Weather Did Not Stop Milk Supplies
Page 30
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(IF all the many praiseworthy efforts ' 'kJ to overcome the difficulties caused by the recent snow, frost, fogs, ice, gales and floods, those of the drivers of milk tankers were outstanding.
The general manager of Bulwark Transport, Ltd., Chippenham, related to "The Commercial Motor" some of the adventures of his fleet of 60 milk-tank wagons, many of them with 3,000-gallon loads. Often they were the only vehicles on the roads. The frost was so severe, especially at night, that radiators froze up while the vehicles were travelling.
For many days the snow drifts were up to 7 ft. deep and a quarter of a mile Jong, Where it was impossible to plough through, they-were by-passed—sometimes over the hedges and through the fields.
The tankers were organized in convoys, so that the drivers could assist each other, and, on the hills, the company's breakdown wagon forced a way to the top and then winched the vehicles up one by one. Journeys that normally took six hours occupied two days. After that the floods seemed easy and 4 ft. of water was negotiated regularly.
When milk-collecting lorries failed to reach farms because of the floods, the tankers went direct to the farms and the milk was emptied from the churns straight into the tankers.
After the snow came the gales, and many cases of road blocks by fallen trees were overcome by removal of the trees or by long deviations of routes. Near Newmarket a tree fell in front of, a tanker, smashing the radiator, but a serious accident was averted.
On March 13 one of the company's vehicles was sent on -rescue work at Chippenham, and hauled 43 vehicles out of 3 ft. 6 ins, of water. In spite of all obstacles, 88 per cent, of the scheduled loads of milk were delivered, but only by working day and night without -ceasing.