WAIKATO DISTRICT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6563, 29 November 1882, Page 6

WAIKATO DISTRICT NEWS.

IntOM otra owy correspon'oknts.] . Hamii.to*, Tuesday. AI.L work on the iron railway bridge stops to-day, waiting for the bracings of tlie I T er3 ' 48 c °ntractor can do no mere till this work, which will take some time, is done. The concrete pier on the eastern end is not done, nor will it be until the communication across the river is complete, .""O as i to get the engine and other gear over. The inner western end pier is aUo not stilted upon, for the reason that the contractor cannot get the necessary authority to deviate from the plans by taking the foundation down some 24 feet to a solid bottom, instead of merely .i feet, as specified, and building upon sand. Of course if he did so without authority he could not be paid for the additional work, which is considerable, as an extra. On the other band, if he were to go on and build the pier on the top stratum of sand, the first team that parsed over might shake the pier down, and the contractor would be responsible for fautilydesigned work, as he is bound to a threemonths' maintenance of the bridge The four cylinders are now built up to their full height—9S feet abore the river bed level, or liS feet altogether from the foundation, and the permanent way will be some 14 feet higher yet above the caps of the cylinders. The cylinders are filled up with solid concrete from the bottom to a height of 24 fe«t above the water level, ami so great is the vibration that when a man is engaged in screwing on the caps the cylinder can be seen to oscillate some three or four inches from side to side. This is owing to their » rreat height, increased by the circumstance that the first forty feet below the iron bed is little more than a quicksand. So much was this the ease that when the work of sinking them was going on if only a foot of water was left in a mar. could not stand with safety in them, as he would sink as in a quicksand. Whether bracing the two cylindors in each set or pier together will give sufTmiont strength is still an unsolved engineering problem. The cylinders, which are seven feet diameter at the top and only eight feet diameter at the bottom, stand side by side, only five feet from each other, thus ; giving a base of twenty-one feet when joined '• together, which by many competent persons is considered insufficient when their great" i height is taken into account. What is wanted is to give a third cylinder in eaeli pier, which would give a base sullicient to carry tho super-structure, and in sucl case the permanent way could hi made wider than 12 feet, the present width, i An attempt is being made in Raglau to buy the horse mail contract from Mr. Sutton so as to enable it to be let to Mr. C. .Johnson, who will put on a coach. Mr. Sutton asks a sum of £45 to give up the contract. At a first meeting of creditors in the . estate of Mr. It. Harris held yesterday, Mr. John Knox was appointed trustee. Harry Mnllions, the debtor, and Charles Mnllions and George Reed called upon as witnesses, submitted themselves to be sworn and ex- ' amined before the trusteo. Captain Lindsay. No information of importance was elicited, ami a meeting of the creditors, called for a subsequent hour, fell through for want of a quorum. .lames Kearney was fined 20s and eosts before Mr. Northeroft yesterdav for refusing to leave the 'Royal Hotel on Sunday when requested to "do Jso, 'and 5s and for | being drunk. Camrh'liCK, Tuesday. Very little business was done at the Taotaoroa Highway Board meeting on Friday. It was resolved to proceed with the borrowing of £1000 for works under the Koad Construction Act, but owing to the time of the i Kngineer, Mr. Chctwynd, having been taken i up with the work of the Piako County Council, the plans cuild not ho ready for . another fortnight. The chairman was, how- / ever, empowered to take the necessary steps immediately on the receipt of the plans. The Rev. Mr. O't'allaghan Biges, the new incumbent of St Peter's, Hamilton, holds a choral service in St. Andrew's Church here i on Thursday next—St. Andrew's Day. i The Cambridge troop mustered very fairly i on parade yesterday, 25 of all ranks being ; present. It has been decided that the firing i for the prizes, some £12 lGs Gd. provided by the Government for competition by the Waikato Cavalry, shall take place on Jloni day next, the firing to take place at the butts of the respective troops, at 10 a.m. The following tenders h;ive been received for the erection of tlie new Baptist Taber- ■ nacle Carter and Hoiran. £470 ; Wakeliu i and Co.. t'r>.V> ; C. E. E. Smith, £027 17s Od ; McFarlane and Miller, £02'.) lSs ; George Smeedon, £000. Tho first tender [ was accepted. Recently the Colonial Secretary made inquiry of the Waikato County Council what was the most advisable plan of dealing with the Taotaoroa highway district, part of which lies on the Waikato and part in the , Piako county. The portion in Waikato county contains about 1000 acres, and the recommendation was to sever that portion from the Taotaoroa district and join it on to the Cambridge highway district from which it was originally severed, extending the county so as to include it in Waikato. Taotaoroa approved this plan at a recent mcetin<_', and it remains to be seen what the Cantbridge Highway District Board will say to the matter at. their meeting to-morrow, which 1 takes place at Broadmeadows at fi p.m., ' when the poll, which is held to decide whether a special rate be levied, is closed.