A TRIP TO THE OHURA.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 November 1918, Page 8

A TRIP TO THE OHURA.

THE DISABILITIES OP THE BACKiBUOUKER.

The disabilities that the settlers-of the interior labor under owing to kick of decent raiding facilities and, incidentally, the need tor pushing the Stratl'ordOkahukura railway line on to completion, were strikingly demonstrated to a party of Tarauaki men who journeyed to the Ohura last week to attend Mr- Newton King's Ohura sale. The party included Messrs Newton King. B. | W. Shaw, 11. Abraham (.Stratford )nan- ( ftger), 0. Pugh (siuetioncor). .Mess's Trehov (clerkj, D. J. Hughes, Barlow, McMuilian, McCarthy, Fulcher.C.McCutchan, Morgan, Priest, Inder, aad Brock Jebank left on Wednesday for Whaiigamolnona in four cars, driven by Messrs Abraham, liiJcr. Fulcher, and liroeklcbank. Whangarnomona. was readied : without any trouble. Shortly before 5 o'clock the foilowhtg itiorning tlie party left Whangarnomona for Ohura, and though the road was had in places ihey hnd a fair Tun until past Kohuratahi, when the chains of one of tut ears parted, , delaying them nearly an hour. The nest incident occurred on the Tahora t saddle. ' Here one of the ears, getting into an i exceptionally bad place, broke an axleA spare axle was carried, however, and the ear was left behind for repairs, the other cars going on, as it was essential, that they should reach Ohura in time for the sale. And though the read was "■very lieavv, all reached there about 11.30 a.iti. The damaged car reached Ohura at 5 p.m. The sale was conducted by Messrs S. W. Shaw and George Pugh, and in the middle.of the afternoon, about halfway through the sale, rain commenced to fall, and teemed throughout the night, which was a very stormy one, the wind blowing very fiercely. } Early next morning a start 7,' as made I for home, though doubts were expressed as to whether they would get through to Wangamomona. In order to be prepared in case of necessity, shovels were added to the party'j equipment, and a wise precaution this prove<j. The roads, after the rain, were very heavy, but the cars got along very well until about 15 miles from Ohura, when half-way up the Paparata saddle, a big slip was encounI tered, completely blocking the road. Although the task looked a hopeless one, the shovels were brought into play, and Messrs ©. J- Hughes, George Pugh, and C. McCutchan, among others, worked heroically in the effort to remove about !100 tons of spoil. It was decided to send Mr. McCarthy ahead to see what the Toad further on was like- He leturned in a short time with the report that there were at least five other slips, and that it would ibe impossible to get through. The party then reluctantly! decided to turn back, and endeavor to make Taumarunui in time to catch the Main Trunk express. They save not sure i. f this could be done, as they had no idea of the 3tata of the road save that it would be bad.

Their troubles, however, were fcy no means over, for r.car Tatu one of the cars went to the side of the road and got into a soft, swampy part, where it had to be temporarily abandoned, a team of bullocks being necessary to extricate it. The three other cars wont on with the party- They .left Ohura at about 5 p.m. with the cheering assurance from residents Osat they would have no possible chance of getting through, as even the timber waggons had got stuck. It was, however, stated that if they got past the 13-mile peg, they might possibly get-through. \They found the mud very bad, in many places being 3ft deep. Still, the cars negotiatedjt, and all went well, at least as well as could bo expected, until they got about seven miles past Matiere, when another car got bogged. With the assistance of some men from a camp on the. railway construction works and some near-by posts, and aided by the powerful headlights of one of the cars, the car was placed on tha road again, and the journey resumed. Mr,. Newton King had pushed on ahead in his car, and ultimately reached Okahukura without any other mishap than that a horse had to be requisitioned from a wayside settler in order to pull the car out of one exceptionally bad iftle.

At Taringamutu a flooded ford absolutely precluded progress in the car, but Mr. King was, fortunately, able to cover three or four miles between there and Taumarunui, reaching the latter place in ample time to catch the express, being joined later by the__occupants of the other two cars, who had reached Okahukura safely and had fchere caught a goods train, which the stationmaster stopped for them, reaching Taumarunui about 10.30 p m. x They caught the Main Trunk express an hour or two later, and arrived in New Plymouth on Saturday night by the mail train, having, of course, to tranship at the scene of the fatality the preceding morning- The state of their boots and mud-splashed appearance of their clothes'gave an indication of their experiences, and that they were able to get through at all spsak9 volumes for the powers of the Dodge cars and the endurance of their driver?.

At Taumarumti, Mr. D. .T. Hughes sent a telegram to the Minister for Public Works, drawing attention to the need for roading improvements and also to tlie need for establishing telephonic connection between Tatn and Taliora, which has bepn pressed on the Department by

Taran&ki local bodice and chambers of J commerce' for sumc yyiirs past- Had j•■

there been any means of communicating wilk Taiiora, the pa'rtji would have been able to ascertain befoio leaving Olmra f'st tlie direct route home was blocked and been able to stare for Ohahukura, without wasting practically » whole day in»what: proved a fruitless effort.