HOMER SADDLE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23228, 23 December 1938, Page 13

HOMER SADDLE

PROGRESS WITH TUNNEL; MUCH YET TO BE DONE"I FIRST HEADING NOT HALF WAY [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] DUNEDIN, Thursday By the middle of March the bottom heading tunnel which is being driven ■ through the Homer Saddle in prepara-T tion for the full-sized tunnel, which is to be undertaken later, will have been pierced for half the total distance. This information was given in an interview to-day by tho district public works engineer. Mr. P. Keller. About a month ago some difficulty „ was experienced by the contractors for the heading tunnel as a result of an \ unexpected inflow of water being; tapped, but this has now been over- ' come by the installation of additional' 7 pumping equipment. Mr. Keller said to-day that the pumps were now deal-' ing adequately with the water. There" had been only one very pronounced ih- - flow of about 10,000 gallons an hour;** but it was now well in hand and rid water was reaching the working face." - The tunnel face is now driven to. approximately. '25 chains and a half" from the eastern portal, and when an.-v other five chains have been driven the heading tunnel will be half-way through the total length of 4000 ft. ?? Even when the heading, which is 12ft. by 9ft., is completed, however, there will remain the larger task of excavating to the full tunnel dimensions of 24ft. by 20ft. The object of pushing forward with the smaller tunnel is to facilitate the haulage of spoil and the. drainage associated with the work on the lull-sized tunnel.