Excavations In Square Throughout The Night

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28480, 9 January 1958, Page 7

Excavations In Square Throughout The Night

Pick axes swung and pneumatic drills chattered in Cathedral square last evening as Municipal Electricity Department gangs began digging up parts of the roadway shortly after the theatre traffic had finished.

Sparks flashed from the pavement as three gangs of workmen dug through the top course and asphalt for the laying of underground electric wiring. The numbers of men involved and their vigorous attack on the roadway made the scene more like a Californian gold rush than the dim streets of a sleeping city. Following chalked lines, the men quickly excavated a trench watched by a foreman. A nearby engineer remarked: “Laurie can find a gas pipe or a water pipe 8 mile off. He’s got second sight.”

By working from 11 p. m . last evening until 4 a.m. this morning the M.E.D. hoped to be able to have the roadways reformed in time for the morning traffic. The entrances from Cathedral square to Worcester street east and Colombo street north, and to the Christchurch Transport Board’s bus shed were being trenched by three separate gangs. After a four-hour break, the men will resume work at 8 a.m. at a more sedate pace, continuing the trenching along the edge of the footpaths. A young student who was wielding a pick axe—his first vacation spent in manual labour—said joyfully: “We’re only getting four hours off. That means they’ve got to pay us double time all day today. M