TE RATA DISASTER

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1818, 26 July 1906, Page 3

TE RATA DISASTER

SOME FURTHER PARTICULARS. PERILOUS EXPERIENCES OF MR rEROY JONES.

Mr \V. D. Lysuar rc turned to town Inal night from A'owbana, and from that gentleman wo loarn seme fuither particulars of tho To Bata disaster. Tho pa'ienls are now nil doing wel l ; M>a Merritt is out of danger, and Mr Tififen is progressing well. Tho latter was for a tirao in danger of losing his Irg also, mortification bavit g set in, but fortunately ho bad the medioal attendance in good lime. A piece cl wood about au inch long was ex> Irnoted from tho leg at tho shin, Mrs Merritt’s log was amputated just sbovo tho kneo, and nbbongb tho lady’s health was not satisfnotory to enable her to undergo snob a trial, sho stood it bravoly, and there is every prosprot of her making a steady recovery. T,.0 nurso, Mrs R-ds ward, arrived at Arowbana yeetiriny morning. It will bo impossible to get tbo patients into town for somo time, tho roads being so bad, and Dr. Scott wll remain at Arowhona for a few days longer. While tho report of tho disaster as originally given was substsntially oorreo', futtbor detnls show that it was etou rnoi-o sensational than at first supposed. Too shepboid, a young man named Percy Jonts, agrd about 2P, u ually sßpt in Ibo men s bouse, separsted from tbo main rasidenoa by a email creik th it ordinarily oan be stepped over. lie went to ibo main residence for tea, and as the stream bad in tho meantime born converted into a raging to ront ha did net re turn 'o bis own quarters. As Ibe fresh was increasing ho remained up to watch in oase tbero was any dnngor duriDg tbe night, whilst the threo other occupants of tho bouso retired to bod. Hearing a rumbliog noise Mr Joues opened the back door to ascertain the cause, and as he did so tho water and debris swept in through the open dcor, and be was unable to abut it again. Tho Water quickly roeo, and those in bed wore soon up, all bong swept out of tbe bcuse, wh'cb was overwho'med by tbo slip and oarried onward to the river, about five chains distant All that now remains of the fioo bouse is about £5 worth of iron and flooring boards Next morning there was not a vrs'ige to be seen of the bouse in which Jodcs usually slop

After She UDforlnnate peoplo had got awept about, Messrs Tiffan and Morritt were the first to get together in tho dark' ness, and after considerable difficulty and oooce-iDg in the darkness they got to Mrs Merritt, the three holding hands for security. They could g t r.o response f om Jones, and concluded that he must have been drowDod. Ho did not turn up that night in the wool hed, but walked in Dext morning ia a delirious condition. He had apparently been struck on the head with fomoting, and after ge ting char of the wreckage, hal sat under a tree at) night, being hatlcss end bootless, and his clothes being soaking wet. Such an expeiieDce on that bitterly oold night with snow all ronnd, would haye hcoo suffic eot to kill most peoj 1 >, but Mr Jones has not even got a oold as a result. As proof of th 9 painful i xperitnees of the party, it may be mentioned that not one of them b6s six inobes on body or limbs olosr of bruises or scratches. Mr T-fLn will be confined to bed for two or three works.

Great damage has been done to the road, which has been destroyed altogether in some plac.s. A great alteration has been mado in the Wa’paoa river, whioh has been considerably widened in some places.

At Arowbana there was a nice fiat on which Mr Lysnar was having oat’.le yards ereoted. The sits has been swept away/, and also about 90 totara strainers, etc,, placed on the ground ready for use.