OTIRA TUNNEL

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 110, 10 May 1913, Page 9

OTIRA TUNNEL

A STATEMENT SCOUTED BY THE MINISTER. A pessimistic opinion about the Otira tunnel hus been given to the Lyttelton Times by a correspondent. "The fact is, the writer alleged, " that the tunnel as at present laid out will never be completed. They must divert it to emerge on the south (or coach road) side of the river. 1 have ' seen and talked to so many of the men engaged on the work that 1 know as much, if not more, than the ' arm-chair engineers ' of the Public Works Department, and, as you know, 1 have in my time had a bit of experience in road work, if not actual tunnelling. I have always thought there would be trouble if they bored under the river-bed, as it. is ot so porous a nature, and now the engineers have found it out, and work at the Bealey end is stopped." Inis statement was submitted yesterday by a Post representative to the Hon. W. Fraser, Minister oi Public Works, who dismissed it as a product of imagination, not worth serious notice. Tjje Minister described as a fair version the following message received by the Lyttelton Times from its Otira correspondent :— "The progress of the big tunnel is steadily moving towards Canterbury, but the excessively wet ground and timbering are two big items to contend against, and make the progress somewhat slow, and necessarily expensive. For the past two weeks, foUr shifts of six hours each havo been working the face in the bottom heading, and the country, instead of getting drier, seems to be the reverse. It is the most consistently wet patch that has been met with so far. The break-down walls and lining are all proceeding steadily, and aro gradually gaining on the face in tho bottom heading. Owing to the recent heavy floods and gale, outside work is exceptionally busy, as the Otira and Rolleston Rivers have don» h large amount of damage to the railway embankments, and the work of replacing the damaged ground is being vigorously pushed on *in anticipation of a severe winter. The tip head is down to the Rolleston bridge, and preparations are being made to put in a big culvert to carry away, the storm water from the hillside." FRESH TENDERS? Tho .Lyttelton Times's correspondent added :— "While a. good deal of speculation goes on in Canterbury and Westland as to whether the Government will accept fresh tenders for the completion of the work, here at Otira it is conu> dently hoped that tho Public Works Department, with Mr. W. H. Gavin as ltisklent engineer, will put the big hole through, for not only w good progress ljting made in all branches of the work, Hut 'there is moro labour offering than there has been for some time past." . Mr. Fraeer's comment wns that he was satisfied with the manner in which the work was progressing. Nothing had yet been decided übout tenders. Estimates of the work remaining to be done were being prepared.