THE TUNNEL.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19941, 30 May 1930, Page 7

THE TUNNEL.

HISTORY OF EARLY NEGOTIATIONS.

ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS. An article cf more than usual interest to Canterbury people published in tne latest number of the New Zealand Railways Magazine, is a history of the Christchurch-Lyttelton railway. The negotiations which preceded the decision to build the railway are set out in chronological order, and in the first instalment is devoted partly to the work of the Commission which was appointed to report on the best form of communication. After remarking that the story of the settlement of Canterbury province and of New Zealand's first railway enterprise —the establishment of communication between Port Lyttelton and the Canterbury Plains—is a story of pioneer triumph over great natural obstacles, constituting one of the most romantic and interesting chapters in our history, the writer refers to the activities of the Canterbury Association.

The Canterbury Association. The genesis of the colonising effort so far as Canterbury province is concerned, he says, centres in the organisation, in England, towards the middlo of last century, of the Canterbury Association. This Association was organised for the purpose of founding a settlement in New Zealand. The Association appointed as chief surveyor Captain Joseph Thomas (who had previously been in tho Colony and knew something of its geography), and directed him to proceed to New Zealand, decide upon the site of the settlement, and make preparation for the reception of the settlers. On arrival in Canterbury he considered several suggested sites, and chose the Port Cooper Plains, as North Canterbury was then called.

The Association acquired from the New Zealand Company an area of land, approximately two and a half million acres in extent, between the Ashburton and Waipara rivers. In reporting upon the suitability for settlemen of the Port Cooper Plains, one of the New Zealand Company's surveyors (Mr ii. J. Cridland) showed the advantages of the locality in comparison with earlier settlements elsewhere in New Zealand. In effect his report was: "No natives; no floods; no bush to cut down; a port easy of access." Though the port was easy of access from the sea, it was by no means easy of access from the land side. Captain Thomas mado a landing place at the present town of Lyttelton, and constructed, from there, a bridle path over tho hills to Heathcote Valley. As this route was not suitable for wheeled traffic he also laid out a road over Evans Pass to Sumner. Some progress had been made on this road when the principal Resident Agent of the Association (Mr J. R. Godley) arrived at Port Cooper some months in advance of the main body of settlers. Mr Godley, finding tho available funds of the Association were exhausted, suspended further operations.

-Arrival of the First Settlers. The first party of the settlers of the Association arrived in December, 1850. To reach the Plains they had to walk over the bridle path and send their baggage and stores round by sea to Sumner, and thence by boats up the Avon and Heathcote rivers. Naturally, tho question of means of communication received their early attention. A meeting of land purchasers was held in 1851, and at this meeting the construction of a tunnel through tho hill was mentioned, but the work was considered to be beyond the resources of the settlers. The meeting also considered a proposal to raise a loan to complete the Sumner road, but failed, too, to reach any definite conclusion on this matter. Eeference is made in the article to" tho establishment of the Provincial Government, and it is recorded that the second session : in 1854 passed the Lyttelton and Christchurch Eoad Ordinance, which provided for the appointment of a Commission of five engineers and surveyors to report as to the best line of communication. The Commissioners were Messrs W. B. Bray (chairman), H. J. Cridland, E. Dobson, R. J. S. Hanman, and E. Jollie. Their report, dated March 21st, 1854, was of a comprehensive character. It stated that four modes of communication between the seaport and the interior had been under consideration.

The Commission's Recommendation. The Commission then reviewed the situation, and concluded that it must be left to. the Provincial Government to decide whether a road or a railway was best suited to the needs and circumstances of the community. Should the Government consider the railway too costly an undertaking, then the Commission recommended the completion ot the Sumner road by a tunnel through Evans Pass, and the improvement of the Sumner bar by filling in tho rocks at the entrance. (It was recognised that the heavy traffic would not go over the hill.) The Provincial Council was prorogued on April 12th, 1854, in order that the Superintendent and other members of the General Assembly might attend the sitting at Auckland. The Superintendent, in his closing address to the Council, stated that there was no necessity for • ah immediate decision on the report of the Commission, as the plans suggested were of so important a character, involving so large an expenditure of public money, and so closely affecting private as well as public interests, that it was right to postpone any final decision until the public had had ample opportunity of discussing the various plans and expressing an opinion thereon. After the meeting of the General Assembly, the Council would be asked to attend again in order to deal with the question.

Proposal for Tramway over the Hill. Meantime, the Superintendent advised the chairman of the Commission that he was not inclined to spend money on the Sumner bar, or on the railway from Gollan's Bay; in the first place because the filling in of the rocks would not divert the danger of the overfailing sea outside the rocks (which was the real cause of the navigation of the channel being so frequently closed), and in the second place because if a railway to a deep-sea jetty were desirable, the railway through Lyttelton would.still be the shortest line of communication therewith, and the value of Lyttelton property would not be injured. The position reduced itself to the question of a railway under the Bridle Path hill, or a road. Without ex pressing any opinion on the merits of the proposals he considered the railway should not be started if the existing means of communication could not be improved for five years, pending completion of the tunnel It was, therefore, requested that particular atten tion be given to the question of opening some temporary but efficient means of communication. Mr Bray was acked to repdrt upon a suggestion that the railway tx? completed from Christchurch to Martin's (Henthcnte Va'ley), and on the provision of a temporary tramway (to he worked by a fix<>d enerine on tori of tne hill) to give communication with Lvttelton.

Mr Bray reporter! that the tramway jroposal was feasible. He estimated the

cost of the railway at £37,300, and of the tramway at £6734. The power for the tramway was to be provided by a powerful gin, worked by bullocks on the top of the hill, with a wire haulage rope on each side. He proposed that the line be double from the summit to the centre oa each side, and at the terminals, so as to allow the ascending and descending waggons to pass each other. He pointed out that owing to the steepness of the grade the work would be very slow. It would take U hours to move a waggon containing one ton from Norwich Quay (Lyttelton) to Martin's (Heathcote Valley). The capacity of the tramway would be 10 or 12 tons a day. Because of the time of the journey, and the risk of accident, the tramway would be ill-adapted for passengers. Assuming wages to be at the Tate of 5s per day. and using four bullocks, the working exrenpes would be £5 per day. The traffic in view would fall considersMv short of 10 tons per day, so that high ratps would be npcessary to meet the working expenses. -