THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS ON TOUR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11943, 17 January 1901, Page 5

THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS ON TOUR.

THE PROGRESS OF THE OTAGO CENTRAL RAILWAY. (Br Oun Special Reporter.) The Hon. W. Hall-Jones„Minister of Public Works, accompanied by Messrs T. Mackenzie, W. Carncross, J. F. Arnold, and A. R. Barclay, M.H.R. s, and the Rons. W. M. Bolt ! and H. Gourley and Messrs W. H. Hales and E. R. Ufsher. inspected the works in progress ■ on the Weddcrburn-Ophir section of the Otago Central railway on Tuesday.

The section which the Government purposes opening by about the end of Juno next is that from Wedderbum, the present terminus (85a miles from Wingatui Junction) to Blaekstone Hill, situated on Mesfrß Ross and Glemlining's Blaekstone Hill station, on the north side of the Ida, Valley, a distance of 15 miles. Between these two points there will be a station known as the Ida Yalley station, about eight miles from Wcddcrbiirn. Some little delay has been caused in commencing with the laying of the permanent way on account of a very heavy cutting about a mile long occurring not very far from Wedderburn. Every endeavour has been made by the department to complete this cutting at the earliest poEsiblo date, and for many months past the work has been carried on continuously night and day. At the present time there remains very little more of the excavation to bo done to complete it. Platelaying has now commenced, and will be carried on uninterruptedly throughout the whole section. It is .fully anticipated that the line to Ida. Valley station can be opened in May, and that to Blaekstone Hill a month later. Another big outting occurs at a. point known as " the summit." at Rough Ridge, where the line is being constructed at an altitude of 2100 ft above sea level. This cutting, as well as the .whole formation right through to Blaekstone Hill, is about finished, with the exception .of two or three smalt gaps, and these will bo connected before the platelayers reach them. One of these is the pile bridge over the Jdaburn. just below the Ida Valley station. At Ida. Valley every accommodation _in the way of buildings will be erected to suit the requirements of the traffic; but Blactotone Hill, being the larger and terminal slntion for some time to come, will bs more fully equipped. . From Blaekstone Hill to the Manuhcrikia River, a distance of seven mile?, soverri'heavy works occur in the way of largo filling-in works and rock-cuttings. On this section two iron bridges have to be erected—the Poolhurn viaduct and the large cylinder bridge over the Manuherikia. A contract .'for 'the manufacture of the ironwork has beeu let to Anderson Bros., of Christciuirch. and the time for delivery is November of this year, when the erection of the bridges will be at once proceeded with. Two tunnels also occur, in this section, both of which are in hand, and it is expected that they and all the other works will bo completed simultaneously with the bridges. Particularly hard rock is being met with in. the excavation "of the tunnels mentioned, end ,po lining will be required over and above the usual halfiphain H each end to give a finish to the work. In

addition to pushing on the line to the Mamthcrikia River, the officers of the Public Works department, recognising that it is tho intention of the Government to carry the line into Alexandra in two years, are placing men on the 'formation works boyond the river, on the way to Ophir. This station will be 13-miles further on than Blackstono Hill, and the formation ought to ho finished by the j time the Manuherikia bridge is completed, no i that the railway ought to be in Ophir within ! 18 months. From Ophir to Alexandra tho pegs of the original survey, many of which : naye been knocked out and obliterated, are being renewed, and it.only remains for the: Government to furnish tho necessary funds in j order tp connect Alexandra with Dunedin by j rail in the time mentioned. Tho timber for ( sevcralof.tho station buildings at Ophir isi now being obtained, with a view to immediate ! erection. The assistant engineer (Mr Lewie), i who is in ehargo of tin Blackstone Hill \ camp, will movo on to Ophir in two or three j months at tho latest, and the latter place will then become the working centre. Tim for-! ma lion beyond Ophir will probably be started ! before the .winter set? in. The number of j men now employed on tho lino is greater than ' it has been for many years, and about 550 j are in constant work. It is to bo 'earnestly | hoped that tho Government will onablo the j officers of the department to keep all these j men on until Alexandra is reached. Tho Minister and the .party accompanying i him left the Ida Valley Hotel early on Tues- ' day morning in three double-seated buggies. } The weather could not have been better. ( Bain had fallen during Monday night, and had_ cooled the air delightfully, as well as : having disposed of all the dust for .the lime : being. The drive down the valley to Blackstono Hill was accomplished without much i difficulty or incident. The camp is situated j nn n,'slight elevation, just where the railway ' takes to' the hills on the way down to the Pnolburn Gorge. There is aetuallv a slight fall in the lino from Blackstone Hill to tho , entranco of tho gorge, but the valley slopes ' away so rapidly that the eye, following tho' course of the formation along the hillside, is opt to he deceived, and it- loots as if there I wevo a stiff gva.de. The Blackstone Hill camps consist of several small wooden build- . ings. one being tho headquarters of the j i P.'W.B.. awl two others being the cottaw.3! | occupied by Mr lier/is and his assistant (Mr Cabot); a number of tents, and two or three blacksmiths' shops, built of galvanised iron. Tho placo is a hive of industry at tho present time, and no light-responsibility rest? on the' shoulders of the officers in charge. Hero Mr Lewis and Mr Cabot joined tho party, and a start- wits made for the pw/je, Tho junior-. member for Dunedin, bavin? commandeered j one of the P.W/D. horses, rode forward as nn i c.'cort. Poolhurn was reached about mid. day, and the tunnels were first inspected, i The men are slowly driving through solid rock, ' every inch ot which has to he Masted, and (he greater part of the work is still before thorn. One tunnel ha? been driven in about two chains and o-lialf, and the other about, a chain. ' After a picnic lunch on tho hilltop, the party . ■was driven ov.t to a point on tho bill over- • looking the Mamiherikia Vallev, alon? the' proposed route of the line. There the Minister had a long consultation with the district engineer, while the remainder sunned themselves on the hillside, enjoying the fine j view, and awaiting the next move.! Evontnallv tho horse"' brads were turned homewards, and the Tda Valley Hotel was 'eached about tea time,

On Wednesday morning an early start was made for the Eweburn reservoir, near Naseby,. as the Minister desired to ,see the repairing works in progress there before the train left Wedderburn the same morning. The reservoir is a. splendid sheet of water, covering about 60 acres, and has over 50ft of water in the deepest part. Owing to some defect in the embankment, there is a considerable leakage, and &U\ioiigV'notanß«T »«&<&$&&&, j it is desirable that the matter should be st- / fended to. Mr A. L. Herdman, Mayor of drove across during the morning. ' Before leaving Eweburna deputation, consisting' oi Messrs W. GuSe and l l '. Inder, repre(seating the mining interests at Naeeby, waited : on Mr Hall-Jones jn regard to the waste oi I water in the Government race. At the prei sent time a large quantity of water was being j allowed to run to -wa&te, and the miners de- ' sired the use of this water without any addi- • tiond cost. Mr Gnffio said that tire miners \ found the water very dear. It cost, them £1 per day to work an elevator for eight 'hours, but the race was quite capable oi supplying more water than they could use in that time, and they wanted permission to use it for two or three hours extra in the day. They had written to Mr M'Oowan on the matter, but had received no reply. The Minister Tenliea that the matter was not one in his department, but the request seemed reasonable enough, and when he returned to Wellington he would see his colleague (Mr M'Gowan) ana see if anything could be done. The drive back to Wedderburn occupied about three-quarters of an hour, and the whole party then entrained for Dunedin.