Slow Progress By House On Truck

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30157, 14 June 1963, Page 13

Slow Progress By House On Truck

The first of three Army houses to be shifted from God ley Head to Burnham produced problems for the cartage contractors and telephone and electricity linesmen yesterday. More than 40 power and telegraph poles had to be loosened and spread before the house could be moved through Heathcote Valley—a detour caused by the narrowness of the Ferry road bridge. “I thought we might have • Little trouble, but I didn't think we would be in for this.” said the cartage contractor (Mr P. Partridge) as workmen dug around the base of a pole to release it. It took nearly four hours to shift the house along one mile of Port Hills road. At one stage it remained wedged between two poles for 30 minutes while linesmen slackened wires to allow the poles to be spread. A gang of a dozen men accompanied the house Everything went according to plan from Godley Head to the foot of St. Andrews Hill. Then the trouble began ... The maximum width of the load was 27ft 6in, and the width of the Ferry road bridge only 25ft. So the convoy began the kxig slow h&ul up Bndle Path road into the valley.

By 1 p.m. the house had reached the junction of Bridle Path road and Port Hills road, a mile and a half and 20 tilted poles from the ferry bridge. The longest hold-up was al the comer of Port Hills road and Martindale road, where linesmen from the Heathcote County Council’s electricity department had to remove cross-arms and insulators and slacken supply lines.

Eventually the house was squeezed through the gap, the roof scraping the poles on either side. The time wag now 4 p.m. It had taken three hours to cover less than half a mile. No further trouble was experienced until the house had to be manoeuvred round three sharp bends. After manipulating his 15-ton load around the third corner. Mr Partridge parked the house for the nsght alongside the tunnel access highway. The journey to Burnham will be completed today. Mr Partridge said he had inspected the route beforehand. and although there was sufficient clearance at the base of the poles many of them leaned over the carriageway.

The remaining two houses at Godley Head will be shifted to Burnham by Mr Partridge next week.