WEARY TRAVELLERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 February 1940, Page 5

WEARY TRAVELLERS

SEVERAL RELIEF TRAINS REACH WELLINGTON FORTY-EIGHT HOUR JOURNEY. NEGOTIATING THE STORM AREA. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) •WELLINGTON, This Day. Bearing upward of 300 passengers the majority of whom had left Auckland at 3.30 p.m. on Saturday, the, first of a procession of five relief trains bringing people from the slip-affected area near Taumarunui, arrived at Wellington at 9 o’clock last night. The second and third trains, each with about 200 passengers, arrived at 10.30 and 11 p.m. respectively, and the remaining two arrived in the early hours of the morning.

Looking travel-stained and weary, the travellers, many of whom had been more than 48 hours on the journey, told how they had whiled away the long hours with a variety of entertainments, of their efforts to procure and cook food, and of how babies were cared for. All told, some 6000. passengers were yesterday carried past the slips in motor vehicles to join trains waiting at stations on either side of the blocked section of the line. With the river almost back to normal after its record flood level, Wanganui finds it has escaped lightly. There is still water in some areas, and a sea of mud in others, but the sewage and water supply systems appear unaffected. A harbour board jetty and the wall or turning basin have suffered, but board members think the river's intensive scour will have improved the port. A report from the Manawatu Automobile Association last night stated that the north-bound road traffic could not go further than New Plymouth, via the West Coast, or past Taumarunui, via the central route.

BUSY DAY SIX THOUSAND PASSENGERS TRANSFERRED. BIG TASK AT TAUMARUNUI. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) TAUMARUNUI, February 26. It is estimated that 6000 train passengers were today transported by lorries, taxis and cars past the slips blocking: tne lin ; e Between Taumarunui and Kakahi, a feat which was carried out smoothly and to the credit of the Railways Department. From an early hour this morning Taumarunui has been the scene of great activity. There were then 2000 railway passengers stranded here, waiting for buses, lorries, and taxis to convey them to Kakahi. The line is clear north of Taumarunui but is still blocked at Piriaka. Passengers on the Auckland trains spent two uncomfortable nights in their carriages, and the food problem added to their discomfort. Appalling damage has been done to roads in the district, and additional reports are still coming in. Almost every road in the Kaitieke, Taumarunui and Ohura counties is blocked with slips and washouts. The main highway north of Taumarunui was still blocked at Okahukura this morning, the water being. sft deep over the road, but it was expected to be passable later in the day. South of Taumarunui there are washouts and slips at Piriaka, Manson’s Siding, and between the top of the Spiral and Horopito. Ohura township suffered very severely and it will be several days before access to the town can be made from any direction. The Kaitieke County is also hit badly and a big steel bridge on the Pukeatau road was washed away. It is estimated that it will taken seven days to open up the Kaitieke Hill for traffic. It is raining again, with fairly heavy intermittent showers.

Mr R. Harland, one of the six men marooned on Winter’s Island, swam the Wanganui River this morning with great difficulty and landed partially exhausted. The men on the island had a terrible time on Saturday night, their hut being washed away. In the main house the water reached the top of the windows, and the men had to spend the night on the roof after diving off stacked furniture into the water and out through windows in order to get on the roof. The lights and telephone failed and they had very little food. The remaining men were taken off this afternoon.

TARANAKI SUFFERS

DISASTROUS DAMAGE IN MANY AREAS. APPEAL FOR GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) NEW PLYMOUTH. February 26. Tearing pastures from hillsides, sweeping stock away in raging torrents, and severing road and rail connections, the weekend flood did damage in northern and eastern Taranaki which cannot yet be estimated. Repairing damage to the roads alone is beyond the means of county councils, which have appealed to the Government for help. As yet the full extent of the disaster in remote localities cannot be estimated, but there must be many back-country settlers cut off from civilisation and facing a staggering food problem. The situation is grave enough along the main highway, where marooned travellers and residents alike are running desperately short of supplies, their difficulties being increased by the damage done when the flood waters entered country stores. Plans are on foot to take supplies out by planes from the Royal New Zealand Air Force station at Bell Block, near New Plymouth.

The main highway from New Plymouth to Auckland was open as far as Uruti today, but it will be days, if not weeks, before the road is open through the really devasted area lying beyond Mount Messenger. In the meantime hundreds of travellers are held up by hundreds of slips and washouts.

It will probably be weeks before the Stratford-Okahukura railway line is open. Almost incredible damage has been done on the northern part of the line.