THE MIDLAND RAILWAY WORKS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 8151, 23 April 1887, Page 6

THE MIDLAND RAILWAY WORKS.

ALONG THE LISE. {Grey Xlinrr Argun, April 18.) What a difference in the realities of the phrase "along the line ” now and some years hence after the line has been opened for traffic! Few indeed, outside they who are acquainted with the routine of railway construction, have any conception of what it is to break ground in a virgin forest or in rough, boggy,* or difficult country of any kind. When the slavery is all over and the line laid and ballasted, and excursion trains become an institution, the average holiday seeker has in most cases no conception at all of the difficulties that had to be encountered and overcome, to enable him to be whisked along at the rate of 30 miles an hour with no more fatigue to himself than there is in sitting on a chair by his own fireside. He can know nothing of the difficulties of forcing a way through a matted bush with tracks little better than long lines of liquid mud, and where every necessary or appliance not carried on men’s backs is hauled on a sledge or the forked branch of a tree used in the same way. Hiding along comfortably in his train, everything seems so natural and proper that he may wonder to himself, in a reflective moment, how the engineers always seem to bit upon the best and easiest road. The engineer and contractor have a different experience to that; but always having to deal with realities, they look at the toughest bit of count'y through which a line is projected as simply meaning the expenditure of a little more money. When the railway system of New Zealand is completed, it ‘ will probably be able to boast that in proportion to its area and mileage of railway, it has constructed more miles of difficult and costly railway than any other country in the world ; and there is very little doubt that the Midland Railway will be first pointed to as furnishing the most conspicuous instance of natural difficulties to railway construction successfully surmounted by energy and skill. NOW AND THEN. It is scarcely three months since the first sod was turned, but the difference in the appearance of the vicinity to-day as compared with Jan. 24 would be the first thing to strike anyone who had witnessed the gay ceremony on that day, and the pervading crowd of sightseers on the edge of a virgin forest. All the life and animation then so inspiring has now disappeared. The crowds of tents and other rough and ready bush dwelling-places have dwindled away with the occupants. Both have moved to the front to take up their places in the progressive march eastward of the railway. The flags and mottoes, and other devices appropriate to the occation have been put away and forgotten, and what was a quick throbbing life is now as dull as the smallest and sleepiest of bush townships. The spot where the first sod was turned—every ounce of which bit of turf was greedily gathered up by one or two enthusiasts—is now a respectable-looking little lagoon. Opposite the railway company’s store, at the door of which Mr Richardson read his speech, Mr Avigdor has ere.cted a ccuchhouse, a stable, and a pretty little cottage for the coachman. All are fitted up in a way not altogether common with Colonial structures for similar purposes. But the junction will be an important spot some day, no doubt, if a terminus be established there. That, however, is a point that has not yet been settled. Fortunately, there is no necessity that a decision should be come to in any burry. The future developments of the line may frequently lead to alterations of original intentions. The Company will no doubt do the best for the public and for themselves; and although the junction would seem to be the natural terminus, some other arrangement may be made. Very little seems to bo doing on the NELSON CREEK BRANCH, though it is generally understood that the Company intend shortly to push on that portion of the work with the greatest possible vigour. A section of 5| miles was ready some time ago, and tenders were even invited ; but for some reason best known to the contractors, the time for celling for tenders has been put off. Still, some work is being done. An old employee of the contractors has a few men under him. and is pegging away at some necessary work, and will no doubt continue to do so until the section is let. Although the system adopted by the contractors is that of sub-letting the railway in sections, just as the Brogdens did, they still have a staff of engineers aud a goodly number of working men and others in their employ; and they will no doubt have more as the work progresses. THE NEW RAILWAY" WOKKS join the Brunner line at the tunnel, which is a capital piece of work, the sides being as straight as a rule. It is altogether a well finished jib. This is out of hand and is laid with rails. Adjoining this is watson's contract, which has also been finished some time. The bulk of this consists of concrete walling at the foot of the hill. Here and there interspersed on what is known as Watson’s contract are patches of walls of masonry, in good preservation, and all of which were built some years ago by Mr John Walton, now overseer for the Harbour Board. The wall is now continuous, the masonry and concrete being all joined up. It is very strong work, and needs to be very strong, for the hill thereabouts is composed of very friable rock that rapidly yields to the action of air and water; and whenever there has been an unusually heavy fall of rain the rock seems to get supersaturated, and comes away in huge masses. Slips of this kind have been large and numerous, as may be readily imagined by the way in which the road has been widened, simply through throwing the spoil into the river, which scours along more than 50ft below. A. few yards further down the rock belongs to the carboniferous age, and stands as impregnable to the force of the elements as granite itself. But all the way along the works from the junction of the two formations, slips may be expected wherever a

sideling is struck, and a tremendous amount of extra labour and annoyance they cause. CORCORAN AND CASSEBy’k CONTRACT shows a very good sample of what slips can accomplish under favourable conditions. All the soil resting on the bed rock where the slip generates comes away, quietly, but irresistibly, bearing along its load of stumps or forest vegetation, as the case may be. As if this was not difficult enough, stiff reefs of rocks jut cut that require a deal of dynamite and crowbar work. The railway begins to rise here, and as the STILLWATER is neared, the embankment assumes giant proportions. It is carried on to the edge of the river bank, where piling commences. The bridge will be of trestle work, and will have an 'imposing look when finished. There are five concrete piers in the foundation, and the river will be turned in between the two main ones. A good deal of trouble has bo-n taken to get a solid foundation for the piers. Short piles were first driven in the form of the pier, and then filled in with stones and grouting, which serve as a foundation for a more elaborate concrete' erection on top, the whole making a durable foundation for the trestle work. This bridge is being built by the contractors, Messrs M Keone, Robinson, and Avigdor, and is under the supervision of Mr Napier Bell, which is a guarantee that nothing sloppy will bo allowed to pass. Owing to the rise in the line, a bridge over the road’was necessitated. It is not a handsome structure, nor are its lines in geometrical harmony ; but it is for all that a very solid, substantial structure, aud will adeqately meet all requirements. Some little difficulty is said to have occurred ever the question of passing it; but good workmanship and first-class material carried the day. Little differences between the engineers and contractors are not infrequent; aud it is curious to hear the various verdicts passed upon the engineers and the officers of the Company. ‘Some avow that they will never take another contract from Messrs M‘Keone, Robinson, and Avigdor, alleging that they are too exacting and particular. Others, again, say—“ Yes; they are very strict; but they can only keep you to the specifications, which are what you should go by.” It appears that a few sub-contractors who bad teen accustomed to work for the Connty Council, were most disgusted with the railway contractors, and wished that they had the County Council again to deal with. The men who are guided by their specifications and satisfied to carry them out. have nothing to say in the way of complaint, and will probably follow up the line as the work proceeds, taking fresh contracts as they may happen to get them. The matter is worth referring to, as it gives rise to a good deal of talk. Witt in the last few weeks the LABOUR MARKET has undergone a healthy change. The congestion that existed has disappeared. As there are.more men than profitable employment could be found for, they had to migrate elsewhere; and Bow very few are unemployed. As a matter of fact, men are being looked for. Corcoran and Laughton have been lately putting on all the men that they could find. A few, certainly, may be found " boozing ” about; but very few are now to be seen who are not employed. It is probable that in some instances it would have been better for the contract >rs, in respect to keeping up to time, had they employed more men sooner; but it is often the case that on the arrangement and number of men employed depend the question of profit or no profit upon the job. It will not pay to put more men into a cutting or at raising an embankment than can profitably work at it, and a good deal of grumbling has arisen out of this. It is contended, in some instances, and with a good deal of feasibility, that sufficient time is often not allowed in which to complete the work, in justice to the contractor, some contracts being much more difficult and tedious than others. But there ought not to be much difficulty over a matter of that kind if only a reasonable extension of time be asked for, as the Christchurch branch is not likely to command any degree of traffic tor some little time. Coming to the ARNOLD BIVKE, the evidence of the flood power of such streams strikes one on every hand. When one sees huge snags that it would take a team of horses to haul carried through a grass paddock and deposited in out-of-the-way places, such as on the top of a fence, one is afforded some idea of the volume of water that pours down our mountain streams in flood time. During the last flood the water rose higher at the ARNOLD BRIDGE than has been known for many years. The road was under water for a long distance. Traffic was suspended, and the only one found venturesome enough to face the floodwater in pursuance of his avocation was the runner of the Argus , who waded up to his waist so that -his subscribers might have their daily paper. The Arnold bridge is a very substantial structure, and for a wooden one could not be much better designed ; but between wind and weather the life of wood on the Coast is very short. The ARNOLD FLAT is a terra incognita to the miner, but many have great hopes that some day it will become an alluvial bonanza. Such hopes may be too sanguine, but they are not unwarranted. The detritus of numerous auriferous gullies has been poured into the Arnold Flat in the ages of the past, when the island was younger, and the Grey Valley and its principal tributaries were nothing but deserts of shingle. It is therefore not unreasonable to expect to see quantities of the precious metal unearthed there yet. But capital only will enable that to become possible by means of huge pumping engines and tail-races. In the meantime the ocean of shingle has become coated with soil that has nutured a luxuriant and VALUABLE BUSH, lofty and symmetrical birches and pines meeting the eye everywhere. Indeed, nothing strikes one sooner in going along the line through the " forest primeval ” than the quantity of magnificent timber thrown on one side to moulder away. By the time the line has been pushed through the lands of the West Coast to the treeless region on the eastern slope, timber enough will have been sacrificed to find work for all the sawmills in the country for a long time. But, besides the timber, the Arnold Flat and its immediate vicinity contain an immense area of LAND FIT FOB AGRICULTURE. Once it is deforested it can be made rich pasture land. Old residents in the district know the country referred to very well, and how well it would be adapted for small farms if only cleared of timber. Where the land is cleared in the neighbourhood grass grows luxuriantly, and that means (at beef and sweet mutton. Of land of this kind iu the vicinity the Midland Railway Company possesses at least 20,000 acres, which they should have no difficulty in disposing of, NOTWITHSTANDING THAT MR TR4VEES says all the land on the West Coast is not worth a red cent, and he pretends to speak from experience. . Poor Mr Travers! With ail his knowledge, ability, and reputation, he is defeated by an entirely new man, and one without a tithe of his ability and no professional experience. That may be accepted as some slight indication ot what the fellow townsmen of Mr Travers, who ought to know him best, think of him. The fact of it is, thMidland Railway is no more popular at Wellington than it is at Dunedin, and for similar selfish reasons. It was probably because of this that Mr Travers made such a sweeping assertion regarding the land on the West Coast. He meant to please hia hearers; but even that reckless statement did not benefit him. However, credit

must bo given to this limb of the law for one thing. Give him sufficient latitude and he will generally neutralise himself. He never made a speech in which, if allowed free rein, he did not sncce»d in boxing the compass of political opinion. The truth is, if it must be said, Mr Travers’ politics are like Jacob’s coat — you can have almost any colour you like irom him ; and if they don’t suit you they “ kin be altered.” " Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel.” Enough of Mr Travers. To strike the railway works from the Arnold bridge, one has to try back a little and take a bush track, which is not easily lost, as the sledge makes a TRAIL THAT a BLIND MAN MIGHT FOLLOW. A short distance over mud and roots lands you at No. 1 culvert of No. 1 section of Corcoran and Laughton’s contract —and a rough looking oue it is. Here you can realise the perspective of a bush line, and what a wealth of timber there is. Thousands of towering monarebs of the forest have been laid low in order to obtain this arboreal railway line. All along the way are gangs of men engaged in different classes of work. Some, having cleared the bush, are slowly and tellingly working huge logs off the line by means of screw jacks. Others are cutting into the hill side for material to raise embankments, while others again, owing to the inequalities of the ground, are removing soil to bring the line to its proper level. Others again are working in the midst of smoke and fire burning out stumps. More varied still than the nature of the ground are the classes of men that attract attention. There are old and young, some, alas! apparently too old for such hard and trying labour— OLD GREY BEARDS, who have helped to develop our mines and make the roads and railways of the Colonies during the last twenty-five or thirty years, and who apparently must keep slaving on until they fall by the way—melancholy reflection. The shades of colour are almost as varied as the ages. Hero is one of such ebon hue as to remind one of the "groves of Dongola.” In another group is a lithe young Maori, who handles his shovel in a way that the best Caucasian navvy might envy. But all—young and old alike, ot whatever colour, appear to be good workmen and some of the young ones are scarcely out of the cartilaginous stage, with the down on their cheeks—New Zealanders every one of them, and the making of stalwart men. But under the eye of the ganger all are equal. Each must do his stint or drop out of the ranks. Corcoran and Laughton’s contract is over two miles long, and is being pushed on as vigorously as can be expected from the many difficulties they' have to contend against. They are patting on as many men of late as they can squeeze room fur. Adjoining their section, and nearer Maori Gaily, is MR ALEXANDER’S. He has mode splendid progress, and, bar accidents, will finish up to time, of which none too mnch is allowed to any of the contracts. He has had much less difficult ground to deal with than the section behind, which largely accounts for his good progress, though Mr Alexander is not the man to dawdle or loiter, or allow others to do either, when there is work to be done. He has a large number of men on. Ahead of his section is that of MESSES BRICE AND O’CONNOR. It is also over two miles long, but as it has been taken up only a few days, there is little to catch the eye in the way of work. But as the contract is in capable, experienced, and energetic hands, it will not be long before a good show is made. Those who have gone over the ground say that some of it will be difficult and troublesome, and that the quality of the gravel is much inferior to what is found farther down the line. This is the last contract let on the Christchurch branch. Another couple of sections would be sufficient to take the line up to Maori Gully, as the line and the road run parallel most of the way, only crossing each other a couple of times. There is very little move to be said as to the progress of the works along the line, except that survey tracks are always pushed ahead to enable the engineers to work and get the various sections ready for the contractors. In the way of GENERAL OBSERVATIONS, it may be mentioned that the Midland Railway Company have a good many freight waggons and an enormous quantity of iron rails, shoes, fishplates, and other material necessary for laying the line ; and as fast as one section is out of hand, the Company’s men will lay the sleepers and rails, and so enable material aud necessaries of all kinds to follow up the rear of the advanced gangs of men. The railway construction hands are very well looked after in the way of catering. Wherever there is a large body of men there a boarding-house keeper puts in his stakes and opens a calico boarding-house. Here the men get clean and well cooked meals at a very moderate price indeed — 17a and 17s 6d per week being the price—and thus save themselves all the trouble and annoyance consequent upon looking after their own catering, anything but a pleasant or easy job in bush working such as has been described.