MARLBOROUGH FLOODS

Hokitika Guardian, 25 March 1927, Page 4

MARLBOROUGH FLOODS

TF.t.EttUArii —rwt it.ess association.] , JILEXII ELM, March 24. As the result of heavy rain and | snow thawing in the hack country of ( Maryborough, the power scheme has' suffered a disaster. The storm brought, down a phenomenal flood in the V\ail.opan River, which last night caused iiu enormous amount of damage at the headworks of the Marlborough Electric Power Scheme, which was within measurable distance of completion. The damage will necessitate the ex-; ponditure of thousands ol pounds, and it. will almost certainly delay lotmonths the bringing into eornpi'etion of I the scheme. Tin's river has been in a 1 state of flood for some days, but it j rose very rapidly behind the dam late! yesterday afternoon, and in the evening between six o’clock and seven o’clock a rise of over twenty feet was tinted so that by 7 p.nt. tlie lake • impounded by the big, and nearly , completed dam was full, while at 7.30! , p.in. the spillways were running eight j feet deep, pouring two great torrents of water into the canyon on either side j of the dam. A 1 i' hands were at work i ; throughout the evening, salvaging as i much gear as possible, and they did j ; their work so well that comparatively | ■ little was lost. The river apparently j reached its maximum height about 7 | p.nt. when it was estimated that the j spillway traversing flat on the Renopar, > side of the dam was fully ten feet j 1 under water, and carrying a raging, boiling torrent, against which nothing ■ could stand. A carpenters’ shop belonging to the headworks contractor (Mr W. Williamson, of Christchurch) wtts swept away bodily, but, fortunately, all the tools and other gear had been removed from it. The pretty scrub and hush facing the Beuopai side of the canyon was torn away like so much paper, as was the whole of the soii', leaving exposed the jagged reef of rock. Then, about 11 p.m.. the torrent in the spillway deflected itself towards the road, and tearing away the sub-soil grass and other growth, it exposed an ancient shingle-fii'led chasm, in which the river must have run ages ago The magnitude of the disaster was not realised until later in the morning, when it became obvious that the river was opening up its old channels and that the engineers won I’d he faced with the problem of erecting a retaining wall of herculean proportions, in order, to conserve the power scheme. The damage 1 ' will run into many thousands of pounds, and the disaster j will delay for months the switching on of the electric power. RAILWAY BRIDGE RUCKLED. 1 BLENHEIM. March 24. There has been heavy rain in the hack country, accompanied by heavy snow, which thawed, and was rapidly brought clown. The Wnirau River is J now high in flood. Portions of Spring ' Creek and Tuainariiia are under water. The recently reinstated railway bridge ( '‘ in the locality has been badly buckled, 11 and the rails twisted on the line, so that railway traffic is field up to-day. There is a big gang of men engaged in s ] clearing away the debris at the bridge, " but it is expected that it will take a day or two before norma? traffic is resumed. Cl

Had not the river begun to fall today the bridge must have been washed away again.