THE NORTH-EAST VALLEY BRIDGE ( Communicated.)

Otago Witness, Issue 102, 30 April 1853, Page 3

THE NORTH-EAST VALLEY BRIDGE ( Communicated. )

This Bridge, over the Water of Leith, has at length been completed, by the united subscriptions of the North-East Valley settlers and the inhabitants of Dunedin. For upwards of four years the j Valley settlers had been amusingly annoyed with a rustic, old ricketty affair as the only means of conveyance across the river, and which constantly presented the ludicrous appearance of men and women scrambling over it on all fours. This rude construction was altogether impassable when the waters of the river overflowed its banks, and with the double inconvenience of its being continually unseated and as often replaced, was a source of repeated danger to children, and of perpetual annoyance to the thriving population of the Valley The present, however, is a most excellent and substantial Bridge. It is supported by diagonals and king-posts, and is capable of sustaining a weight of above ten tons ; and is so constructed as to resist the sweep of an inundation, even if accompanied with any floating timber which the waters may uproot and carry along with them. The management of the Bridge was unanimously ceded to Mr. Calder, who kindly devoted his time and attention to it during the two months of its erection, and for which his vast experience in the " Architecture of Bridges 1 ' throughout England and Scotland so amply qualify him. The community is deeply indebted to this gentleman's well-timed and gratuitous application of his skill, and to his being (in co-operation with another individual) the principal promoter of so necessary an object.

The £60 vhich was recently applied to the improvement of the Port Chalmers road ought to have been devoted to the erection of the present Bridge ; and when the settlers of the Valley were publicly impeached with apathy in not adhering to their promised assistance, the assertor was not aware that they would only do so in the event of the grant being applied to its legitimate object. Ridiculous scramblers that they are ! Was not the necessity of a bridge of more evident importance than a mere strone of a ditch to which the grant Avas made available by the Government, the funds having been entrusted to a certain profound professor of the law, who, in this instance, evinced as powerful and as natural an aptitude for squandering the public money of the settlement as his hopeful master in conjuring up gormandizers to devour it. This is the consequence of entrusting grants to \mqualified persons, which would have been applied to more than double purpose by a local committee acquainted with the subject. It is only two years since a similar grant was expended in the same useless manner. This also was consigned to the same unpopular propounder of justice, who committed its application to some one, who, in repairing a piece of road, made an egregious bungle of it. He employed its full half in the cartage of clay, of which a thick layer was applied, when, with equal ease, he might have covered it with sand, as the road in question runs close upon the beach. The consequence is that this piece of road, during the winter rains, presents a little ocean of slime and clay, much too profound f <r those who have not practised the noble art of swimming.

We understand that measures are being taken to have the road between the Town and the Valley repaired, which, from the immense traffic in that direction, is in a very untoward condition during the wet weather. The work has already been considerably proceeded with, Mr. M'Glashan, we believe, having liberally subscribed the sum of £70 ; — an example, we trust, which some of our local gentry may be gracious enough to imitate.

We give the following list of subscribers to the Bridge by those who are friendly towards that object in town. A few of these have not yet been paid up, which, with a small balance in the hands of the Treasurer, it is intended to apply to the forming of a buttress on the north side of the river, where the current of the water rushes with such vehemence as would eventually carry off the subsoil and undermine the Bridge. The subscriptions from the Valley were contributed in labour by the subscribers individually, and those from Town in perpetuating

James Mi

their assistance till the bridge should be completed — including, of course wright work, iron work, and other necessary items :—: — • CASH. LABOTJE. Fred.Brock-Hollinshdad, days. Mrs. Esq. £2 0 0 Wm. Poppelwell 5 0 James Macandrew John Black 3 4 and Co. 10 0 David Taylor 4 0 Rev. T. Burns 1 0 0 James Strain 3 0 James Brown 0 5 0 Alex. Smith 3 0 John Proudfoot 0 2 6 John M'lntosh 2 0 John Adams 0 5 0 Alex. Familton 3 0 Dr. Williams 10 0 Andrew Black 1 0 Dr, Purdie 0 5 0 Thomas Dall 2 4 Robert Cramond 10 0 James Gebbie 3 0 John Healey 0 5 OD. Loudon and W. H. Cutten 0 5 0 bullocks 4 days =7 0 Captain Cargill 0100 R, Roper 1 0 J. H. Harris 0 10 0 George Grey and Thos. Martin 0 2 6 bullocks 1 0 Peter Crew 1 00 R. Shoit 1 6 . James Mayo 0 20 P Lindsay 4 0 John Sidey 0 5 0 James Boniface 2 0 Alex. Williamson 0 5 0 Hans Strain 2 0 J. Cullen 0 5 0 Hugh Craigie 3 • 0 Jones and Grey 010 0 Wm. Chapman 1 6 James Wilkie 0 3 0 James Hunter 0 6 Chas. Hopkinson 0100 D. Duff and Son 4 0 John Sutton 0 5 0 Wm. Smith, bulAlex. Rennie 0 5 0 locks 1 day 6 hrs. 4 0 John Hill 0 2 6 Dl. Heenan 3 0 James Ormiston 0 26 J. Graham 6 0 George Duncan 0 5 0 Charles Grey 4 0 Wm. M'Kenzie 1 00 A. Watson 3 0 Thomas Bain 0 5 0 John Duncan 2 0 David Hutcheson 0120 D. Hutcheson 3 0 Dr. Manning 110 George Steele 2 0 John Jones 010 0 Alex. Gebbie 1 0 James Allan 0 10 0 D. Calder and Boy, Dr. Richardson 0 2 6 with bullocks 4 0 John Gallic 0 7 0 Edw. M'Glashan C. H. Kettle 010 0 and 6 bullocks 4 0 G. R. B. Burney 0 5 0 £17 12 6