BACK IN THE FIFTIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13730, 22 April 1908, Page 8

BACK IN THE FIFTIES.

LINKING EAST AND WEST. [BY TELEGRAPH. — OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Chb.'Stohi'rck, Tuesday. It was really due lo the laic- Mr. Edward Dobson, 0.K., that the East Coast was linked up with the West Coast-. In September, 1857, it was recorded that a discovery had been made by Mr. Dob-son. Thou provinical engineer, which would add wonderfully to the knowledge oi the geography of Canterbury.. A Maori path had been believed to exist from east to west by the gorge of the Huron-ui. A certain precipitous gully in the river gorge, which the Maoris crossed with ladders of tree vines and flax ropes, was pointed c.a to Mr. Dobsoii, and be and four others, in order to discover a track to the West Coast that might be passable for horses, attacked this gully with spades and pick:-. In a few days a track was cut by which horses could he led through, and the party pressing its wav up the iiuranui Gorge above the river level came out on some fiat land, superior to their anticipations in many respects. The main branch of the Hurimni flowed slowly through it. and on all its streams were lakes. Hie Stead waters of the Huruntii were reached for the rirst time, binMr. Dobson was not content with exploring the country, but proceeded to lav out a road through it, and this, eight years l.tter, became the first road to the West Coast for the digge-s who made the rush to the goldfields there, which, in one year produced a return of a huge amount of gold, the whole available 60.000 acres of land referred to as discovered at the head of the Huriihui were taken up in a few weeks for a sheep run. baler years found Mr. Dobson a busy man with Lytic!ton wharfage, preparing plans for the breakwater, attending to the Christchurch and Lyttelton railway and tunnel works, with occasional visits "to the Waimakariri and the points of the river from which inundations were threatened His services were in request throughout the provincial district, wherever a public work had to be begun. In 1865 he accompanied the. late Sir John Hall, part of the time m a snowstorm. Laving out a road through the Otira, and putting the ean"s of men to work in order to assist the constant stream of gold diggers on their wav into West-land.