THE CANTERBURY RAILWAYS

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2607, 13 May 1869, Page 2

THE CANTERBURY RAILWAYS

Christchurch, 29th Deo i B6B To ,be Sir,—We have the honor to acknowbs the receipt of the Report of the sioners appointed to enquire into, and upon the condition of the works of th n terbury Railways, and to express our thw to you for the same. thanks We now have the honor to make a * remarks on that report, and to request you will give them the same publicity at early a date as may be convenient in El? 8 public press as has been given to the itself e re KJt: When it was announced to us th- r ■ Commission was appointed, and that it tne listed of Mr Paterson, C.E., alone w. ,3' immediately to the Government, that if would consent to lay all the matters in dp pute between the Government and on-.,, before Mr Paterson, and allow him to full evidence on the several points at i that we were willing to abide by his decision in the matter—this offer bavins v° 6 declined by the Government, w e then quested to be allowed to nominate anotr» engineer of standing, to sit with Mr p at T son on the enquiry, on the ground that w we were equally concerned in the result rf the enquiry, and ought to have had an on nor tunity of furnishing data w e possess*! without which no report of value (on tnanv points to be enquired into) could possibly bp made. This proposed nomination on onr part, your Honor’s Executive declined I accede to, and hence the incompleteness and on many points incorrectness of the report now before the public. port

Doubtless, Mr Paterson has done the best he could with the limited information placed at his disposal, and on the points on which he has been fully informed, we have not the slightest objection to offer. It is true that a certain amount of evidence was taken hr the Commissioners, and that our Mr Richard eon was examined, but as he wag not aware of the nature of the report the Commissioners were about to make, he simply replied to the questions put to him by the Commissioners Ko other opportunity was offered us to evidence. 8

The Commissioners’ remarks on the cost of the plant and rolling stock imported by us for the Government could never have beea made had they been fully informed of the position we were placed in by the Government, and the steps we took to carry out their wishes. We have the honor to enclose you a letter from Messrs E. S. Dalgety and Co., who have been our agents here ever since we came to Canterbury, and by it you will see that we have acted in the same way for the Government as we have for ourselves.

The orders for the rolling stock and plant having been given to us direct by the Government, without coming through the Engineer, we bad to make out and send home rough specifications from here ; full details, including the latest improvements, having to be > added in England. Most of these specifics- : tions, together with the tenders, sent in to i our English agents might have been seen had > the Commissioners asked for them; and it ' would have then been found that the lowest tenders had in all cases been accepted. They ‘ would also have found that special instructions were sent home to keep in mind the diffi culty and cost of repairs in the colony, i and to substitute steel and gun metal, , &c., wherever possible, m all worki ing parts, thus adding considerably to i the first cost, but furnishing the Government ; with plant of more than ordinarily useful and valuable description. With regard to the ■ commission paid us on the goods imported ky i us, it does not appear to have been pointed [ out to the Commissioner* what we had to do 1 in return for the money we received. i Owing to the departure from the usnsl - course of directing the Railway Engineer to i prepare plans and specifications of wbat was ; required, we had all this work to do for ■ everything that was ordered, to superintend the discharge of all the goods from the hold of the English ships in Lyttelton harbour (the shipping agents at home having invariably refused to take the risk of discharge here, or find gear to do it with), to insure the goods against the risk of Snmner Bar and the passage up the river, to give the use of all our cranes and gear for lauding, and to superintend the fitting up here, and lastly, in most cases, to pay three months’ interest on the original cost at home, owing to the time that necessarily elapsed from the arrival of the shipping documents here and the final completion for delivery ready for use. There are several other points in the report to which we take exception, in every case the effect of want of fuller information being furnished to the Commissioners, and on which we feel assured that bad we employed and paid the same Commissioners to report on the whole subject submitted to them by the Government, andtbat we had put before them such evidence as would in our opinion enable them to make * report of value to the community, that report would have been totally different to the one now before the public, although possibly opes to the charge ot being as much sn ex-parte report as that under comment, with this difference, that the whole question would b jTe been viewed from another aspect. With the small and incomplete evidence put before the Commissioners, they have reported, in schedule D, that the present value of the Railway Rolling Stock, &c„ * £456,200, against an original cost of £520,454 19s 9d, a depreciation which does not nearly cover the difference of cost of labour, carriage, and cost of materials between the sent time and the date at which the wort was done, and had the higher value of muen of the plant and rolling stock been pomtea out to the Commissioners, doubtless their present valuation would have been higher, and would consequently have lett tbe depreciation so much less. Neither the Government nor the pub ll " could possibly expect that after the length o time that has elapsed since the greater portion of this work has been done, and the immense reduction in charges of all sorts, tc the property valued would not have B *’ e *“ ‘ depreciation of more than ten and a r cent., appearing to us a convincing pro 'f t the province has had full value for the mon . it has spent on the Canterbury Railway s We have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient servants, Geo. Holmes & Co. Messrs Geo. Holmes and Co. Dec. 29, Dear Sirs—ln reply to your request of thi« morning, we have much pleasure m 5 - - that the same Commission has been pai us by you on all the railway mate , nH - s t i, e we have imported for yourselves <luring construction of the Canterbury Rai • , that mentioned in the 59th clause o f u Railway Commissioners report, as haviugr charged on the three locomotive supplied by you for the being the lowest commission you g c!l us throughout the whole P e ™^ urin ? year we have acted ns your agents from the . 1861 to the present tune, and that structions from you have bet l “ w w whether the goods to be imported w carry out your own contracts with th vernmentorfor the are aware that your arrangements witn London firm, have also been carried the same manner both as to K°“ B ; th 'g t jn selves or for the Government, and ~ every case the most economical grange practicable have been *^*^ a Engapproval of the Inspecting Fog land. We are, dear Sirs, Yours truly, E. S. DawKT * Co-

PvMiKKS BY THE h'AIL WAT EnGINEB« ON -Mr Dobson’s Report of the State of the Canterbury Railways onlst December, 'B6B, dated 6th May, Railway Engineer’s Office. Christchurch, May 5, 186 I .'. gif—As my silence on the subject of the enclosed report from the late Railway Engineer may be considered as an acceptance of its correctness as to the existing state of the works on the Canterbury railways at the date of the report, namely, December 1,186 S, I desire to place on record my opinion of this condition when I took charge on the Ist January, 1869, and therefore propose to consider the report referred to me seriatim. Tunnel.—The condition of the tunnel is far from satisfactory ; much of the rock that has been shaken in blasting has been left in a manner that is extremely prejudicial to safety, hanging, as it does, from the roof and sides. Where the rock is flakey and loose, the sectional area of the tunnel is in some cases much greater than required ; otherwise, where the rock is harder, the sectional area is very much within the dimensions required to bring it to the proper size both in height and width. These conditions exist live months after the date of the report referred to, notwithstanding that miners have been engaged nearly the whole of this period in enlarging it, and in removing loose and dangerous pieces, and before it can be considered safe, I unhesitatingly affirm that a large expenditure for additional brickwork will be necessary. Where brickwork has been resorted to in the interior of the tunnel, it has not been extended far enough, and it is for the most part of a very inferior description, and such as wouid not be allowed on any line at home in similar positions; it is very imperfectly backed up in places, whilst in others it is nut backed Up at all. Timber is improperly used as backing, which, if not already rotten, will soon be so, and the roof will then be unsupported, in which case either the arching is unnecessary or it is useless as a means of protection. The greatest care should have been exercised in having the brickwork properly backed up in order to get the benefit of it. It is necessary that all timber backing, as far is it can be, should be removed and the oarity filled up with brickwork or well packed with rock. The condition of the permanent way in the tunnel is not satisfactory, the rails have been bent and injured by the blasting operations, whilst the ballast, instead of being reduced to a certain gauge, is in many places of that description known as small rubble, and insufficient in quantity between the sleepers and -the floor, thus preventing them from harihg a true bed in consequence of the uneven character of the latter, and destroying the elasticity which the ballast should afford under a passing train. Further, the rails are laid to suit the sides of the tunnel and not to the true centre. Embankment.—The slopes of embankment have not been properly trimmed and soiled, but are left in a very rough condition. Railway Ditches.—These do not need any comment. The late Engineer, in remarking that the Lyttelton and Christchurch line had been refastened and ballasted, would appear to convey the impression that the whole was in good working order. It ia unnecessary for me to refute so palpable an error, as the urgent renewal of the sleepers has had the attention of the Government, and on the completion of which the whole line will require ballasting. That it ever had the necessary quantity of ballast is questionable, as only a small portion of the line consists of embankment, and therefore could not be lost by subsidence. For the most part, the sleepers rest on a thin 'layer of ballast, and in many places are quite exposed to their bed. They are generally > of a very inferior description of wood, and although only laid down about 5 years, are quite rotten, and their retention in this condition is attended with danger. So decayed are many of them, that the chairs are by the weight of the trains forced into them and the iplkeii jump out, leaving them without any fostering. 1 have never seen a main line in such £ condition. Had a better description of timber been used, and sufficient ballast placed under them to allow the surface water to drain away, they ought under these circumstances to last from 8 to 10 years. In some parts (the Christchurch station yard for instance) they are little, if anything, above the formation level; consequently their decay, even with the best of timber, is prematurely hastened, and the cost of maintenance proportionately increased. Experience on English lines has shewn the necessity for having the very beet materials, and laid in the most scientific manner, properly and perfectly drained, as affecting very largely the question of dividends, and every known method is resorted to for preserving the timber by creosoting, kyaoizing, or otherwise, to protect it from ordinary decay. Where all these elements are wanting, the resußcan be readily foreseen. Opava Bridge.—On this structure I propose reporting when time will permit me to make an inspection of it. Christchurch Station.—On the remarks with reference to the central station, 1 agree, with the single exception of repairing sheds; the rolling-stock being mostly new and the repairs proportionately small, it is, for the present at any rate, a question whether under these circumstances the Government would be justified in incurring so large an expenditure as would be necessary in the erection of shops, machinery, &c. Locomotives.—l fail to see the great difficulties referred to by the late resident engineer, as the engines being, as before remarked, comparatively new, have done little work and that of a light character. Wagons.—So far as the old stock is concerned, 1 agree with the remarks of the late engineer. The same applies to the carriages to a less extent. New Rolling Stock.—This requires no comment.

Selwyn Bridge.—The same remark applies as to the previous item. GREAT SOUTHERN RAILWAY. Permanent Way.—To some extent the same remarks as upon the Lyttelton and Christchurch line apply to this. The timber, though generally of a slightly better quality than on the latter line, is not so good as it ought to be, many of the sleepers are already atten though the surface drainage generally .s better. I attribute this to the timber being of a more mixed character. Some of them I observe to be broken under the chairs, which in my opinion is caused by the formation having too much curvature, and with too little ballast under the middle of the sleeper, thus giving the sleeper an uneven bed. Some parts of the ballast are very coarse whilst other parts are too sandy ; both objectionable.

Of the section of the rail, I will only observe that it is a question whether a better form of rail could not have been adopted, and whether arelay with the double-headed rail will not be advisable before long, in which case the present rail might be used on all sidings with advantage. Sidings.—l agree with the remarks on this subject. Temporary Sheds at Uolleston and Templeton.—That structures of the description of those at the above-named places should have been allowed on a main line, or indeed anywhere, lamat a loss to conceive ; put together without any regard to design or construction, of old materials, is sufficient evidence of the necessity for their re-erection within a year or two at most. Returns.—l have found a form of accounts and returns for the Railway Engineer’s Department opened by my predecessor, who recommends that the system should be carefully maintained, as it is the only means by which a complete record of the daily working of the lines can be secured. I am therefore at a loss to understand why this recommendation was not carried out by himself between the Ist August and December 9, 1868, and why he should have allowed such an amount of arrears to accumulate up to theiatter date, when bis engagement terminated, more especially as the knowledge of the daily working of the lines was involved in it! *• It is unnecessary for me to add that these arrears icpdmulated until 1 took charge of the railways on the Ist January, 1869.

the returns alluded to ate ooples of those daly used on most lines in England, and 1 Jjeieve similar forms ore used in Victoria. Tlfese records are valuable, where they can bejmamtained. ' I have the honor to be, sir, j Your obedient servant, G. Thornton, Railway Engineer. Tlfe Secretary for Public Works. f Correspondence in reference to the Report ■ of the Railway Engineer, on the existing state of the Tunnel, dated 3rd May, 1869. MEMO. FOR MR THORNTON. (1.) Will Mr Thornton he good enough to state precisely what he means by the phrase “ anything like a degree of safety.” (2 ) Does Mr Thornton consider that means can be devised and adopted by which the tunnel can be used with safety, pending the execution of the works which he considers necessary ? (3.) If so, what are those means, and are they being adopted ? I shall be obliged by an answer to-aight. Will Mr Thornton attend at my oiice tomorrow at to a.m. W. Rolle ton. No. 5, 69. Christchurch, May 10, 1869. His Honor the Superintendent, Sir, —In reply to your memo, handed me this evening, requesting further information with reference to my report on the present state of the tunnel, I have the honor, for your information, to state first—that the meaning intended to be conveyed by the words “ anything like a degree of safety ” is, that ultimate degree of safety which a work of this character should possess. In reference to question 2—all the loose and most dangerous pieces of rock in the roof and sides have been removed since the examination made by the Secretary for Public Works and myself. The traffic need not be stopped, nor is there any reason why it should be, even if brickwork is resorted to. At the present time, the tunnel is freer from danger than before the removal of the loose rock referred to. I will gee that every care and precaution is exercised in order to ensure the safety of the traffic. I have the honor to be, sir, Tour obedient servant, G. Thornton, Railway Engineer.