FLOOD DAMAGE.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXIII, 15 December 1920, Page 4

FLOOD DAMAGE.

NEW BEIPGE SUGGESTED. THOUSANDS OF POUNDS DAMAGE. At Saturday's meeting of the Horowheana County Council the engineer (Mr Anderson) reported as follows: — Since the last meeting the weather has been very unsettled and very, heavy rain has fallen at times, causing considerable damage to roads and bridges all through the county. The I'okoniaru and Waikawa bridges have been very badly damaged, and a small bridge on the Convent Road at Otaki has been completely washed away. whilst minor damage has occurred to other bridges. Further erosion Us taken place near the Shannon bridge, and there is serious erosion above the Ohau bridge on the Muhirooa Hast road, also a large wash-out on this road below the bridge. The Otaki Gorge road, too, has suffered considerably, a portion of the road ing been completely washed away, while several large slips have come down on the same road. Several large slips have also occurred on the Gladstone road. At the Tokomaru bridge both end spans have been badly damaged and are in a state of collapse and approximately three chains of the northern approach is almost entirely washed away. The piles in the southern pier are in a bad way and are practically swinging, therefore a newset will require to be driven. A large fang of men are at present engaged in cutting a channel to bring the nvi r straight on to the centre of tin bridge. Had the owner of the pro- . p-.iy on the ea tern ndo of Hie bri'i' • j ;-iw.ii pr.rmis ion to put. tbr- cut in '' j I'm bewinninf ol the week. 1 du ;r J think api ri3m3.se would have <■■ f euned. 'limber and other iiitt :" j pi;T !.'t't. until v.'.'h time a: tin"'"- ■'] temporary repair can be carried out ,' The Waikawa bridge i also badly j knocked out. the northern span liaur;: \ "completely collapsed and a large per jj tion of the approach washed away, f leaving a gap of over u'O feel. Men J are at preuseul engaged on making u I ford to lake carl traffic until temper- I ary repairs to tlie bridge itself can lie j' put in hand. I would suggest that the | Council consider ' the advisability of lj erecting a new bridge at this plare. I because I do not consider the old | bridge safe for heavy traffic. A new "0-fool span bridge will be required on the Convent road —a temporary bridge is at present being' erected. Shannon Bridge.—A temporary span was built to the eastern end of thi-i bridge during the mouth. In my opinion, the greatest danger to this bridge is a serious erosion which is taking place about seven chains above the bridge. Within the past feumonths the Mar.awaru river has; been practically in flood all the time, and at this ptuticulaT place the erosion has :-oit!-f protective work is carried out furt.Ucr ur> streai i, I consider the only way "lit of the difficulty will be to sheath plank the river hank from the bridge to the point where the erosion is taking place. Above rhe Ohau bridge on the Muhunoa East road serious erosion has occurred, and if protective works of some kind are not erected immediately, there is danger 'it! the event of another big flood) of the bridge liecoming isolated, and the river cutting a new channel. It was the river breaking over at this point which caused the large wash-out on the Muhunoa Ka-t road tit the creamery. I have not been able to inspect the

I damage at the Otaki Gorge, but 1 j understand that Cr. Knox has arranged 1 with a gang of men to have this road j re-opened. Earlier in the period a i large wash-out occurred in a filling on I the Levin-Foxton Main Road, but thi? I has been repaired. Work on the | damaged roads and bridges is in hand, i and an effort is being made to have all j roads opened again in as short a space I of rime as possible—oil othrr work ' being held over in the. meantime. The Chairman said he considered | the report the most sorious he j had been a member of the Council, but thought generally the Council had been most fortunate. The chief thing now to do was to give the engineer authority to have bridge- temporarily ; j prshensive report on the re-erection of | i the Waikawa bridge, as suggested by i the engineer as being necessary. It [j wa= desirable to have the through ; ! traffic restored. There was no doubt ! ! thouEands of pound" of damage had ii been done. It war not necessary, he ! i considered, to at prc.ent rra into way; ■ . and means but —hen a comprehensive i '> report was available the Council could j ! do so. The damage ar Toxomaru i ! bridge might have been avoided had ■ , one settler no: been so stubborn. It : ' was necessary to make a cut in the ; bed. and had this not been done it ' would have been a serious thing for the bridge, valued at about £3OOO. He I advised that the engineer Vie given a free hand in his work. 1 Cr. Ryder, in referring to damage 1 done to the Waikawa bridge, said no ' one coald have expected otherwise, and ■ he regretted that he had overlooked I bringing up the condition of the I bridge at a previous meeting. He agreed that a new bridge was neeessary. He had predicted what had hapI pened. Touching on the Tokomaru '. bridge, he thought the engineer ' should hare? put up notices at Longj burn aud'elsewhere warning travellers. This would have saved travelers much ■ ineonvenience. j The Engineer said the raatter h?.d I been well advertised. He had atI tempted to warn many travellers of | the danger, bnt he was so ignored that ' he allowed others to proceed without a word. Cr. Harkness considered the mishap ar "Waikawa a God-send in disguise, aitd maintained a new bridge was ,

necessary. He regretted that private individuals should make capital out of the trouble. At the Waikawa. travellers had "to go over five miles out of their way and were charged a heavytoll by a wealthy man. The act was a most contemptible one, and the Council should make an emphatic protest against such fleecing. He believed at Tokomaru settlers had done their best to assist travellers, and this was an act that the Council should appreciate. He also added that many settlers had strenuously tried to save this bridge. The Engineer pointed out that much credit at Waikawa was due to a lad named Kayncr, who had stood at the bridge from four o 'clock in the room-

ing for the purpose of warning travellers of their danger. He thought he should be paid for his thoughtfulness. Cr. Ryder strongly objected to the action of the Alanakau resident who Charged a tax, and asked that the mat-; ter be ventilated through the press. It was said that the man, although very wealthy, had charged £1 in some cases for the right to go across a paddock, and he considered at a time like this the act was disgraceful and scandalous. He considered Is as a trespass fee would have met the case. Cr. MeLeavey considered the man was justified in charging, but he may have, overdone it. The Engineer reported that the Waikawa lord was now ready for cars, and stated his intention of pushing on as vigorously as possible with all works. It was decided, to authorise the Chairman, Clerk and Engineer to take steps as may be deemed necessary for the protection of the Tokomaru and Waikawa bridges, such steps to include the faking of land under the f'.W. Act of 1908 should the situation leqUne such bttips be eaken.