TUNNEL COLLAPSE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 255, 27 October 1928, Page 11

TUNNEL COLLAPSE.

NEW LYNN CASE CONTINUED.

"GOOD STANDING COUNTRY."

CONDITIONS IN THE DRIVE,

Having already occupied four days, the Delta Theatre case, in which two plaintiffs, George Vincent; Mullenger (Mr. Finlay) and Howard Oakley Browne (Mr. Leary) sought to.recover from'the New Lynn Town Bbard (Air.- Northcroft) and iiorn the contractors for a sewerage tunnel for the board, W. Stevenson and tson (Messrs. Lowrie and Indei'J, damages aiisnig out of .the collapse of the tunnel itti , was * ast evening adjourned until Monday morniu". Mr. Justice Blair ?in making the adjournment to .9.15 on Monday -morning, said that contradictory statements had been made in evidence as to the condition ,oi the caps, and he wished fo make a personal examination. This was arranged accordingly. _ The- second.'witness for the. Town Board was the clerk of, works. On the tunnel contract, Roy Jj. H. Mays; who said the tunnel was being driven in good standing cojintry. The floor jivas of sandstone. Before - reaching the vicinity df the theatre ths. limbering, was made heavier and the setts were placed at closer intervals: The distance from the mouth of the tunnel'at that point would be about 250 ft. Every sett in the original drive had placed at an inclined angle. Two days before the collapse, when witness saw the tunnel everything appeared safe. Reaching the 320 ft point the tuniiiellers'met with hard clay for 15ft, followed by soft slurry and foul water.

"Was there anything else?" asked Mr, Northcroft.

Xes; cake dishes, squashed tins and various things," replied witness. He produced some of these as exhibits.

Regarding a piece of broken timbering which had been produced by plaintiffs, witness said it could not have been a cap in the original drive, as it was too large. He had not seen any joggles in the tunnel cut three-quarters through, the deepest cut being three-eighths. Mr. Leary: What interest had you to look at tlie size of the life. The adjournment .to-an earlier hour than usual on, Monday was: they made, in the hope of concluding the hearing that day.

His Honor, Mr. Justice Blair to-day made his second visit' of inspection to the tunnel. The $6in drainage pipes have now been laid froin ; the break to the tunnel mouth, and his Honor»had to traverse the tunnel on top' of the pipes. He remarked as he came, out tha,t he had not had as happy a time as on the occasion o.f his first inspection, He had to practically crawl along the tunnel on top of the concrete pipes, but he was most painstaking, examining critically each set of timber, and making measurements of the distances of the sets apart and the depth of the "joggles" in the caps.