance at noon »o-da.y, On the sea. frwiit huge breakers woro iuiinnierm.g tlio back portkviis of the bosine.ss premisos ■to pieces while a. heavy Jepjge &f tatii drencited tlio town and rosi'knts, The V/ork of fiostruction. KcxsMit tjdos have oairied cn the. work of d(fstruetbn aloli.g the beach. During, yesterday afternoon a strong ] southerly galo sprang ii Pj and +i)rs waves ivwo scon roiHiig on tlio beach. At five : o clock the galo gave no signs of abating, white the. sea increased. High tide was at midnight, and thefo was every aiipoaraiu'e of a disaat.w. The wind fell between eleven and iwdvo, but angry sea. was running, 'Gfeaiitic breakers lashed tlio beash. ami as the tide rose raoro damage wwS svroiigljt ujwn tlio whole sea. front, The southerly galo gave the tweakers a flgrtlwriv set, and imwenso waves wcr© soon das!'.ffig furiously itpoii a big stable wliero the protective orks had defied tlio iircv '®' 8 tid'SS. Tho iiicessttut pciaitniog of Wmi heavy breakers and the i;orthcrlv se» of the sea began to ivork itavoc upou tlio proteetiva ivorks, and after withstanding severe pouiidiiig tlio souMwrn end «f the worlT was dashed in ana tlio heavy brea-kers began to seAit.r tlie sand -out from under tho stable. The Sea dashed upon this strnoturo and the loundatwus of tho buikhng soon developed a- very clecided list to tlio soirtb, but. tiro stilt-like foundation poles provented the building toppling into tlio soa, which had «nt iii to a dpptli of flilly tea foot under tho stable, .Rones wore brought into use, and t-iiougli the sea rased furiously. fli" bin.ldmg Was prevented from falling into tlio Se.it despite tlio fact the sand foTindatiojt was washed away, with thfi exception of a small portion at tlio iMrit-casti corner.

Sea Makes Serious Inroads,

Tho sea mado very serious inroads ■atang the beach, as much as ten feet being scoured out of s®v<jsral -flf the freeholds, Tiio sea is witihiu a vei*y sijort cijstaiico of the itiaiii sfcffcet iiv sinu.o places, only about 'fifteen feet separating the sea at high water from tho street

il»fe was another high tide at noon to-day, and further erosion took place! all along tho water front. Buildings are being dismantled, in order to sas'o the.m from tlio ravages of the sea. There ar« numerous shells and smaller! m-mdmgs toppling to destruction, T!u> sea has Wado such inroads near tiro. hxchango .Hotel that tho big chimney of the dining-room is threatened, Wt tho proprietor has thrown up an ens'bai'iknient of sacks and sand, and hopes to save the chimney. TJre sea at high sratfir Hplashes up against the private rooms of many promises, and gravo fears aro espressecl about tho future. Near .tlio wreekfid premise,3 of < M'Ka.V and Sons tho sea. esntisvives its work of destruction, oft'ly the. shell of the cui'iding. remaining. The store and showrooih, which were, wrettedhy Twsinr.'s and Wednesday's storm, liavo euWrcly disapjearod. Somo of t.!w timber was salvaged; but. quite a Jet went out to sea. Only tho front shop <v£ the big d.raperv establishment remains, and during the noon tide to-da.v tho spray dashed into thsi burWiug. atid tho waves seonred out under the fiuilrjiug. At this point, the soft is ivi'tMn fifty feet of tho .main street-, and tiro erosion cojjtimios with every tide. Eroding Relief Works. The beach presented an unusual npncwanou to-rlay. Parties of riieii wer<? wisiaged filling sacks with sand, and sinking posts and constructing harriers, bduitfl which tho sacks of sand were being deposited. 'Thousaiids of these: iiave been washed off the beach, and in places tho groynes and facings, which Aid service oybr forty 'years ago! have been e.\ - j)ossd to view, Every section in. tho vkinity is full <;f timber and debris, and -every ( has its quota, of broken tiarber, and portions ci' fences and buildings. Indeed, the. whole beach i)resents ft scene of destruction, and Lmrnc.iiso damage- li-as ten done. The ravages of the s.ea havfc ove-raiwed the residents, who liavo had an extremely al.ixipus time k their attempts to combat the terrific onslaughts of the seas.