WAINUI TUNNEL.

GOOD PROGRESS BEING MADE

FIVE CHAINS COMPLETED

Steady progress is being made with the construction of the tunnel through the Wainui hill at Gracefield. This work was initiated early in the year by a company for whom Messrs Vickeman and Lancaster prepared plans. A contract was let to the Templeton Tunneling Company and a atatt was mads about four or five months ago from the Hutt or western end of the tunnel.

The tunnel is ,to accommodate all classes of traffic. It is 26 feet 6 inches in breadth, 18 feet in .height and 49 chains in length .

So far the .tunnel has been pierced, opened out ,and concreted for a length of five chains, and progress is now being made at the rate of just a little over a effain a month, working two shifts a day. This rate of working could be accelerated or retarded at any time. If it were found' advisable to accelerate the Tate of progress, three eight-hour shifts could be worked at both ends.

So far the ground has not been good for tunnelling work. A great deal of it has been soft, mushy patetes' betwesn Totten rock, comparatively little hard rock having been encountered so far. Such country as has been encountered contains plenty of water ,making the job a" wet one for the workers .