Collapse of Cliff Kills Man and Girl

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 971, 14 May 1930, Page 1

Collapse of Cliff Kills Man and Girl

MOTOR CAR BURIED TRAGEDY AT NAPIER Press Association NAPIER. Tuesday, The collapse of a section of the Bluff Hill cliff face at a spot about 50yds beyond a turn of the road in the vicinity of the breakwater, was responsible for the death of two young people in a motor-car shortly after eight o'clock this evening. The victims are Miss Clare Kauter, aged 18 years, daughter of Mr. S. Kauter, of Napier. and formerly licensee of the Puketitiri Hotel, and Mr. Douglas IV. Barr, aged about 24 or 25 years, of Nelson Crescent, Napier, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Barr, of Whitehead Road, Hastings. They were the occupants of a flveseater sedan motor-car, which was travelling slowly along Breakwater Road in the direction of the port, when it was overwhelmed by a fall of rock, which crushed the two unfortunate victims, killing them almost instantaneously. At 5.5 p.m. Miss Kauter left the Girls’ Friendly Society Lodge, at which she was living, and joined Mr. Barr in his new car. They drove in the direction of the breakwater, travelling at about 15 miles an hour. Two men who had gone to the breakwater for crayfishing, and the Harbour Board watchman, were at that time talking and looking in the direction of the cliff face. Their attention was suddenly attracted by a crash, and they saw the cliff face fail with a terrific roar and overwhelm the car. CAR ALMOST HIDDEN The seriousness of what had happened was immediately realised, and the watchman rushed to the telephone and advised the police, a doctor and the ambulance. The two other men rushed to the scene of the accident, which, it was evident, had been attended by very serious consequences. Little could be seen of the car when they reached it. Its body had been completely wrecked, ami the front portion torn off the chassis. Quickly they extricated Mr. Barr from the car, he then being apparently dead. To extricate Miss Kauter, however, was a much more difficult problem, as she had apparently caught the lull force of the fall. She was almost completely covered, only her white, fur and portion of her head being clear. Members of the police force had by now reached the scene, and they immediately set to work to get Miss Kauter clear. With no implements available, it was difficult work and dangerous as weU, as smaller sections of the cliff face were still coming down. With equal promptitude. Dr. Fitzgerald and an ambulance arrived Mr Barr was dead, but Miss Kauter was" still showing slight signs of life. Before she could be moved into the ambulance, however, she died. Apparently Mr. Barr was struck on the head by a large stone, causing a fracture of the skull. Miss Kauter was badly crushed, almost every bone in her body being broken. CLIFF UNSAFE FOR MONTHS This particular section of cliff face is one that has for many months raised doubts as to its security Tho crack along the face made its'appearance some time ago, but it stood the test of all kinds of weather, and few would have expected it to give way after such a long dry spell as has been experienced. The section was really a peak run ning quite 100 feet up the cliff, and when it fell fully 200 to 300 tons of material must have been shifted. So suddenly did it come down that the unfortunate victims never had time to realise what had happened. Nearer the cliff, earth stood several feet high, but it contained massive boulders that were thrown right across the roadway and footpath, completely blocking the thoroughfare. The car looked a small thing, with only the rear portion showing against the great wall of rock. s Steps were soon taken to warn traffic that the roadway was blocked but in spite of the danger that existed from further falls, the scene of the accident was visited by hundreds who certainly ran a great risk. The work of clearing a passage way was begun by a gang of employees of the Napier Borough Council, but in the darkness and with the possibility of further falls, they were not called upon to do more than make a passage-way on the footpath for pedestrians.