HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODS.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 April 1918, Page 5

HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODS.

MAIN ROAD BLOCKED 'TO TRAFJItt ' <

Floods in Taranaki! Such a liappeniij ■' lias always been considered impoßsibjEj for no part of New Zealand—thanks it good old Mt. Egmont—is Bo wall valley# ~.'; and drained as this province. Yet mafh ~'' channels and nature's courses and valleys' r* were found inadequate early yesterday .', morning to carry away quickly enough J T the terrific downpour of rain that setln ' the night before and continued intermit- '<\ tently throughout the day i '': v In New Plymouth the streets in tfie ■• ■.-. morning were flooded, and the roads less- 'I ing into the town resembled wide watjr- .-,. courses more than thoroughfares, but little harm resulted. ' [ In the Waipuku and Stratford districts ■' *, the downpour was particularly heavy, as ' may be judged from the fact that 8.4 , inches were registered in Stratford in ', the twenty-four hours—almost a record even for Stratford. The Patea '\ which goes through the town, was 'fa ' : high flood. rV- . At several places between New Ply-. ■ mouth and Waipuku the water was »" , •' Ing on the road to a depth of from two '■•, to four feet. In the dip near W«toujpi. ,! * factory, however, the water covered t&4 / .' road to a depth estimated at from eight' ; to ten feet. At this point there ib 1 * 1 I culvert running under the railway lifc, ',' and the watercourse had evidently &• ''.' come choke"d, with the result that ftfe '\ water had banked up to within two at ''>■ three feet of the line, acrogs the roSd//" and for' a considerable distance up ts& •* gully on the opposite side of the road, ■", completely blocking traffic, along &ta ».'j main road. The way was cleared, Jwr-' "'. ever, and in the early afternoon tta ntad ,\i was reported to be passable again. W J the, News motor car which takes tie \ papers through to Hawera in #»e «afej "-' morning reached the spot it dived SHboy 1 about eight feet of water, was got opt* r' with difficulty, and could not proceed/ j ' '.-" Mr. Peter Thompson, the manager' tit y (% the Waipuku an eaperiatfa .{) which he will never forget. He wis':''," washed out of bed by the rush of tfibß,- -*' water. Very soon the whole of the gtfljy>, was one mass of water, and for pofee"' r ' hours the road was completely Mock£& '■ At Eawera the Tongahoe rose gwSSry, ' • and the bridges were so badly injttfed ■ i as to be unsafe for traffic, and hava »qi ~i\ closed by order of the county engfetoir'., *' (says the Star). There is a conadeanle ' \ depth of silt on the road this side of the ." bridge on the South Road, so thsf #». )■ waters must have been pretty high. I&Ah '' ably at its greatest height the river fcpsa '}., 18 feet. Logs are coming down at jntfcrv*, r- ' vals of about a chain. ' ' The Manganui correspondent of thtf ''. BKham Argus, wiring yesterday, state*; , Heavy rain fell throughout the night Jtfv ■ . Mangamingi and the district, and fin (y----creeks are in higher flood than ever to?-- * viously experienced. . ■ ... Chains of road are under water, J l, , which, in places; is over the tops of. tfcfc", 1. fences. , Slips are coming down by the dozen,' ■ and can very frequently be heard falling '■ with a roar like thunder "''

It is feared that a good deal of damage •." has been dote, particularly farther back, ... but no details are to hand. ! Owing to Being flooded, the creamery l' could not be started this morning, and', no one ia able to get milk there. ' J The Eidge is blocked by fairly large v. 1 slips near the bottom and is probably "- blocked badly further up, but it has", 1 been impossible to ascertain the true-'..,-, position of affairs up to the present, '■•■,' Mr. Ofeen, of Moeroa, had a large mob' j, of sheep in Mr. E. Forrester's yards near ■ 7 the creek, and he had great difficulty ib<\ getting them out, all the yards and road/' 1 ; in front being-flooded. At daylight this morning an effort was made, and thera \t fortunately being plenty of helpers, alt .'twere saved, by getting them through' tit,' 1 ) Mr. Jackson's paddock at the back.*'©?' the yards. , ,'■ i,-