FLOODS ROUND NELSON

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 944, 10 April 1930, Page 18

FLOODS ROUND NELSON

SLIPS BLOCK TUNNEL TRAINS AND CARS HELD UP Press Association NELSON, Today. On Tuesday night extremely heavy rain fell in the country on the Motueka side and as far back as Tapawera, causing floods over the road in the Moutere Valley and slips on the railway line near Spooner’s Range. There was a downpour all night on the Spooner’s Range area, a large slip coming out of the gully on the Tapawera side of the tunnel under the range into the cutting immediately at the entrance, blocking the tunnel. The rain continued heavily and water has backed up into the tunnel. The Nelson-Kawatiri train which left Nelson yesterday morning at 7.43 o’clock, was last evening still at Belgrove waiting for the line to be cleared. Large gangs are working on the slip there. There are also other smaller slips on the line from the far end of the tunnel to Koliatu. Service cars between Nelson and Motueka returned to their starting ports yesterday morning after going to the vicinity of the Jubilee Bridge. Here there was eight feet of water over the road. Heavy rain fell in this district on Tuesday night, but had abated a little yesterday. All th-e countryside in the Lower Moutere Valley is flooded and a number of houses are surrounded, but so far no families have had occasion to leave their homes. Advice has been received that the Belgrove end of the tunnel also has been completely blocked by a large slip that came down yesterday afternoon. A relief gang train has been sent out to work on the slip, but at present its extent is not known. The road is flooded and blocked by slips at the foot of Spooner's Range and in Belgrove, and no traffic came throu.gh from the Murchison end yesterday.