THE WAIRARAPA FLOODS

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10671, 18 July 1912, Page 5

THE WAIRARAPA FLOODS

CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE DONE, SLIPS ASD WASH-OUTS. TUMN" SEORVICIE BEST&RED. The heavy north-easterly gale which wvvs experienced in the Wairarapa district on jMonday and Tuesday exhausted dteelf on Tuesday miight. The rain, oeaseti. for soone hours, but the wind veered round to (the south, and yesterday ai bitterly •cold 'south-easter was experienced. The rivers began to subside as soon as the noutherly ruin ceased, and there \vas very little flood water ! to Ibe seean yesterday, although the water-cou'mcs wore still swollen.

DAMAGE BY SLIPS. A good deal of damage lite been done 'by dips in the Masterton and Mmirioeville iCountidy, biit road communication. is being .restored as quickly as the weather conditions will permit. A number of dips came 'down on Dorset's Road, and traffic in <t>ha:t direction lias been 'suspended. The Blairlogie Road, between Cripps' an dtlie Kerosene Ridge, has also been blocked.

The slip on the Opivki Raod, at Day's Hill, was /removed yesterday, and traffic was restored. A large &Hp took place on the Mtauriccville .South road, neal' Mr C. C. Jackson's reisidence. A number of sftip® have occurred 011 the Te Wharau-Flat Poi'Hlb Road, and it will he impossible for vehicular traffic to get through for some time. P»e portion of #ie u'oad ljats been completely wiaelieci away. The Te Whar-au-Kaiwhata tread is also blocked by & nuimher cf dips. The engineer of the Masterton. County C-ounoS expects to have the whole cf tlie reads opened for traffic in 'the course of a few days. He does not regard the damage done as particularly feeveire.

OTHER DAMAGE. A great dftal of damage was done by the floods in streams in the district. . The approach .to a .bridge on Cbu-fct-s' road, on 'the Matahiwi subdivision, wr.1,3 washed away. A large hole was scoured out on the Abura Road, which rendered traffic dainigerous. A number of minor slips came down in the Mauriceville district. The Black Oreek was in heavy flood on, Tuesday. The swing bridge leading to .the Kantuna School was washed away, and other small bridgeie ailiso collapsed.

AN EXCITING EXPERIENCE. The driver of the mail brake from Te Whiarau had a'li exciting experience on Tuesday 'afternoon. In negotiating the Pttlh.au stream., the horses lost their (foothold, and the hrake was upset. Most of the mails were saved, ib'ut the ;bags from Land's End and Flat Poinit we,re washed away. The 'latter was .recovered yesterday about three miles' below the scene of the accident.' lit is expected -tifoat the Lmd's End bag will be found 011 the opposite side of the stream.

IN THE BOROUGH. ■Comparatively lititle damage has been done in the Borough. The floods in the oreejk® .Subsided can Tuesday night, and yesterday .morning mosit of the surface water had disappeared. A number of residents in Cole, Essex, and Chapel Sftreefos had difficulty in reaching their homes on Tuesday njghlfc. Ait ten o'clock on Tuesday night the Wlai-poua river wals at its highest, an<2 wa<s then within -a few inches #f the feJt-ringei'is of tlie new bridges. The question' was freely asked yesterday, "What would hnve happened had there been one bridge instead of two, ®r if the bridges had been lower than • alt presemit?"

TRAINS AND MAILS. The train service ibetween. Masterton amid Wellington was seriously dii - organieed yesterday, owing to slips on the Ramutaka inelisno. Passengers to arnd from Wellington were eainMed to get through- by transferring from one train to another and walking a di'Stamee* The early Wellington mails fcr the Wairarapa were fcent lip the Mcnuvw"atu line, and readied Master ton at 3.30 o'clock yeafcerdiay 'afternoon. The railway authorities informed us last evening tliat the wash-out on the Jine at Featli'eins'ton was cleared for traffic 'after many hours' work hy a targe gang of men. The first train to pass was the late train from, Wellington, which arrived at Masterton laisrfc evcuiiing 'ablaut ten o'clock. The ■slips .on the nncline were not so serious as was aft fijnst .aai.tioipaited, and were cleared after a few (hours' work. Unr leels further land slides occur the trains will run as usual to-rday.