TRAM SERVICES AFFECTED

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3113, 18 June 1917, Page 6

TRAM SERVICES AFFECTED

Whilst there- were no washouts on the Hues, the running of the cars to Island Day, Aro Street, ami Karori had to be stopped before 8 p.m., owing to the heavy silting over of lines under the flood waters that covered the lines at different points. That is what occurred at Deo Street, on the Island Bay Honrt. It was simply impossible for the cars to get through tho piles of gravel and silt that the Hood waters, had brought, down, and which became the Door of the flood as soon, as the sumps became choked up. The worst ease of this nature, however, was in .jVro Street, which naturally receives the waters of tho hills through Polhill Gully, Heaton Street, Hoiloway , !Road, and Epuni Street very rapidly. Prom every vent in the hills lons of gravel and dirt were brought down into Aro Street, the sumps became choked, a culvert in B.ollowsiy Koad collapsed, and the water streamed rouud into Willis Street and made its way via Abel Smith Street to Crosby Terrace, where several houses were Hooded, At one stage Aro Street resembled a river in flood, and it was not an uncommon sight to see unconsidered trifles such a* boxes, kerosene tins, and backyard litter gliding down tho rushing stream. On one occasion a gate which ba-d got adrift well up Aro Street iras whirled down stream and eventually found a temporary resting place in Willis Street. Silt on the tram rails led to trouble, for an Aro Street car ran well off its beaten track and came to a halt within a few feet of the footpath. There were also two hou.ses in Emerson Street (off Riddiford Street) that were invaded by flood water. DAMAGE AT ISLAND BAY. In the Island Bay district the \vor»t damage was done by an overflow of water which came down Itelrose Street, as the main drain through the district could not. carry more than the water from Brooklyn and Vogeltown. The property of 11 r. Lockwood in iMelrose Street was completely flooded. The .house is .situated on i> high level and so escaped. Lower down, the street three or fon.r houses were Hooded and the Wesley Sunday School suffered badly, the floor beinir thickly covered with silt and. wafer. On the Parade the water flowed like a mill-race. The lower ground in AVakefield Park was converted into a. lake. The Chinamen's gardens were liadly damaged also. In t)ee Street a liole was formed large enough to bury a horse in. The water had subsided yesterday afternoon, and the .streets were almost normal. HUTT ROAD FLOODED. So slips were reported, on the Wadeslown tramline, but the Karori. trams had to stop running owinj; to the Hub near tho tumid and on Garden iioad (at the loot of Ornngi Kaupapa. iioad) having become impossible to negotiate owing to the piled-up silt on the rails. This was a very disconcerting state of things for Karori people who worn in town.

The weight of water descended in full force on the hills between tkc city and Polono, and tho Kutt l!oa<l had to stand a fieverc strain. xVt ono point between Ngahaiiranga. uind Kaiwarni. a hugo waterfall developed, bringing with its tumbling waters a rare lot of dirt and debris from the hills. Here again the sumps became choked, and its tho natural sequence the -waters flooded ulong tho road for a considerable distance, mid poured over tbe tijphnlt track and the railway line into the sea In the present softened state of the road it i.s I'i'iired that the li<in<l will have done eonhideraWn injury to il-i sin-face. Motorists arriving in town last evening from Ti-enthani reported ecveral wash-outs. NO RAIL-WAY DAMAGE. N<-> (luuiHgri was done K» tho limy ut railway bv Ihf; iviiu isUjj-ui, and nuiio of t'ho services wlmv iiitoi'feredwith. For an hour or so .tho Lambton utatiofl' 1

yard was flooded to a depth of six inches, owing (o a gusher from tho g-romid developing at the end of the platform. THE RAINFALL. On being consulted yesterday as to tlie rainfall, I lie Government (Jlr. .0. C. Bates) gave the information that the rainfall for the 24 hours tip till !i a.m. yesterday was over 2 inches in Wellington City. How n-.ucli over 'J inches it was the Government official did Jiot say. The fail at tho Waimii waterworks was 1.43 inches. What the fall was at the Karon waterworks wo cannot say, as a voice beyond the other end of the telephone wa» heard to remark tljat there was "no information for the Press," whilst the person answering the telephone returned to s-sty that the caretaker was not in. Evidently the extent of the. rainfall is regarded in some quarters as a dark secret. MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS. The Iwcking-up of stonn-wattr at the drain in JUein Street caused an overflow, and tile water invaded several houses in Penrose Avenue and Lower Mcin. Street. There was between four feet and six feet of water in the playgrounds of the Newtown School during the worst parts of the storm. The Xiyall Bay tram track along Onepu Road became flooded, and thero was a lot of water lying about the flats out that way, but which would soon soak away owing to the sttndy nature of the land. Thero were several minor slips reported in various parts of the City and suburbs. One occurred at Morris Terrace- (between the old Catholic cemetery and Wellington Terrace), but Do material damage was done beyond tho displacement of earth. The kitchen arid scullery of a house in G'hilka Road, Berhampore, fell away from the rest of the building owing to the undermining of made ground. Tho wrecked portion of the house overturned in the creek below. The tramway services on the Island Bay and Karori lines were maintained in Rpite of tho temporary breaks in the lines. Passengers walked past the points where the interruptions occurred and were carried on by other cars. The tramway men did very pood work throughout the storm. They kept the services running as- far as possible, and many of them worked far into the nightrepairing damage. Several cellars in the city were invaded with flood water.?, one being of J. L. Lennard and Co., in Mercer Street, where there was «>id to Tiave been three feet of water. What damage has been done in this direction is not likely to be divulged until this inorning when business recommences. Several wash-outs occurred in Tinakori Bond and in several places the road was covered with water.