LINKING EAST AND WEST

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12663, 29 November 1906, Page 10

LINKING EAST AND WEST

h 4 is ?- TO TH* EDITOR OV " THE T*.ZS3." > Sir.—l was much interested in reat ing tlie contribution by 'J. L. W." i i..c vve«.'Kly Pros" ot November 7tl ,j. AA'ith your pernri._*?ion I will 6upp!e.men -i_ and correct « fe-w errors in tbe contr iy bution. The writer de>ea not give tb >r yeaar in which Air Harper mado hi r ' riding journey via the Teremaka x " sadello to the Grey, and why he shoul ';' go North to the Grey to reach th s . Wait-aki is a inytstory to mc. If th >t journey was made Latex t1..-m DooemU'i d 18U2, no creel it is due to Air Harper, a ? - a brklle track had been out acrots th V tiaeldle and down tho Tereitiakau fo .several miles by Howitt's party of pre vincial prospectors in the trtviith of De e-ember, ISO.. This enabled a pack j to he taken deiwn the river a* fa ■ a.i Rocky Point on the orach itxn " without difficulty. Tho writer wa.s <m nt that party, nnd Air Taylor of th Lakes Station, informeel mc that in ' horse* hael previously lieen taken ore - the saddle—ours was tho first jKirty t take ono over. It was on April 13th IS'>3. tliat Air AVhitoombe leit Christ . church for his jeurney to tlie ooa-st vij tl:e> Hakaia Gorge. I was askeel by AI Whitoombe' *soii'e vee-ks l>ofe>ro to ac company him on that journey, lor '~ other engagementis prove-nted mo fron going. A full account of this e-xjHsli ," tion can he read in the "'llantlbeHik o ' New Zoikine! Mine.'?.'' publi-hoel in 1877 It was through information given by m< r to Air George Dobson that Air Arthn , Dolit«>n w;ns sent out anel difcovere-el tin routo by Arthur's Pa.-* (nann-d nfte the discoverer). The .statement tha the Hiirunui sntld.e is higher thai Arthur's, and the e:ist to make a roa< by that route thr<*e times that lo Arthur's P;i>» is certainly erroneous: i ~ is tho other way alxuit. For instaneo • Air Howiit. and iiivk-1 c cut a bridle track over the Hnriinu 1 Sadello in three wrecks. e*ii.ibli::g .i r pack horw* te> lie taken down to Aleuu - Ab.'X-amler. It eevt £U'V<) to make ; - bridle rr.-vk through the- f)* ir:» Gorge 1 and £'25. <!()<) for a narrow dray trat-': - which wa.s lii'olv w.-'fchoei away ais w.oi - as e-onrib-teyl," iDiWO n-ore hitl ti> Ik • expendd in the Gnrge in repairs. ] • have been over tho ITuri.nui »Sade:l< - ir.-. :iy tim-'.«, Abo l,v Otira Gorge, anc _ I say, without hesitation, no gieatei .-r.ist:i ; .:e h;»« ewer been i made (nut excepting tbe Rimuinka in- • e-liii<M in oil New Zealand Wt>rl:s thar taking the road anel railway via AttbiirV. P;i:s. irate id of hy Jloir-.-lev Dout.s .-md Iluriiniii .Sadello. Tho railway could have Im-- n eipe-iyd 10 vcam aii-j, hv t*he latter nonte a-t half the e-ost, whereas we shall not fee it complotrd ten years hence, nt the prcscn! rato cf construction. The tunnel under Arthur's Puns is a hard nut to crne'k ; the e-ost cannot be closely estimate..!. lam not siirpri'-ed lit contractors I't'/iuirirrr a big margin. Thousands havo been waste-el on .surveys and reports, some of which have no value whatever over paper. Referre tliio tunnel in completed the* me>rt valuab 1 ..' tvnber in reach of 'the railway will be cut out; tho ooal is also near •the eoM.st. and will go by water at halt fhe cent of railage, as tin- grnde's are steep on the We*.fc Coast side of the range. In reference to tho Uurunui A'alley, In-'ing liable to flood*, I fcporat two lr.ontlm there", and seldom faw the wat-'ir over the knee in the fonLs. the road or rsiihvay .could 'bo take'ii from Lake Sumner to the iSaddle Kit the south siele, a distance ol about 12 e>r 13 mikt., without crossing tho river one-e, only a I small stream at the saelelle tbe wafer dimes in from creeks ■em the north side of the river. It woulel only be necessary to cross th" south brane'i once- Inlow tho Lakes Station, no other bridge would be requireel over the Hiirunui. Referring t.3 Sir ,lobn Hall's visit to the Coast in July, VM>5, I well recollect his culling at my cam]) in the Porter river-be'el. His party consisted of Air K. Dobson, provincial engineer, Mr G. Thornton, road eiirrine-or. noil Air Walter Blake, surveyor. Air Edwin Rlake, surveyor, hael ln<en sent abemtl to prepare tho way for the vi-itors. Fortunately Stark's waggons had arrived nt the camp tin- day previous with provisions, new wheellvarrows, and, not least, two gallons of dark brandy fre>m Mil.b'r Store. 1 had the honour of entertaining the party on mutton chops, a barrow for a table, plenty of tea, and, to top up, brandy out of n panraikin. I kin'w nil tho party oxf_ept Sir John, although I hael seen him iv Chrif--t----e-hure-h, but in watertight liootfi, o'd leather leggings, an old-tweed suit, anel a whito hell-topper all stove in at tho sides, anel a portion of the- rim cut off all rounel, no woneler I did not rc*vog-ni-e tlio "Secretary for Public AVorks." Later on in the same month Air George Dobson called at tlie oamp on his way to tlk» Gre>y to take charge-, from which, I regre-t to say, he never returned, his fate is well known. Of tbe contractors mentiomnl. I knew most of them personally. Air J. Smith, nt the Realey, did not do well, anel nt the end had to appeal to the Provincial Government. Afr Wright made a pile. He worked night and day, and dewerved it, as no other contractor would tackle the Otira Gorge, confxxjuently ho got his own price for that arduous work. In conclusion, I may say there is nothing to recommend the* Otira route but the scenery, which I admit is grand, but after all scenery will not pay for the railwnv or the construction of tho tunnel under the Pass.—A'ours. etc., PROSPECTOR.