MIDLAND RAILWAY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 133, 28 February 1908, Page 8

MIDLAND RAILWAY.

ERECTION OF THE POWER-HOUSE. ACCIDENT AND A FIRE.-.' ', " • .(Bt XELEQlurii— IUtESS: ASSOCIATiOX ) Ctirfstcliurch, February 27. A start:-m" connection, :with.--;the". Midlario. Railway tunnel -has . been • made ' with tha -erection*of the .power-house .at .termination;of, the Holt's Creek, pipe line. ..It'lwiil bo a .massive medprn 'building,, and ; ,will contain.some' of 'the., most , iip-tofdato machinery °fy itS 'class i to' be -found in-the Southern Hemisphere. Murdoch.M'Lean, 'who, it will' be' remembered, went" Horiie some time ago 'in . search; of the ■ necessary •' machinery and appliances, lias scoured iri : the Old. Land what-' ii deemed'the h'igh'est i ciass''plant., i .Part of it . will. be coming ;to : hand shortly, and the balance: is' duei. with • Mr. . M'Lean, • who leaves London for Now Zealand'oh March ,P / On ,tho pipe line timber arid debris ; HaV'?' ' been: disposed of;; aiid '.the work, now, in. con- 1 sequence of ;thc/amount of' solid- rock to be ; blasted,';progresses 'much mpro'slowly thkn formerly. . It: will be . necessary oti this, "as ' on the Punch Bowl supply, route, to' bore a small' drive through." Luckily it- will bo much' sboj-ter. than on :> the line' from tlio Punch' Bowl supply, the . hardness .of- the . country, rock' making'drilling a .protracted operation. A chain or two extra is. riot"to; bo trifled with; The survey of the supply ; or - the ...valley is practically: completed, and it has; been . found that the drive hero, to bring the water through .will be 18 in length. It is a.mat.ter for congratulation" that this most;: dangerblis ; work .' has. been successfully accomplished '.wit)i - nothing worse than , a .sprained r 'atikle. which Mr. Staveley was unfortunate enough to sustain in jumping down some 12' feet: to endeavour- to save one of the_staff;:who' was in,difficulties. :Tho tunnel face changes.fro\n;.day ■to .day;: .It still comprises largo rock', and'-gravelj' but ' time will work woiidcre. ■'; -■

?''f,.first any moment:fi'aipp«ned last oaturday ryoniug on .-the Holt's 'Creek pipo line.,,-'A large blast had' beetyfired,'arid the mqn Mvere returning to.'.work and -Were climbing up the. hillside; '.fiilly. ; '3o.' : fe€itVawa3r from the. shot, when somo' tons: of'.-rock ' that had by,; theconcussion"bccoirie : loosened, tumbled ; down, striking a. ledge of, rock. The, mass biirst" into a tliousind pieces,, the fragments -flying in all. directions', among the men. A. inan named Owpri Kelly farea the worst,' being struck, on the . head,; hack, and. foot. , His foot .was rather ..severely crushed,' ;arid" his head • ba^ly,'ciiit'. about; "He; was attended to on the gi'ound by his mates, and- then carried' down', to the; river bed, whore ." lie; was -conveyed ..in- a - cart to. tha station; and "on .'to the .Greymouth . Hospital. Three. other ;men were more' or; less 'knocked about;; but : not'.seriously. - ' ; -It seems;almost, a : ,miracle," said, one of tho men, in the course ■of •. conversation, ■>." that we. wpro not all killed, as the ;botildfera fell .likp leaves in autiiriiii around- , usi''j Tho men are unanimous', that it was one of those'accidents; that no one could foresee or, endeavour' to ■ prevent; ' , :■. . M'Learivillo, had , its ..first-.fire last .week, when one of the lints built to a'cCorrimodftte the workers was : totally destroyed with its contents.-. Messrs. Oliver, and. Kennedy .were its, occupants, and lost.absolutely'everything, bar ~the. working,-clothes' -they, wore. The., origin. of.'.thq fire is-a iriystery. The Roads; Department -is' erecting a bridge over tho Otira river, rip. to; the Gorge,.' tho ' one, .now in rise, for, general ' traffic Slaving passed beyond.; repiiir. . It ivilj- be quite close to, the. present- one, but will.be at an an£?;lo much easier,., to; :negotiate; •especially - -by teams of five and,six horses. ;;:. ■ The first; pile of; the horse .'bridge.; lower down stream ,is: Beirig drivori : ttWay.; ■ The co-'opcrative workers are busy with the- bii 1 hank : at,,Goyernilieiit. Creek;-; The,'firiishin of- the .cutting RqUcstqn • arid .--tlie: co' '- struction;qf,the;'.groins to protect.'the. Ivor i are.already completed.