THE TRACK-FINDERS

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 30, 4 August 1923, Page 13

THE TRACK-FINDERS

ARTHUR D. DOBSON

FIRST HORSES TO THE COAST

In Wednesday's issue, under tho headin? of "The Pathfinders," passing mention was made of some West ,Coast pioneers. Tho following notes concern men and events more directly connected with the railway movement:—

Mr. Arthur Dudley Dobson, engineer and surveyor, of Christchurch, is a son of the late Mr. Edward Dobson, formerly Provincial Engineer for the Canterbury Provincial Council. ' Edward Dobson and his sons came to New Zealand in 1850 in the Cressy, one of the first four ships. Arthur Dudley Dobson was educated at Christ's College, served under his father in the driving. of the liyttelton tunnel, and assisted topographically in the geological survey work of Dr. (afterwards Sir) Julius Yon Haast in the early 'sixties.

The Provincial Councils of those days, seem to have let survey work by contract. At any rate, it is recorded by the Encyclopaedia of New Zealand that in. 1863 Arthur Dudley Dobsbn took a contract "to survey and explore the West Coast from the Rivor Grey to Abut Head, and while trying to get his horses through to the coast ho discovered the; pass into the Otira, which was named, after him Arthur's Pass. Finally, he, took the horses—which were the first on the West Coast—up through ' the Lochinvar country to the south branch of the Hurunui, and thence ovor the old Maori track to the Teremakau, and down that river to the Leach."

In 1866 Mr. Dobson was appointed, assistant Provincial Engineer in Nelson, and was engaged on the Nelson waterworks, and in opening up the NelsonWest Coast goldfield. He was appointed. Provincial Engineer in 1871, and subsequently chief surveyor, and during his term of office he built the Nelson gasworks, and laid out and constructed the main roads between Greymouth, Reef-' ton, Westport, and Nelson. After joining the Public Works staff in 1875, Mr. Dobson laid out the Westport-Ngaku-waho railway and other works, and left' the Department on their completion in 1878, when ho joined his father, Mr. Edward Dobson, in Christchurch, forming the firm of Edward Dobson and Son, civil engineers and surveyors. This firm carried out the Timaru waterworks and a number of irrigation works, roads, and bridges, for the New Zealand Government and various county councils and road boards.

In 1885 Mr. Dobson went to England on Midland Railway. business, and in the following year visited Australia, where lie entered into contracting, in partnership with- Mr. J. B. Mackenzie, M.I.C.E., and constructed the .Warrnambool breakwater, a very large work. SubseI quently Mr. Dobson returned to Christchurch, where he prastised his profesI sion. He was elected a member of the Geological Society of London in 1874, and a member of the Institute of Civil | Engineers in 1882. Whilst in Victoria j he obtained a certificate entitling him to practise as a hydraulic and also as a municipal engineer, and he holds the certificate and license issued to surveyors by the Victorian and New Zealand Governments. ROUTE DECISIONS^MR \f. S. HAY. The Koyai Commission that, in 1883, decided in favour of the Arthur's Pass route (Beaiey-Otira) against rival routes, consisted of Captain (afterwards Sir "William) Russell, Mr. (now Sir) James T.'l Wilson, and two engineers—Mr. O. j Napier Bell (M.lnst.C.E.) and Mr. C. Y. O'Connor, who was then Inspecting Engineer of the Public Works Department, and who afterwards, in Western Australia, was made C.M.G. Mr. Grattan Grey was secretary of the Commission. The Committee of' Engineers that de- ' cided, in 1900, on a long 6uftjmit tunnel, was composed of Messrs. C. Napier Bell, W. H. Hales (Engineer-in-Chief, of the Public Works Department), John Coom (Chief Engineer of Railways), and P. S. Hay (Superintending Engineer of the Public Works Department). Mr. P. S. Hay, M.A., M.1.C.E., who, in the capacity of superintending engineer, had been associated with Mr."V. G. Bogue, was engaged in the surveys that resulted in the final fixing of the Arthur's Pass route. The Canterbury Progress League's historical outline states that after many conferences with Mr. Hay, "Mr. Bogue agreed upon a compromise, under which the tunnel would be longer than he (Mr. Bogue) at first recommended, but shorter than that ad>vocated by the Government engineers." Mr. Hay's comparatively early death at the age of 51 resulted in his retiring from j the engineership-in-chief before the j tunnel was started, and New Zealand 1 suffered a great loss by this event. In I addition to his work on the Southern Alps crossing, he has left memorials in some handsome railway viaducts and in the first complete report on New Zealand's hydro-electric powers. Otlier names could be mentioned', but this is not a record of tho period. It is only a glance at some of its incidents and personalities.

Speaking the other . day in - Christchurch, the organiser of the Canterbury Progress League, Mr. P. R. Climie, said:

"Until quite recently I held the opinion that the present route via Arthur's Paes was a political route, but.l want to dispel that idea altogether. The line went that way because it was considered the cheapest and shortest and best all-round route. The distance from Brunnerton to Chrislchtirch by way of Arthur's Pass is eleven miles shorter than hy way of Hurunui, while for all places south of Rolleston the distance by Arthur's Pass is forty-one miles shorter." R. W. HOLMES. | Mr. R. W. Holmes, who resides in Wellington, was born in 1856 in London, where he was educated in private schools. .He early came to New Zealand, and was a cadet in the Public Works Department in 1872.-. After'being progressively assistant engineer, resident engineer; inspecting engineer, and superintending engineer, and after hayI ing a vast 'field experience in different parts of New Zealand, Mr. Holmes became,' in April, 1907, Engineer-in-Chief of the Public Works Department .and" Marine Engineer to the Marine Department; a little later he also became Under-Secretary of the former Department, from all of which positions he reI tired in 1920. Thus almost the whole period 'of the Otira tunnel work (exclusive of electrification) fell within his tenure as Engineer-in-Chief.

It is also worth remembering that the surveying of the Midland Railway was begun by Mi-. Holmes, near Brunnertori, in the Grey Valley, as long ago as 1875. A year or two before that date it was one of his early disappointments that, owing to the exigencies of otlier departmental work, he missed an opportunity to accompany Mr. T. M. Foy in exploratory work on the problem of a railway crossing of tile Southern Alps—a work far which Mr. Foy, an English engineer, had been specially engaged by the NewZealand Government. Mr. Foy had been a pupil of Uio celebrated engineer Bruno), who constructed the first Thames tuuuel, tha Great .Wettttn ltaihyay

(England), and the Great Eastern iron steamship, the first leviathan.

Mr. Holmes is a member of the Institute of Civil Engineers and past member of council, i In 1915-16 he was awarded by the institute a Telford premium for a professional paper contributed to the proceedings, describing a special work he had carried out in the Dominion.

Like the late Mr. Edward Dobson, and like the still living Mr. Arthur Dudley Dobson, Mr. Holmes is not satisfied to live in idleness after a strenuous career as an engineer in the Public Service. So he is now, at. sixty-seven years, in private practice. The first constructing engineer at the Otira tunnel was the late Mr. Gavin, who served the private' contractors and afterwards the Government. The contractors brought from the Old Country, as engineer for electrical matters, Mr.. Alex. Dihnie, who succeeded Mr. Gavin; when the Government promoted the laW ter to the post of Inspecting Engineer Mr. Dinnie was in charge of the driving o? the Otira tunnel during some of the worst parts of the war period, and used much energy in overcoming the difficulties presented. When the hydro-elec-. trical scheme developed. Mr. Dinnie was appointed District Engineer at Mangahao, and was succeeded by Mr. J. I): Gillies, the present District Engineer at

Greymouth, to whom the honour has fallen of being in. charge of the work at its completion. ■ '