RIVAL ROUTES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIV, Issue 16358, 30 September 1913, Page 4

RIVAL ROUTES.

ROADS BETWEEN PORT AND PLAINS. WHAT THE PIONEERS FOUND. The zig-zag between Sumner and I.yttclton, ft precipitous portion of road that is being much bora tod at present in the movement for an easier gradient, was not regarded by the pioneers as tbo final word. The fact has been mentioned that Mr E. Dobson, excellent surveyor a.s be was, -would not havo laid out such a ticklish piece of road, pnd the evidence shows that it was not a. part of the original plan, which provided for a short tunnel that Mould have cut out the zig-zag. The point is of interest to-day, when a movement is on foot to improve the road by eliminating the zig-zag, and a counterproposal is on foot to build another road by way of Rapaki. EARLY SURVEYS The alternative routes to the Sumner Road were not overlooked by the pioneers, and as early as 1854. a Commission rejected the- Rapaki track, among ethers, in favour of the Sumner Road. The alternatives set out in the Commission's report were:— 1. A line passing from Lyttelton to Cass's Bay crossing the main ridge behind Rapaki, and descending into the plains near Rev Mr Willcocks's. 2. A line staked out in 1849 by the surveyors of tho Canterbury Association, commencing near the Hospital in Lyttelton—contouring the hills to the north of the town —passing over the present Bridle Path summit and descending to the plains by the second spur, west of the Bridle Path valley. 3.'The Bridle Path. 4. The lino of the Sumner Road as at present laid out. RAPAKI ROAD REJECTED. "After carefully considering the respective merits of these several plans," the Commissioners stated, "wo have decided on rejecting tho first three. They all present, in common, one great objection, which is that the summit to be crossed would be no loss than 1090 ft in height; but, in addition to this, tho difficult nature of the ground to be traversed in the south face of the hills in the two former cases, and the steepness of the gradient (1 in 5) in the case of the latter, -would render them altogether so objectionable that we could not recommend such an outlay of money upon them as would be necessary for the construction of a proper dray road." FURTHER EVIDENCE. Mr W. B. Bray, in a report to tho Superintendent oi the Province on I)e----eemuer iJb, ltwb, sa-iu: —"i have carefully examined tho Port Hills between Kapaki and Mount i'leasunt lor the purpose oi finding a practicable line of cart road, which should be of easier ascent than the present Bridle Path and more direct than the Sumner Road. "The loriner of those, roads (the Bridle Path) has an ascent of more than 18ft per chain. . . The entire distance by this line is seven miles seventy chains. Between Sumner and Lyttelton a great deal of work remains to be done. On this portion of tho road the Commissioners recommended a deviation from Captain Thomas's line, in order to avoid tho bad ground near Sumner and the heavy rock cuttings and tho expensive retaining-walls. The altered line was to ascend from Sumner Valley to Evans's Pass, with an incline not steeper than 3ft 4in per chain, tunnelling under the Pass and thence descending with an easy gradient to join Captain Thomas's Road in Polhill's Bay. The entire distance to the middle of Christehureh would be lljj miles. ALTERNATIVES IN 1836. "The only accessible passes over the Port Hills between Mount Pleasant and Rapaki are the following:— Feet High. Horn brook's Pass . . 1-50 Bridle Path . . • 1000 Lee's Pass . . . 1180 Rapaki . . • IWO '•The first of these passes is accessible from the lleathcote ferry by tho old bullock track up the spur of Moiiut Pleasant, which rises from 4ft to 13ft per chain. "A tolerably direct road Jmighfc be laid out with an ascent of 7ft to Bft per chain, which is too .steep for a. cart road. The entire distance to Christchurch would be 95 miles; but the gradients on the Port side of the hill are altogether too steep for carts, and the total height to be surmounted is 080 ft more than by the Sumner Road. " From Mr Lean's section, where the road at the foot of the hills is carried over the spur at the back of Mr Lean's house, a linu'-iof road rising 6ft to G-Jft per chain may be obtained along tho western side of tho spur, passing over the summit at an-elevation of 11801 t, between Lee's Pass and Rapaki Pass, descending with an equally easy gradient over the spurs of Cass's Peak to join the Governor's Bay Road at oO chains from Lyttelton, making the entire distance from Christchureh 0J miles. . . ~ . -, " The steepest portion of this road would be tho ascent of the Governor's Bay Road from the Cemetery Reserve to "the head of the slip, this being /it per chain, while the general gradient of the remainder would be Oft per chain. , " This lino presents a much easier ascent than the Bridle Path, and avoids the ferrv; but the summit is 800 ft higher than tho Sumner Road, the length of the side cutting is nearly double that of tho Sumner Road, rendering tho construction more expensive, while the saving of distance w only two miles to compensate for the extra rise of 800 ft and the increased danger on a narrow road when the gradient is so steep that a cart would run back itBC "' After a long and careful examination, I have altogether faded in discovering any lino of road that I can recommend as answering the above object All the lines practicable for light cart traffic would require for their construction as great an expenditure of time, labour and money as would complete the Sumner Road. POSITION TO-DAY. Today tho engineers to the Christchurch, Heathcote and Lyttelton Councils are engaged in preparing a report on tho most suitable route from Christchurch to Lyttelton, and it is expected that they will be aMo to report in about a week's time. One of them, Mr A. p. Dobson, is a son of the surveyor who laid off the present Sumner Road.