HEAVIEST IN 40 YEARS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20000, 27 July 1939, Page 4

HEAVIEST IN 40 YEARS

CANTERBURY SNOWFALL SERVICES DISLOCATED AKAROA ISOLATED (Pei- Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, this day. Snow which swept the coastal areas of Canterbury on Tuesday was increased yesterday by further heavy falls over a far wider area. Banks Peninsula, which on Tuesday suffered th e heaviest fall for more than 40 years, was deprived almost completely of the regular means of communication. Akaroa was completely isolated as all roads over the hills were impassable. Snow began to fall in Christchurch at about G p.m.' and was still falling heavily at 10 p.m., when there was easily an inch of snow on the flat. In the city some tram services were partly disorganised. Trams to Cashmere Hills were unable to proceed beyond a point about a mile from the terminus, where the snow had covered the rails and points and caused sever e skidding on the steep slope. The trams were delayed at Sumner where the depth of snow was about 2in on the flat.. Snow fell throughout the day at Little River and Akaroa, but ceased in the evening. Late in the afternoon the main power line from Duvauchelles to Akaroa and the feeder line to Lebon’s Bay failed and though Akaroa itself and the nearer bays are supplied by a stand-by plant the outer bays will be without current till the lines can be repaired. Use of Motor Buses Passenger transport to Little River was maintained yesterday by the Railways Department motor buses as the railway was blocked by three wash outs caused by the high level of Lake Ellesmere near Birdlings Flat and Kaituna. After the earlymorning goods train had completed a trip from Christchurch all further services were cancelled till the evening, when it is hoped to have the line clear.

Rail traffic on the main south line was completely disorganised south of Oamaru. The through express from Invercargill, connecting with the steamer express at Lyttelton and due in Christchurch at 7-27 p.m., could get no further than Mihiwaka, just north of Port Chalmers. The blizzard blew up just after the express left Dunedin and filled the cuttings at Mihiwaka with heavy drifts. The express leaving Christchurch at 8.35 a.m. for Invercargill went no further than Palmerston, returning to Oamaru and the 12.25 p.m. Christ-church-Dunedin express ran no further than Oamaru. No trains reached Christchurch from further south than Oamaru, from where a special train ran at 5.30 p.m. to connect with the steamer express which was held at Lyttelton till about 10 p.m. Mainly Coastal Areas The snow was apparently confined to the coastal areas of the South Island and was certainly heaviest on the Banks Peninsula, where the greatest depth on the flat was 2ft at Akaroa. North and south of Christchurch lighter falls occurred, but on the higher levels inland no falls are reported.

The heavy snowfall on Banks Peninsula has made the problem of feeding stock acute. To cope with the position it has been arranged that the small steamer, John Anderson, will run tb Pigeon Bay with a cargo of hay and also stores and mails. Another trip will be made on Friday and on Saturday the vessel will probably run to Picton Bay and Little Akaroa. Cream, which is usually brought to the city in motor trucks, will be brought back by the John Anderson.

When the vessel made her weekly call at Pigeon Bay on Tuesday, snow lay to a depth of Gin on the wharf and no vehicular access to the wharf was possible because of deep snow on the road.