THE KAWAKAWA RAILWAY EXTENSION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6819, 25 September 1883, Page 6

THE KAWAKAWA RAILWAY EXTENSION.

The Bay of Islands Coal Company having declined to take over the extension of the railway to Newport, and to give up their lease, and working tbe portion they have hitherto managed, the Government will have to undertake the entire control and direction of the line, S3 in other railways. It will, therefore be of interest to your readers to give a description of this extension. There is no doubt that this arrangement will materially beter the railway prospects of the Far North, for beins thus, as it were, public property, directed by the Government, every effort will be made to improve and increase its returns, and to- extend the line to meet the requirements of tho uountry that, in the hands of a private company, would not be undertaken. There has been so much before the public lately respecting railways in the northern portion of the Province of Auckland that I resolved to I devote an afternoon to a walk along the 1 extension from Kawakawa to Newport, opposite Russell. On Saturday, the Bth instant, I left Kawakawa at 1 p.m., and proceeded down the old line about two miles ' to the township of Tamarere, where I came ; to tae junction with the extension of the line, which is here on a» gradual rise, to gain the level of the viaduct over the river Kawakawa and the swamp around it. This viaduct is the first object on the line of importance. Before reaching it, however, I passed tile first station, now in course of building, and on which a number of hands are employed. Every despatch is being made, as I was informed by the contractor, to complete the buildings by the end of October. Tho stations on the line, over eight miles from Kawakawa to Newport, will be two of. fifth and sixth class style. One is at Tamarere, and one three mile 3 further on, at this entrance of the Whangai Valley and river. Leaving the Tamarere Station some two hundred yards, I came to the viaduct, which is of much greattr magnitude than I supposed from the view of it passing along the old; line to the present terminus, and where tie little river steamer Ida is wont to ply to and from Russell. The viaduct is built in trusses, varying from twenty to thirty feet cpan, and is twenty chains, or one thousand three hundred and twenty feet, in length. The elevation is twenty *eet above the river at high water mark, and the piles are driven thirty feet below tho water's lowest level. The trusses rise ten feet ■ above the roadway, strongly braced ..with;, stout iron rods and girdero, which give it:a?:very imposing and effective appearance... Thence the line proceeds in a curve-, under the. hills, crossing another swamp', aid declines a little to the bank of the river.,:. Hero is a smaller viaduct of the same, construction as the larger one, but only..two, huedred. feet in length.. The elevation is not more than twelve feet, but the (piles are. driven seventy feet into the bed? of::.thev'swamp; Skirting under the range of hills that here, run along the banks of the river, the line, in its course, follows thei ; base, the roadway being Ecarifieet out of the hillside; in mauy places the cuttings are,over -one hundred feet in depth, but from the slope, or batter, as it is technically called; being one foot of incline to each foot in height, .there;is,little fear of the deep cuttings causing landslips. It is, however, different with. the : fillings, for, although according to the plans and specifications and the; works from them fully carried out, giving a causeway of earthwork some ten feet clear of the line of rail, still along the whole line, for over'five thousacd feet, this causeway has been jrepeatedly carried away by thti flood tide and freshets in the river. I/;also learned from. the contrae tor that, 'although''more than double the estimated quantity, of earthwork was used in the roadway.embankments, still it had subsided two or three times before they oould attempt to way. I was also assured , that fin""some of the reaches and curves of this, embfirikment, though filled far beyond ■the; speniGad line, and secured by stakes, ■still..it.,was several times entirely carried "away up to the very rails;" It was therefore ; deemed impossible to protect these embankments, according to the specification in the . first instance of laying out the line. They have therefore some time back commenced a stone,,facing;of hand-placed quarried rock, and of a slope, or batter, of one foot to every six inches to the level of the roadway formation, and over ten feet from the line of rail, Proceeding along this tide and river-washed embankment, I met several gangs'of workmen, .over forty in all, preparing:.; the ; stone work facings, and with extra lines temporarily, laid down for ballast ••waggons to fill, in along the line, as above particularised. ...Passing one, pretty vale, Riyerdalejl'oa'rneVtp >the tunnel of four : chains, or • 264. feet, in through a ■' spur.of the range.thatV.riins too clo3e to the river, forescarpinent/frdm the deep cutting of .'tiie,hiil.ph either"side;of the.tunnel. It . appears, thati .it:/'should;' have been at least ' two;...chains longer,' there'being fully that distance of: deep cutting ori each side before , , \tdrinel,' !, ywhioh is : Leaving the ■ tunnel, still skirting along the? river ■■' side,, I}passed : .'thb'' second station, also in ■progress 6f building!; : .Here' is; the'entrance 'toi.the. Whangae.;Settlemeint, and where the Government ..have laid ;.out::a (township, ex- ■ teu.ding through.. a,deep"].glen,;td. the interior jp'fVthe:;jcounlry;i. : Proceeding onward, the : estuary.'of the,,river. ,Waikere opens to the ' •lew.:- This, isAa,:.yery extensive sheet of \vateri more'like an inland ..sea than a river. Ih.the distance ..is seen thefpreserifc grpund, up the Kawakawa Rivery and at the Batrance.ito.'Waikare River "is the sawmiil and! establishment; of Messrs. Lane and Cv Still, skirting; round the baseof the hills,'l rsach.ed.at.length 'thei terminus. Some five .hnnrlr , ed , '.'yariis , '6n\th'e , "Kttwakawa side is the location..; :for";.the "*■' goods • sheds aod other biildihgs in progress.' Oh the land side is the'laid-faut township of Newport, extending round the hillside and;' into a deep bay that frbhtS;the line of the wharf, which is not builti, ihfp' the'; river /direct, : but along: the deep watfersin the bightVoh the bay, so an to be: oh a proper line for the-railway.,.The wharf,'.in; its' magnitude and extent,; surprised me even' more, thahithe viaducts.. It 30rit»ihs s'orne ; :3oG,oop. feet;,of.,sawn timber; ; in. its. ; : construction?^exclusive"of;.the -piles, 14.x 14,.0f 7000 feet/of'.running measure of ■the';l4:inch ;it.is 500 feet 'in length, of:-which; 400 feetisSOlfeet'wide.'andlOO 20 ;feet . ; wide.; ; . exclusive, of mooring piles.';■ The outer piles': are dyer 70. feet under ; low' waier mark, and the, ayerage;;depth3.; of the' piles, as driven below; the level - of; low water, is 50 feet' of the finesMeart of totara.;.. The plankingis ; iOVs; ; ahd bn~it;are'three; : lines;qfj;rails, so that..three, : ship3 : ;.pf:.the., largest tonnage can .ibid' at the. same.time..,; There is a full uepth Tyater?at any state of i.theVtide:' \ 1-also remarked during my'.visit .tb ; the wharf the hew .coal - boxes.. 0f,., sheet: iron, -that. are., so (constructed,-with -a- centre,balance rod, that ■the.cbal box runup by the windlass is tilted into the 'hold as it comes alongside frbm v the train''trucks.' The : distance 5 of; the-wharf and township of Newport from Russell is four "miles, and,' landlocked as Russell is, iNewport is even more 'so by the point ofi old Russell breaking the force of any gale that -'might even' disturb; this pinner reach .of the river. Aloha this'point;" some two. miles across, are the: sub'tfrban' lots 'of ten ..acres each, laid out as" subsidary to Newton, and to be'sold at the" same' time with the township lots, 300 in' number.—[Own Corresppndent, September 10.]," :£;r, j;J' ; ■;■'■■ j