MANAWATU GORGE LINE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19488, 18 November 1926, Page 12

MANAWATU GORGE LINE

MENACE OF GREAT LANDSLIDE. REMOVAL BY EXPLOSIVES. HUGE MASS OF HILLSIDE. NO TRAFFIC FOR FORTNIGHT. [BST TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] PALMERSTON NORTH. Wednesday. Three engineers of the Railway Department who inspected the slip on the railway line in the Manawatu Gorge yesterday decided, after fully considering the position,' to resort to the use of explosives to remove the menace of a furthei great landslide which threatens the line a few chains on' the Palmerston North side of the original fall. One of the engineers in charge of the operation at th>- gorge stated that so far as the original slip was concerned it could have been cleared up by last weekend, but the greater menace of a new subsidence which recently became appar ent made it obvious that the iine could not be reopened for traffic until the new development had been • coped with. By yesterday afternoon the line along the length where the first landslide occurred over three weeks ago was practically clear and it was considered that there was no further danger from the hillside at this point, where it had been thoroughly sluiced with water. The only damage to the track was the slight twisting of one rails. That wt easily remedied.

Before deciding to use explosives where a new subsidence threatens the engineers debated the questions of shunting goods waggons over the line for a day to re lievo any congestion and then go ahead with the plan to blow out the dangerous part. . It was ascertained, however, that there was tio serious congestion in the Palmerston North goods yards, although the position at Cross Creek was different. Then it was that they decided to close the line definitely for blasting operations from to-day until all was again in order. An official stated that that would be "at least a fortnight."

The. plan to deal with the huge mass of hillside which is forcing out the concrete embankment for two chains was outlined by the engineer. The track along the threatened length, he stated, would. be taken up and the damaged area of concrete embankment, which, is cracked for a distance ot 60 or 60 feet, would be blown right away. Further charges would be placed in the lower portions of this section of moving formation and they, together with about 40ft. of the actual railway track,, would be blown toward the river.

.It is expected that the effect will be to allow . hundreds of tons of earth and rock, which have been slowly moving down to sweep down into the river. The slope to the edge of the water it is believed will servo as a safe buttress in future. In this case the dynamited section of the concrete wall will not have to be rebuilt: