CHURCH ON WHEELS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19513, 17 December 1926, Page 15

CHURCH ON WHEELS.

REMOVAL OF ST. DAVID'S. DIFFICULT TASK IN HAND. ! PREPARING FOR NEW BUILDING. The precedent created by the Israelites in carrying their tabernacle with them while they wandered in the wilderness is being followed to some extent by the Presbyterian congregation of St. David's, Khyber Pass. First establishing themselves in a preaching station in Symonds Street in the sixties, the congregation later incorporated their unpretentious structure in a larger church, and then, early in the present century, they shifted the church in its entirety to the Khyber Pass site. Now once again the church is on the move. On skids and trolleys it is being transferred to another part of the church grounds to make way for a more substantial place of worship in brick. One would gather the impression, from the way in which the removal is being handled and discussed by the men on the job, that shifting a church without even dismantling the spire is a very simple matter. It may be so to men who make, their living at this work, and this may account for the foreman's rather terse remark : " Oh, we just jacked her up, put under the skids and trolleys and shifted her back. Now we will screw her round and shove her back there." But there is more in it than that. The building has an estimated weight of about 90 tons and, as it is more or less of a shell, considerable care and calculation are necessary to get an even distribution of the weight on the skids and trolleys. Three trolleys, each capable of carrying up to sixty tons, are in use, and they are taking most of the weight of the body of the church. The porch and spire are supported by skids on rollers. Heavy falsework provides the track and also the connection between the trolleys, while the free use of strong cables under the floor and over the plate in the roof lends additional stability. The falsework and the trolleys were placed in position through excavations, and the piles were then cut out, allowing the building to rest on its temporary carriage. A securely anchored winch provides the haulage power. The church was pulled back on Wednesday about twenty feet from its previous alignment, and yesterday the men were engaged in putting in position'the skids on which the building will be made to do a left wheel before it will be moved to its new position. So far, no difficulties other than those usually expected with such an undertaking have been encountered, "fhe laconic foreman mentioned that one of the trolleys had struck a piece of soft ground " and our dea,d man was uncovered." Hopes of an interesting story of one of Auckland's early mysteries were dissipated, however, when inquiry revealed that the " dead man " was merely the heavy baulk of timber buried in the ground to secure the winch. The erection of the new church will be commenced as soon as the present church is clear of the site. The estimated cost is £16,000 and the new building will not only be in keeping with the size and importance of the parish, but it will be a substantial addition to the ecclesiastic architecture of the Dominion.