THE OTIRA TUNNEL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13879, 13 October 1908, Page 6

THE OTIRA TUNNEL.

- COPING WITH THE WATER. [by telegraph.— association.] , Christchurch, Monday. The labour troubles that have been, reported from the tunnel works at Otira are not at all serious, according to Mr. Murdoch McLean, one of the contractors for, the work. Speaking to a Lyttelton Times reporter in regard to the strike recently reported, Mr. McLean said that if had been overcome without much difficulty. 'The tunnel contract would not be affected in any way by the fact that the firm of which he was a member had been formed into a limited liability company. The management would remain the same. The work generally was proceeding well. The pipes for the water power plant were being made in Greymouth, and he hoped to have the power available for the drilling operations in about two or three months. Progress in the tunnel, which was now in about 12 chains, would then become more rapid, as the machine drills could be used, and the work could be carried on at both ends of the tunnel. At the present time the bore at the Otira end was going in at the rate of about a chain a week, which was quite as rapid as he had anticipated. " Generally speaking, the ground is really good," said Mr. McLean. "I am not a bit disappointed in that respect. There has been a little more water than I expected. It will be impossible to say whether wo can finish in contract time until we have developed the Bealey end and seen what amount of water will be encountered. If it is extensive, then the progress will be extremely slow, and it may be that progress from that end will become impossible. The tunnel slopes up to that end, and it would be impracticable to put into the small space available at the face a pumping plant capable of dealing with anything over 60,000 or 70,000 gallons an hour."