PARTLY ENGULFED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 December 1939, Page 7

PARTLY ENGULFED

f ORONGORONGO HOMESTEAD. A DESTRUCTIVE LANDSLIDE. ’ (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Descending from the hill behind with a deafening roar, a landslide of many thousands of tons partially engulfed the homestead of Mr E. L.- Riddiford at Orongorongo late on Tuesday night when the rainstorm was at its height. The rear wall of the hotise did not fall, but rubble and silt poured in through broken windows and doors. Mr Riddiford’s beautiful garden, one a of the finest in the Wellington district, was largely ruined, silt spreading over a wide area. The landslide occurred without warning at about 11-30 p.m., Mr and Mrs Riddiford, their small daughter, and other occupants of the house being rudely awakened. Servants, whose quarters were at the back of the house, had a terrifying experience. Debris piled up to within an inch or two of the tops of the windows and they were fortunate to escape uninjured. Silt accumulated throughout the house, in some places to a depth of a foot, and water poured straight through and out the front door. The\house was not vacated till daylight, however, as there appeared to be no danger. Mr and Mrs Riddiford. their daughter, and the other occupants then moved to the men’s quarters some distance away on another part of the property. It was not possible for the servants to rescue all their personal belongings. Details of the occurrence were slow to reach Wellington, as the telephone wires to the homestead were brought down by the slip. In addition the road to the station was blocked by slips and is still blocked. It is unlikely that it will be open till tomorrow. Water and drainage systems at the homestead were destroyed. The slip came as a complete surprise to all at Orongorongo, as none had ever occurred behind the homestead before. It was apparently caused partly by a small creek which rose to an abnormal height. Mr Riddiford intends to take expert opinion before deciding what to'do, but it appears impossible to clear the slip save by employing a fleet of bulldozers. It is very doubtful whether the house will ever be reoccupied and Mr Riddiford may have to rebuild on another site.