RAILWAY LANDSLIPS. DAMAGE BY HEAVYRAINS STOPPAGE OF GOODS TRAFFIC, Auckland, June 28.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 381, 3 July 1889, Page 3

RAILWAY LANDSLIPS. DAMAGE BY HEAVYRAINS STOPPAGE OF GOODS TRAFFIC, Auckland, June 28.

The heavy landslip which was reported in our.,yesterday's issue as having taken place the previous evening on tljo Kaipara railway' line, at the northern- end of the Waitakerei tunnel, &till impedes goods, and passenger traffic between Auckland and Helensville, although the Rail way Department are taking' all possible measures in despatching engines and, gangs of men 'to, the locality to clear away the obstruction. * The 6.30 a.m. train to-day from Helensville to town was again stopped up by - the slip,' i bub the passongof.-i were enabled to come, ; 011' to Auckland' by making their ( way over the ti\nnol, some distance to ! the southern side, where a train from town was in waiting. Mr, Hudson'," District Traffic Manager, yesterday alid today sent up a special engine and man, to the uunnel to remove the debris of the slip — what a navvy would designate " muck " — and to-morrow also another expedition will be despatched", so ad ''to enable the line to be clear for traffic for Monday next. It is anticipated that the earth will have been removed ahd other repairs attended to by to-morrow night. ' Of course, although, passengers from the Kaipara are able to" come on to town, the. goods traffic is completely stopped by the accident. The, tunnel landslip consisted of abott'fc 20p tons of earth and clay displaced from the entrance of the tunnel, the mputh qf which was almost entirely blocked^ up. The brickwork was uninjured, but there is danger of a further slip of displaced earth' taking place. • Mr Coom, "district engineer,/ proceeded up to the scene of the accident by'engine" and devised means for re-estab-lishing communication. At the Kaipara Railway Bridge there is. considerable danger of a serious .accident,' as a very great number of logs from the bushes have accumulated on the upper side of the bridge, and it is feared that unless things moderate the structure will be partially or wholly carried away. ' ' * 1 A '"small slip bad also taken place, in a cutting: near Woodhill, but the dauiaire was" soon obviated. T As-a result of the recent rains it is stated that hundreds oi,. acres of land adjacent to' the railroad are under water, while in locali-. ties fepces andbuilning are submerged. , The exact extent of the damage by the" • landslip on the 'line' between HelensviTle* and Kaukapakapa is l as yet unknown, but 'with" tliia the Railway Department have nothing to do as yet, as it appears that the line, a hewly-con^structed onfe, has not yel ■been completely handed- over by the contractors to the Government, their period of maintenance of the load for th,ree months after completion not havi,ng yet expired^

LANDSLIP ON THE WAIKATO LINE. Thjs morning a Waikato train from Mercer to town, which should have reached here at 9.20 a.m., did not arrive till about half-past eleven, the detention having been caused by the occurrence of a* heavy slip of earth from the hilloverhangingthe Jineabout "1A miles tins side of Pokeno, as anticipated in our yesterday's issue. The fall took place last night, but though of Uvge extent the track .was cleared sufficiently to enable' the train to proceed to town. Although .men are u now hard at work clearing away earth" and slips 'in the vicinity of the line, there is still great danger of a further fall t'akjng place' from* the overhanging, Hillside) which appears to be thoroughly disintegrated by the 'action of the' recent heavy lams. This morning Mr Coom, district railway engineer, proceeded up«to the scene of the slip by engine, to inspect the locality and make arrangements for preventing as far as possible-fu) bher accidents of the kind. The place is at the Pokeno rond diversion to avoid a curve. ' . Close to Mercer there is another slip of earth and mud of lesser magnitude. News from up the line states that the flaxswamps between Mercer andTuakau are flooded and dangerously high adjoining the railway line. As on the Kaipara section, all Waikato goods -traffic has necessarily been stopped temporarily by the Pokeno landslip, but the department are making all p6s&ible cndcoA ours to have direct and uninterrupted communication restored as soon as possible.