TAWA FLAT TUNNEL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20385, 17 April 1928, Page 10

TAWA FLAT TUNNEL.

HEAVY RAIN CAUSES SUP. UNDERGROUND WORKERS' NARROW. ESCAPE. (Special xo Daily Times.) WELLINGTON, April 16. Tunnelling operations in the drive at the Hutt road end of the Taiva Flat railwav deviation were at a standstill to-night, a fall of earth after to-day's hoavy rain having practically blocked the entrance to tho tunnel. The slip, which came down just as the four nnen on day shift were leaving duty at 4 p.m., disabled the electric wires, that provide electricity for those workingin tile tunnel at" night. ' The drive from the Hutt road end up on the bank just above the spot where the pier has been erected in tns centre of the roadwav has been penetrated for a distance of from five to six chains. The day shift .on duty to-day comprised four men. "We had just finished our day's work," said one of them, "and heaVd a rumble, when we were near the entrance. We hesitated for a. moment," wondering whether to run back in the drive or to rush outside. We chose the latter course and had just run out and down the steps leading down the bank to the Hutt road when down the fall came. Fortunately it was not any larger, for had it been so and we had been inside, the blocking of tho tunnel mouth would have entombed us." The Secretary of the New Zealand Workers' Union' (Mr A. Cook) stated tonight that the Hutt road entrance to tho drive had always been considered a ■dangerous one bv the men. He said that they had met only on Sunday to discuss the question of tlio safety of the approaches at tho tunnel month .To-day he had interviewed the departmental engineer (Mr Downor) in regard to the representations of the men, and Mr Downer had promised to inspect the locality in company with tho contractor to-morrow m'ornmg. In themoantimc," sa<d Mr Cook, "a fall has taken ulace. In the opinion of the men a much greater fall is going to take place. The union's argument is that the approach should have been made safer in the first place and th&t shoijld be done before any more work goes on." . . In addition to the fall at the tunnel mouth, another fall came down about 40 vards further nlons the bank on the Petone side, this elio blocking the road up tho sido of tho hill from the Hutt road to the tunnel. .