RUINED FARMS

Hokitika Guardian, 25 June 1929, Page 5

RUINED FARMS

BURIED UNDER ROCKS AND EARTH.

HOMESTEADS BENEATH RIVER

MURCHISON, June 22,

-Murchison is to-day a strange place indeed. It was here that only a few days ago the earthquake robbed a small community iff ten lives, and yet not a sad face is met with in tlio district. It is no disrespect to the dead nat the men smile, for if they were to allow their minds to dwell on Black Monday they would never lie able to stay in the place. The community number about fifty, of whom five are women. All the others are in Nelson where practically all the women and children are, and where over one hundred men of the district are residing. Shakes are still occurring, shakes that would lie considered to be quite serious in Christchurch, and all this time tlio most unnerving rumbling is going on in the hills which surround what was once a happy and placid village in the midst of pleasing dairy farms. To-day many of those farms lie beneath, huge lakes 'or are buried under thousands of tons of rock.

The township itself is situated at the junction of the Duller and Maruia mads, and has high mountains all around. Most of these were hush-clad until last week; now the majority of them stand gaunt and bare, their sides standing out again the gfev sky and the brilliant yellow, relieved here and there by portions of bush which'have escaped the terrific landslides, and what are termed here “explosions,” a name which for lack of a better is generally used to describe the huge outbursts which occurred. Three miles east of the township is a dam over the Matakitaki River, just in frpnf; of where Mr Busch’s ill-fated homestead stood the latter being across the river from Mr" Morel’s home. A range of steep hills runs behind the township, and these divide Murchison from the Maruia River, which runs parallel to the M.atakitaki, but three miles further south. It was in almost a direct line with the big outburst of rock in the .Mntnkitnki River that a dam formed over the Maruia, killing six people Both these rivers run into the Buffer and this was what gave rise to the alarm in Westport, as had both these dams broken they would have caused • the dam in the Buffer to break and a huge volume iff’ water would havo poured through the Buffer Gorge and down over the river flat on which Westport stands. 'Die scene at the dam at Mntnkitnki is almost indescribable. Here lay. Morel’s farm with ninety acres of first class river flat land. Immediately across the usually placid stream lay another fine block; of cattle fattening land, which was farmed by Mr Busch. To-day these farms lie under an average of fifteen feet of rock., - Half a mile above them the rock has Ifoimed a wall across the river forty feet wide. Interest, naturally centres on places where lives were lost. Nothing whatever can be seen,of Mr Busch’s place. All that indicates where the, homestead and three ‘ members of the Busch family lie are three hugs rocks, much larger than the others, nearly forming a triangle, which serves as a grave stone for these unfortunate people. On the north side of the river the top storey of Mr Morel’s house stands battered and torn clean off the bottom storey, a chain away from where tho bouse itscif stood. Olf the bottom storey not a vestige remains. Crushed almost beyond -recognition, and half buried in rocks and mud, Mr Morel’s motor-car stands vertically against the waff of the upper portion of the house. Of his other motor-car, the only thing that can he seen from the bank above is a wheel, from beside which bis body was extricated. Mrs Morel, who is stiff in a very weak condition, had a terrible and agonising experience. With her husband, she attempted to run clear of the devastating slide which rushed towards them at the speed of an express train. Neither could get clear and they were rolled over and over’amongst the rocks and debris. Then the movement stopped. She found herself being suffocated under a mass of mud, but she managed to get an arm ifree, and then her head. Her screams brought assistance, and she was extricated more dead than alive. When her husband was found, he was beyond human aid. On the eastern side of the dam m the Mntnkitnki River four homesteads can he seen beneath the rippling waters which are clear as crystal. Farm buildings and haystacks are still there, some of the stacks just showing their heads through the water. Over the edge of a huge waff of rock and rubble the river now flows at the usual rate, and shows no signs of eroding the channel. The base of the dam is three-quarters of a mile long down tho river, and the top about 300 feet long, making a dam that, would cos thousands of pounds to shift. It consists of rock, clay and tree trunks and in the opinion of engineers it will consolidate into a firm structure. Ihe 'lake formed is about two miles and a half long by half a mile wide. I„ the Maruia River the hillside Has slipped into the gorge and has form,a „ Jain about 50 feet lugh for tho 20 feet width of the gorge. At that point the dam fills the gorge for two chains •md a half, and this has made a lake of three miles in length and about 5 f ce t in depth. Further east the alluvial river flats are covered, wlulo on the western side of the dam of Mr Gibson’s farm, where Mrs Gibson, her son and Miss Ferguson were buried, to-day nothing can he scon. Tho river has cut a deep channel through Mr Peacock’s farm property, and his house is now on an island. It seems as if Peacock’s bridge, a structure 150 feet in length, will be left high and dry.