THE NORTH ROAD.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18303, 10 February 1925, Page 11

THE NORTH ROAD.

CLARENCE BRIDGE WORK PROGRESSING. TROUBLE AT HAPUKU RIVER. (3PECIAL TO "rax. fmss.") BLENHEIM February 0. Good progress is now being made with the restoration of the Clarence Bridge, which was partially destroyed by the flood of May, 1923. It is learned on good authority that the last pair of cylinders will be completed in about a month's time, and the bridge will be ready for traffic in August. Tho last cylinders, making si* in all, are situated in the water, and their construction consequently presents even more difficulty than was encountered with tho sets so far completed. Tho fact that only one air lock is available has been a contributory cause of the delay in construction, as only one man can work in the lock. An illustration of the difficulties attending the repairs to the bridge was afforded on Saturday, when tho river was affected by a fresh, so that at one time some £2OOO worth of materials and plant seemed in danger of being swept away. Tho foreman (Mr De Malmanche) and his staff, however, succeeded in saving it. A start will be made almost immediately with the erection of tho top hamper and decking on'the now end of the bridge, so that when the final cylinders arc in place as little time as possible will be lost in completing the structure. "The Clarence river is not the only obstacle to motor traffic between here and Kaikoi/ra," remarked Mr B. P. Furness, president of tho Marlborough Automobile Association, who journeyed to Kaikoura on Saturday and returned to Blenheim yesterday. "The Hapuku river, some miles beyond the Clarence, presents a very dangerous point on tho South road. Since the approach to the Hapuku bridgo was washed away in May, 1923, nothing has been dono to restore it, though anyone with half an eye can seo that it requires a couple more spans. Tho Kaikoura County Council has apparently got to loggerheads with the Public "Works Department over tho structure, and as a result of their bickering, motor- and other traffic continues to bo exposed even after the lapso of nearly two years, to an extremely grave danger."

A Dangerous Crossing. Mr Purjiess explained that from tho Blenheim end one travelled over the old bridge and on to the embankment. At the far end, part of this embankment, however, had been swept away in 1923, and it was necessary to descend a steep grade to the river-bed and ford part of tho stream. The part of the river which had to be crossed was narrow, but was subject Jo sudden freshes, which made it a very formidable obstacle. As a result of tho rain on Friday last, one of these freshes was in evidence on Saturday morning, and only the mailcar succeeded in crossing tho stream up to time. At one period do fewer than seven' cars wero assembled on tho Kaikoura Bide, waiting for the river to fall low enough to enablo them to take a chance and cross over. Their opportunity came during the day, but tho crossing was a perilous one. Mr Furness himself, on his way south, forded the river some time after 3 p.m. on Saturday, and found the stream, though' narrow, running deep, with. a very strong current which threatened to overturn the car. He had his radihtor protected, + .he water was so deep that it flowes* into tho tonneau "of the car, and his party were extremely glad to reach tho far side of the river in safety. Later, the river rose, and a number of motorists had great difficulty in crossing. The main lord was uncrossable, and new tracks had to be flicked out. A horseman, apparently detailed for tho work by the County Council, acted as a guide. Mr FurneSS expressed the opinion that whatever was the cause of the reported deadlock between the County Council and the Government in regard to the bridge, it was high time, in tho interests of the public safety, to say nothing of the public inconvenience and the perils to travelling stock, that something was dono to put the bridge in order. On Sunday, when the river had. fallen, motorists had a better chance, but all traffic was held up for some time until a large mob of sheep were bullied into crossing the ford.

Travellers on tho Main South road state that an extraordinarily large number of sheep are being driven between Marlborough and Canterbury at present, sheepowners and agents apparently desiring to take advantage of the higher prices ruling on the Adding-' ton market. In this connexion it may be mentioned that the prices offered by export buyers have moved up since tho complaint, published about a week ago, as to the level of the price paid for sheep for the Picton works.