A Gordon Letter

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4412, 18 May 1909, Page 3

A Gordon Letter

WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN" The following interesting memo, from Mr F. N. It. Dowi.ard was read at yesterday’s Piako County Council meeting : Sir, —I wish to draw your attention, and the attention of the whole body of County Councillors to the very bad state of a portion of the Gordon road. The portion I refer to is that between the two bridges in front of Mr Newsome's farm, and which nets ns the channel cf a rushing torrent of water whenever there is a fairly heavy downfall of raiu, This afternoon on my way home from school I was faced with a bewildering expanse of muddy turbulent water in lieu of a road just at this spot. The water stretched fiMtu fence to fence and even in half way over the bridge, and go making an efiec tive barrier to pedestrians, Tbo approauh to the bridgo was half washed away, and roaring cataracts, nay, waterfalls, were madly coursing on either hand, My first thought was to divest myself of my 1 nether garments, but on second thoughts I decided it would be just as well to be drowned in my clothos as otherwise. So in I plunged, The first few steps were alright, but once out in the current with the crested waves breaking around mowed the physical and mental torture I

underwent cannot be adfquately described by pen end ink. I thought of the old pioneering d iys when no roads were; i thought of the hardships and dangers besetting our intrepid explorers and I thought . " Is this tho fruit of the labor, ing of our liardv pioneeis and e xplorers, is this civihs.tion The thoughts “What will the end be,” crowded on my mind, and I n entally resolved to pu-h on, to keep up heart as the best means of conserving my physical strength and to overcome difficulties just ns a Briton always does, To Ihjs men'al resolution, sir, I owe my liffi ! I did overcome ■ I leached an*• Ararat ’* of safety in the centre of the flood, Tho.-o I stood to view and review the sconu —fl po d and danger bshjnd, flood and danger before. But what cared I now for the terrors cf the deep ! Had I not mastered theta ! I plunged in again. Tho wa< ers rose higher and higher, the < load ” («) sank lower and lower. J paseid a boulder fully 2cwt. cf solid stone—borne by the

swirling torrent-yes, right in the centre of the highway ! Had that struck mo - ah, what would have been Ihe result I ask you—what ? flut fortunately it did I n °k $ * missed it, and passing on in due poursc reached safety. But, sir, Ido not want to experience such exciting adventure again. One may be brought to smile at daugers by being made familiar with them f This is a daflger easily obviated by the jpdjpious expenditure of a little mopey. Fortunately when the school children passed a’oDg the water was not so high, else surely some would have been washed away by the swift current; they could not have stood against it. To-day’s experience is not: the first. Twice already this year has the roa4 been flooded, and many times last year and the year before, to my knowledge. To-day. however, it was excessively high, The new bridge, which by the way is kpown as “ Folly ” (we don't know whose) spans a trickling Stream while the major poriion of the water finds its way down the road, a menace to the road itself and all who travel thereby. When X tell you that \ took the shallowest part of the road, and even there the water was over two feet deep, you will understand the necessity for obviating this disability in our midst, a disability easily coped with. I trust, sir, that you will see' that something i‘ done in this matter, and beforp tps winter sets in.—Yours faithfully, F "M. R. Howward. I I - >' i i i> ii:ty Lo. «lh Kngh- b bedsteads take some beating. Obtainable a Johnsons’ stores.