THE AUCKLAND AND DRURY RAILWAY.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXI, Issue 2603, 21 November 1865, Page 4

THE AUCKLAND AND DRURY RAILWAY.

Since the commencement of operations ou the Auckland and Drury Railway, initiated on the -burning of the first sod l>y his' Honor the late Superintendent Robert Graham, Esq., in Mr. Dil worth's paddock, ' Newmarket, we have from time to time supplied our readers with detailed particulars of the nature and extent of the proposed undertaking, and the progress of the different works to be executed; and we again propose to devote a ihort space to illustrate, as for ai possible,, what, has, up to the > pre»enfc,' been done in section No. 1. It is to be premised, however, at the outset that the very unfavourable weather which has been experienced in Auckland during the past , winter has materially interfei ed with the successful conduct and rajud extension of out-door work* ; and ■wh^ch otherwise might have been justly anticipated to? have considerably progressed. A* it is, however, an observant spectator, walking over .the f portiou of the line aUeady in progress > of completion, must be' sensibly impressed with ' ' the great advance which has been made 'in many' -directions. Fine summer weather having again set in', it is naturally enough to be hoped that the . favourable time will be taken (advantage of to the ; ' full extent by the several contractors to whom the ' ' difforont sections have been let 5 and that by. working what are technically termed " shifts " — 'with the assistance also of the engines, now ready , to be placed on the lines — the < change ' effected < in the appeal anco «f the railway will ''be"'' ; made week by week more distinctly observ-' . able. As our readers , t have ' already ( , been /> ;, made aware, ' Mr.' Peter' Grace, is the contractor '"> for the first section of. I;he line,, and Mr. Charles '- , Sanderson, C.E., architect, r Tho- »e6tion extends '■' from Wynyard Pier, across Mechanics' Buy, Parnell Road, Tanyard Gully, through 'the lower portion of the Government Domain, again intersecting Parnell ' Road by a. tunnel underbeiitU jfclie Grammar School, and io to the back of the Royal George Hotel, Newmarket, where ;■ No. ; 2 section , 'commenoes'. f ' No. 1 1 section was contracted to be formed for £19,600 ; and No. 2, by Mr] G;H.- Ohetieman, for £6,448 <^s. lid. Having been invited a few days ago to go over_the various works in eourse,j>f .formation - on No. 1 ieotionT we now, lay before our readers a , few jottings made on the M 'bcbaiion,-n'h'd l whi6b. mayserve to' Jshem..»B,-tO; thej progress m»de\ v i > i towardsjtne j^ompleti^pf tbis ( allrimpprtuntragent"' i. in the opening up of our odun^ryidistriotsi i/TJie flrs)Z \ V * sod of tpie railway was turned, on 16th 0 f r> . the present ifveVy 'brief pentfd, daj&iti^befdn :< gangs 08 navvies wer« at wdrfc'^"^ Domain and . on otherj pforifcionlitof -the extensive fouttings,fi'oies§hjp JI ' "r 1 and prajparing . the!.- grojund'jiv ßndi^ince^ihW'tifie '&; iX " — weathw perraittine— the works have .been; uninV' "t! tomiptedly prooeedea withUl Stead^^gVeiV is'noV V, , being made with the scoria abutments for the Strand '•-'': bridge apd other poxtip^^oOtbe vUduot.O THe" b'tfdg' n willhav^ three arche», 'toiqiWUjon.e.iDyeK-tliftiftaa 1 - . ' way having a span of 48 feet, and tho other tifOf j ,

orossing the footpaths, 25 feet. Over the entrance to Mr. ' Ireland's tanyurd there will be ' a, bridge having a span of 31 feet, and the fire other openings ia the vinduot t vrill be SO feet each. ' The' Strand bridge will have a lamellated arch, made with 12 by 2 planks, and the others will be formed with compound truss-girders. It will bo seen that this is * variation from the original p^&ns of the bridges — as it will be remembered it was at fiwt proposed that the abutments for the two arohes should be of briok, the Tanyard bridge having 15 feet span— and the remaining portion be filled in with earth. Subiequently it was determined by the Railway Board that a viaduct Bhould be erected, and which i» now beiug built. The scoria for' the viaduct is supplied by ' Messrs. Hart and Carter, who have leased for that purpose Mr. John Williamsons ground near the Royal George, Newmarket. On No. 1 cutting the excavating operations have been suspended for some time, but have been recently recommenced— a single line of rails baring been laid, aud tbe tip-wagons again at work. The " top-lift " is being taken off, from the Domain end, but as soon as the viaduct is completed operations will be begun at the Mechanics' Bay side, and the level of the line no doubt speedily obtained. Owing to the continued wet weather of the winter months the formation of the 150 feet egg-shaped culvert, intended to carry the water from the Parnell side of the Domain to the Tanyard Gully, had to be iuspended,*as the foundation, which had been well formed with piles and planking, gave way. A considerable portion of the culvert had been completed; but consequent on the moist and swampy nature of the ground, the brickwork bulged outwards. It will, however, be shortly lecommenced. Cuttings No. 2 and No. 3 are already finished, aud on No. 4 a portion of the permanent way has been laid down to ' enable larger tip-wagons to be used advantageously in the removal of the embankment near the foot-bridge giving entrance to the Domain from Parnell. It wiU also be well hero to mention that the lower briok bridge— giving entrance to the Domain from the road fronting St. John the Baptist's Church — has been so far completed that intending visitors to the Domain can now pass underneath, and enter upon a number of new aud ornamental walks which converge at that point. In excavating the embankment at the rear of Hobson's Park, great difficulty has been experienced by the contractor, owing to extensive land slips, and, to obviate that hindrance as far as possible in the future, a drift has been driven through the hill »o as to diveit thew.vter from the railway cutting. The navvies are at present employed in the cutting aud removing what is termed the top lift, aud of which there remain about 35,000 yards to carry away. The bottom lift also — which must be removed before the level of the line is obtained — is also estimated to contain abont 35,000 yards of eaith— mnking a. total of 70,000 yards to be removed. Little appears to have been done on the Auckland side of the tunnel ; but at the Newmarket end the work has been vigorously proceeded with. When last we had occasion to notice this portion of the line, the drift or top-heading of 6 feet by 7 feet had only just been commenced, but we are now informed that the workmen have carried the top-heading ISO feet. The extent of the tunnel when finished will be 2SO yards, 14 feet wide at the springing, and 21 feet to the arch. To facilitate the iemov.il of the excavated earth a four-horse power engine has boen erected on the embankment at the mouth of the tunnel, for the put pose of working the perpendicular lift. When ia proper working order, the engine, it is computed, will be able to deliver at the top of the embankment half a yard of earth every five minutes— allowing for delays of loading and tipping, aud change of wagons. This would give six yards an hour, or 48 yards in a day of eight homy, and wbioh would be equal to a yard and a third forvvaid in the length of the tunnel. The men, it is contemplated, will work three shifts in a day. In No 5 cutting the top-lift is heing removed — this being the only portion of the section wheie it has been required to cairy the earth up the incline. Nos 6 and 7 cuttings, which terminate Mr. Giace's section, were completed within two mouths after the contract had been taken, 700 yards of earth only requiring to be carried away '.The gradieufc on this portion of tlie line i 3 1 in 47, the highest gradient being met with on No. 2 section, a short distance p*st the Junction Hotel, Whore it is 1 in 50, For the fencing aud ditching the entire length of the line, a separate contract was entered into by Mr. Kirby, and a great portion of the cuttings already in progress are thus protected. At the commencement of operations it was anticipated that on the tunnel being bored beneath the Parnell Road and the Grammar-school, the latter would require to he removed, owing to its itanding in the direct line of observation of the engineers of the Railway Board ; but it is satisfactory to find that, by means of tbe erection of a small observatory aud partial excavation undsrneatb the school flooring, the removal will not be requisite. In accordance with the term* of the contract, No. 1 section of the line should be finished and banded over t<* the Railway Boird by June next, but owing to delays which we have indicated it is questionable whether the whole of the various works now in bund will be quite completed by that mouth. As we have said, however, the locomotive eugiuet are about to be placed at the set vice of tbe contractor, and by the prevalence of fine wealher the navvies may be able to work in shifts. We may hope, therefore, to notice such extensive progress being made duriug the next six monthi, that the time for the handing over the section completed will not be exceeded. In a fntnre issue we trust to be able to give a few particulars of the progress made on the remaining sections of the railway which have been already let to contractors. The engineers to the Railway Board aie Messrs. Stewart and Harding.