FLOOD DAMAGE

Hokitika Guardian, 8 October 1930, Page 6

FLOOD DAMAGE

FURTHER PARTICULARS

There was a considerably amount of rain last night, again, and the weather conditions this morning are threaten-

ingThe damage to tli«> railway line at Flowery Creek and the vicinity was repaired sufficiently yesterday ,to enable tlie evening trains to tun as usual. The passengers who. left Hokitika yesterday morning did not arrive at Grevmouth till about noon and overland passengers failed to connect with the express. A special car was added to the goods train leaving at 8 p.m. to enable them to l proceed to their destination. ROAD DAMAGE. Mr G. W. Sampson, Assistant District Engineer of the Public Works Department, who visited the various places between Hokitika and. Greymouth where wash-outs and flood damage. was caused, stated that there was a considerable depth of water on the road at Camerons on both sides of the New River Bridge, and at the Kumara Junction there was nearly 18 inches of water on the road, and motorists would not tackle it till it had Subsided.' He. however, got through and went on to visit the Stafford bridge over the Waimea Creek. The southern approach, Mr Sampson stated, was all .Washed away, and the river had broken through near the bridge and was flowing down the road for a distance of about six chains. He stated that ’.it was hoped to have a ford through to-day, whilst the bridge approach would be repaired as early as possible. Mr Sampson said that the fiver had evidently .been over the existing bridge 1 of four 24ft spans, showing that the flood must have been fairly high during the early. morni,ng v It had gone down when he left the place at least four feet. Mr Sampson said that all creeks in that locality were high, more so rivers, he thought in proportion. IN THE NORTH. There was no danger of a flood in Greymouth, the gauge showing only 10ft 2in .at, high, water.. As at spring tide; lift bins is recorded, it can be seen that, tlie river , was some distance from the top of the .wharf. There iva» a ten-knot current running, and the three vessels in port, the OrepuKi, Kalingo and Alexander, put out extra cables from. ■ the yessels to.,the wharf, ■as a. safety precaution.

•' Around Kumara. district there was extensive flooding. Owing to the Taramqlcau River rising high, the lowlying. areas were largely under, water. In, Kumara, water broke across Tui Street in several places. The street near the Post Office and down Main Street was like a river bed, and there also was much scouring in Seddon Street and Church Street. Between Greymouth and Kumara several streams overflowed yesterday morning, • and there was .a great, volume of water at the Kumara Junction, Parpa was also, under water, ..and New River overflowed. the road near Camerops. . At tlie other side of Kumara junction a suspension bridge at Ballarat Hill was ; 'Washed- - -away-while... ...Piper, s. Bridge was also a wash-out. The men on the hack shift at- the pumping stn-.tio-n- at- Hogg. ..Creek- .jwjecl. .WUtbkJtSj. -w.ork.. Dtira slip. A slip on the Otira Gorge has closed the road, but it is expected that it will be cleared sufficiently by Friday to enable traffic to get through.' "' ;.AT HYDRO WORKS. V About, two'thousand yards of gravel was brought down in front of the entrance to the tunnel, on the southern .. end,. a.t..-the .hydro ..works at. ivaimatu.. "The tunheT is filled with' water, and it will be a week before operations iu it. will' be resumed. A report that some of the contractors’ bridges hail been washed away is erroneous, as they are still standing. But for tin.-, interruption, it was anticipated that the tunnel would have been completed in , a fortnight. The Power Board en-gineer,-Ml' Sinclair Trotter, yesterday visited'the works to inspect the dain age. The Arnold River is in high flood. ■ IN GREY VALLEY. In the Ngahere district, all the creeks were in flo’ou, And the water was across the road at Red Jacks Creek to the mill. A small wash-out at Ivokiri was . repaired, Near the Aratika School, the road was uiuh water throughout the day. OMOTO ROAD SLIP. The rain did not add much.more debris from the hillside, to the slip on the Omoto Road, but the' work of clearing it is proving difficult owing to the fact that, after the workmen; have left .at night, a certain am<w of spoil comes down, which partially covers those portions which have been cleared. The original opinion that it would be finished within a week will not be borne out, as there, are several days’ work yet in front of the men.

MAIN ROADS INTERRUPTED. Road traffic by the main highway north is still interrupted by the breach of the Wninien Creek at Stafford, where the southern uppi'oach to the road bridge was wiped out by yesterday’s flood. Tito heavy rain since" has not improved matters ! and although there is. a large number of men at work on the repairs...it will be some time before the crossing is safe for traffic. . All motor car traffic is held up meantime. The main road generally in the vicinity of Stafford is scoured badly indicating a. very heavy rainfall Tuesday night in that' vicinity. Front* Piper‘Fiat through to Stafford "the' road-way has suffered severely ,' J lby' scour, and the highways will ' be' rough for some time. At Stafford where the river made a breach there' is a very bad scour, and it wilt take some time to build up the approach: The water way under the Stafford bridge is to he reopened. At present it is blocked with sludge and and diverts the stream on to the. lbW' parte of the road. The clearing '.will take, some time after which a protection wall has to Tie put in and tfien the. road built up. Material if? being assembled as quickly as possible, and! all expedition used, hut tile volume? tof water from the continuous rain is d<-: laying the work. ' ' • • *

At poon to-day' the*'County offithvii^ l reported rthe' ciaiffiagd to '-Khpitea * creek bridge bn tlie old food to-Kii-’ aniira was more extensive' -'- thnnthought yesterday, and Emergency "repairs ■ are not possible/'’lt” has bcendecided to close tlie rOad meantinie, and public notice in thiiS : ' issue states that barricades haves been erected on'Kapitea and' Steele* bills to btocltetrnf-i • fie, : To restore tile approach gear hass to be assembled for pile driving, and material provided. '/Vs-' ''the "-highway l route t 6 " Kuniafa. by ' tfhy- of is open;'the closing of the road irt-’thv meantime will not be -a'serious-'in-' convenience .to traffic. The opinion' has 1 been expressed that in the northern district the 1 -rainfall was more severe than in other part'sas 1 • there was a great rush of water through the nij?lit, and a wide area was flooded. Water, appeared i’n many pistes wheto' previously 1 the, volume had not been, abnormal, and the effect 1 of thfe heavy rush of waters'ls veif ' dear'dn the age clone to the roads.