Northland Floods

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 141, 2 July 1937, Page 6

Northland Floods

-Press Association.)

WORST SINCE 1917 i^aii Services Crippled on Northern Line WATER EIGHT FEET DEEP

(By Telegraph -

AUCKLAND, Last Night. ■ tfiips. floods and •washouts all along ihe northern line made rail- ' way communication between Auckland and most of North Auckland - impoBsible to-day. Trains were able to reack Kaukapakapa and the . usual serviee to Helensville was maintained, bust flood wsters covered the line to a depth of nearly eight feet at many points as f ar north as Maungaturoto. Past Whangarei all services were comletely disorganised "by the heavy flooding. Work trains were sent out from Auckland, Whangarei and Maungaturoto with scoria, fllling and beams lor nepair work but the gangs , mostly bfcood by as it will be useless to attempt any Tepairs until the flood water* have snbsided and the extent of the damage ean be gauged. In the meanwhile in-

structions have been issued by the iEailway Department to stationmasters mot to aecept goods for despatch so jfchere will be no accumulation of ifteight if iihe floods continue. The floods at Wayby where the water ds eight feet over the xailway line are "deeeribed as the worst since 1917 and Hoteo is also badly affected. There the water had Tisen to-day until only thc name of the station was visible on the bnilding, while a serviceman was forced to vacate 3ds home. Fnrther north there was a subsiaence on the line "between Waiotira and Tauraroa. Eeports from further north ■tated that the Kirikopuni loop was "blocked by slipt and washouts, while the Kaikohe branch line was affected jot the Otiria end. There was also fseverel feet of water over the line at iOnoke, four miles north of Whangarei. The worst of the flooding on the Main jroad between Anckland and Helensville to-day occurred on the section between Kumeu and Waimauku and on that bertween Bewiti and Woodhill. In both ithe speed with which the flood waters *xose was remarkable. At' noon motorilsts going in both directions had no difficulty in getting through, but by 2.30, when the tide in, Kaipara harbour was Teaching it« h eight,, in the road a mile and a-half on the Anckland side of Waimauku and about the same distance on Helensville side of Huapai were under water to a depth of 2ft. 6in. Paddocks on each side of all tliese sections were under water in all their lower-lying areas, sometimes to a depth of several feet. Uubmerged by the rising flood waters at Hoteo one of the two main lines of telegraohie communication with North Auckland was brokpn early this afternoon, causing all traffic to be diverted fo the east coast route. Telephone and telegraphic circuits on this line were ctill working under difficulties to-night, but their safety was threatened by a tree that had been underminea by a .elip near Wellsford and seemed likely sto fall across the wires. SometimeB working waist-deep in the Water, liuesmen made desperate efforts to reach the aamaged parts of the line, ibut they were prevented by the floods jon every available xoute. Keports re,ceived to-night stated that there was 15 feet of water blocking the road Whero the Hoteo river passes under it |n Dome valley, but the flood had not taubmerged the telegraph lines and cirieuits werp still working. All mail services to the ncrrth were disorganised 'by the floods and the Post jand Telegraph Department had to send jthe -mnil to Hokianga and Whangarei Iby .sea instead of by rail. Northern rtnails to Auckland were held np on jwednesday night at Kawakawa and ithis morning mails for the north could mot be takeil further than Kaukapajkapa, owing to the extension of the Ifloods. x As a result mails for Hokianga and (Ohaeawai were placed on board the jEonaki, which left from Onehunga for 'Hokianga late in the afternoon. Another large consignment of mail was despatebtd by the Claymore to-night for Whangarei, where special arrangements have been made for its distribu:t3on* to areas cut off by floods. Ono difficulty facing the Post and Telegraph ;Department is that roads between •'Dargaville and Whangarei are blocked, land it is impossible to make the coniliection with mails. If one of the roads is open to traffic to-morrow, efforts will be made to distribut9 some of the mai! for wesfeern districts.