FROM BLUESKIN TO PURAKANUI.

Otago Witness, Issue 1243, 25 September 1875, Page 17

FROM BLUESKIN TO PURAKANUI.

Not a great distance, as some people rightly say, and nothing to be said abi>ut it, but as many of the readers of the Witness, for many reasons, may take an interest in learning how the railway works in this district are progressing, I tuok advantage, along with a friend a short time back, of one of the many delightful days we have had this glorious spring, to walk over the line rather, or that portion of it formod, or in process of formation, between the Waitaki river and Purakinui, our first intention being to proceed as far as the Deborah Bay tunnel and so back by the Port Chalmers road. The limited time however, nt our disposal and the fleetjiess with which it passe* away when anything of interest is being inspected caused us to cut short our pleasure trip, after taking a survey of na iniimmie cutting near Mrs Bradley's residence at Purakanui, and so home, by crossing the country below Inopanui, for had we attempted to reach the tunnel, we should have been caught in the dark with many milea to trudge over— uot a nice prospect, when the state of the district roads is taken into consideration, for at this season of the year they are bad enough to travel over during the day, the drying up influenoe of the atmosphere not having yet converted "man tap holes and glue pots" into firm, passable walking ground. Starting from the Blueskin private township, along the cemetery road, and crossing a rustic bridge, the soho 1 house, (shortly to receive a very necessary enlargement the present accommodation being much too small for the number of children on the roll) is passed on the left. A blight detour brings the sight seeker to another rustic bridge crossing "Neill's Creek " at its outlet into the bay. The promoters and builders of this last noted bridge must have been men of lamp-post proportion, or believers in specimens of such musculer formation, for the structure is both long and narrow — something, at a guess, like three chains of the former to two feet of the latter. It struck me that a Daniel Lambert or any other thirty two stene man would have a difficulty in getting along that way without being jammed, as a fat friend of mine was on an occasion of a vioit to the city of Armagh, in the North of Ireland, when he got stuck in the Cathedral tower staircase, and it took two of us a good half hour to pull him back again — a circumstance which impressed me with the notion that there was a decided advantage in being of a thin build. To revert, however, to the matter in hand, the rustic affair named is in a very bad state of repair, in reality, nearly on its last legs or props of which it h«s ao many that a centipede, if formed to reason, would go mad with envy over it ; and then the railway in places is «o low, that any one passing mfch an extra top-heavy " whisky "or f>i»s o! « colonial n en bo«r4 ii lijslt to

topple over, and thus receive a thorough soaking outside to square the previous internal process of that nature. Proceeding onwards, there is no work done, with the exception of a slight cuttins: on Mr David Miller's ground, until near Mr John Sonness's homestead. Being old acquaintances of that gentleman and Ms family, it would not have been proper to continue our out without paying a visit which was duly done. Mr Souness has made great improvements since ho bought tho place from its previous owner — a nice and roomy dwellinghouse facing the bay having taken, the place of tho former habitation, with sundry necessary outbuildings for carrying on the work or the farm as well. Since so many men commenced working in the vicinity. Mr Sonness has employed a ] roomy dairy at the back, and turned it I into a, store and butchery, w.th a satisfactory advantage, wo were glad to hear, to himself, as also his customers who are thereb}' saved the trouble of taking a journey to the township for stores »f ter work is done. Of the natural beauty and sheltered position of the place, it would make this sketch too long were details entered into, without which a proper description (oald not effectively be given. I must c'en then content myself with saying that the house is built on the upper side of a t« onty-five acre paddock, rising gradually from low rocks dividing it from the main part of the bay, a comparatively speaking still sheet of water when the t'de is in, and very pretty to look at, with the romantic and diversified scenery of hill, dale, and woodland all round near at hand, and in the distance aa far as the eye can reach. To the right of the farm, a stone's throw from the house is a snugly formed little bay, between a promontory of the paddock previously named and the jutting out of the high land at the back and side, a continuation of the Inopanui or dividing range. Altogether we concluded that our friends could not be more comfortably located, and after enjoying their hospitality we continued our journey. . Mounting the hill towards Purakanui, the line of rail crosses the road. We stepped on to it, and the first thing, or nearly so, for inspection was a piece of workmanship the careful attention to the structure of which was, we considered, one of the most important .points to be attended to in the formation of the line, via., the culverts. The one iii question, a small one, is of blue-stone masonry set in cement, and finished off not only in a workmanlike manner, but in a way that could not be improved upon. Here it may be as well to say that all the culverts are to be of masonry set in cement, and that, with the exception of about a mile of the line towards the Deborah Bay Tunnel, and a large one above Mrs

Bradley's, they are completed. In other words, three-fourths of the masonry all along the contract of eight miles is completed, the form adopted being arch and invert, with the stones set in cement. As we walked along the twelve feet of formation — a high rocky side to the right, with a sideling to the left, increasing in height as wo advanced — it was noticeable that the best of the stone, blue for the first few chains and very hard, had been saved for metal for ballasting ; the way in fact; where finished, exc? pt of course the ballasting, being completely blocked up with large heaps of broken metal ready for the ballast waggons. The stone then towards the Heads becomes of a harder nature still, until in colour it is quite green and flinty. As the Heads are rounded, and when opposite the sand spit forming the seawnrd portion of the bay, looking down it is seen how very narrow the channel leading into the bay becomes. The next thought, or perhaps tbe first of the visitor, after having lecovered in a decree from the dizzy effect on fche brain the nearly perpendicular fall is sure to occasion to those not used to such an elevation, is admiration of the magnificent view opened ont before him. Seawards and landwards there is a gem of a picture set it the beet if frames — that of nature — which no one can pass without stopping, and lingering again and again to gaze at and think of. That grand stretch of water, so powerful and yet so serviceable in its unity, is the finest exemplification of the old adage that " Unity is strength or power " that the world can produce ; f»r what is it but a power resolvable into drops, each alone wUh not the strength of a worm, but mighty when joined together in an ice-bound region, an ocean, water-spout, river, or deluge of rain. To see the sea and land from such an elevation as we beheld them, on a calm sunshiny day, was impressive enough, but to view them from the same point on a stormy day, with the roll of the old ocean breaking on the perpendicular cliffs at your feet, and the sandy sphere opposite, must in reality be sublime. Anyone in Dunedin or elsewhere having a day to spare could not, if they want to enjoy a real treat, do better than arrange for a walk over the line, for they are certain to be well repaid for their trouble. As for the time when trains run, although there is no more likelihood of their running off the rails I round by the Heads or skirtinej Purakanui Bay than elsewhere, still, if a train did run off, over tbe nearly or in part perpen- \ dicular cliffs, it would go to the water 250 or 300 feet below, and the telegraphic | report would be :—": — " Train from the North (or South, as the case might be) last heard of at Biueskin Bay Heads. Supposed destination, at express speed, I David Jones's locker ; " and there would | be an end of it. We went upon that part of the forma1 tion a toneiiWfikU distance, until pulled

up at the present end of the cutting, or rather shooting. Afterwards, from enquiries we made, we learnt in going over the hill towards the track known, as "Jacob's Ladder," on the Purakanui side, that only a few chains in distance have to be blasted through, when that part, the most difficult on the line will be finished ready for ballasting. As the men work now, they are let down | by ropes or life lines, drill away and charge, when the explosion takes place at dinner time or in the evening. We were also informed that the part in question — the bugbear of other contractors, and the supposed most expensive portion of the lines — in reality will prove the cheapest, or nearly so, to finish ; for all the rock, being of such a good nature, is a perfect windfall to the contractors, for instead of being pitched away, it makes ballast ; otherwise they would have to pay Is. per cubic yard for the right to work a quarry, beside the co»t of procuring the material ; whereas they will now " kill two birds with one stone," literally an old saw that hag come in tine and handy for quotation. 50,000 yards of rock have already been turned out.

A drill was lost over the cliffs one day by one of the men. A sailor offered to recover it, and did. The cliff where the drill was lost projected a little, or, as it is termed, is nosey, and then caves in underneath. The man tied some life-lines together, and went down over the cliff 250 feet, returning h-md over hand with the drill lashed to his body. Mr Morgan, the Chief Engineer, I understand, on hearing of the circumstance gave instructions, very properly, not to allow such a thing again, at least during working hours. By the way, the same gentleman was talking about gold one day on the works to some party. He picked up a piece of greenstone, and, lo and behold, there was a speck of gold firmly imbedded in the stone. Mr Blair, I believe, has the specimen.

Parts of the line on the Purakanui side are at an angle of 95. In one cutting a lot of Chinamen are employed, the centre being upwards of 50 and the back slopu 70 feet deep. Out of that cutting 10,000 yards of rock have been taken. Domestically speaking, the "nosabby" Johns have a snug village formed below their work, in form like an irregular circle, the tents opening towards tbe centre. John pays the Maoris who own the ground 6d a week per tent rent for the right of camping. The lie of the rock in the cuttings spoken of is of a varied nature ; sometimes flat or nearly so ; in others it occurs in huge masses in all ways and description, and, as has been said, of a veiy hard kind. The deepest of the shootings round the cliffs by Goat Island is 50 feeb deep, nearly perpendicular.

The greatest earth-c\itting is above Mrs Bradley's residence. In the gully there is also situate the most important culvert, it being a 6 feet 90 yards long culvert, arched and inverted in a firm foundation like the rest of them, and fully half of it is completed in as satisfactory and firm a way as could be wished for. In reality it looks like an everlasting piece of work, or certainly a structure that cannot be affected in any way, excepting by a convulsion of nature. On the culvert will be run 92,000 yards of stuff. There are two cuttings, one on each side of the gully, respectively 60 and 40 feet deep when done with. Indeed, out of the longest 9000 yards has been taken in two months ; but in a day or two work will go on faster, for the contractors will be able to work two gangs of trucks instead of one in the past. Referring to the Blueskin end of the contract, I understand that the section from Carey's, or the Waihemo Creek, to the "Waitari Uiver, will be completed in a month, that is, without the ballasting. The embankment is foi'med in the centre of sand, taken out of a cess at the side ; and is then cased all over with material two feet deep, taken from cuttings along the line of road. Over that again, bayward, top'revenfc any damage from tides or storm water, a layer of gravel one foot in depth is placed, with a pitching on the' top 9 inches in thickness. It is said of such an embankment that it cannot be improved upon, f<>r the saud like water is incompressiole. In the other colonies, I understand that there are scores of miles of railways formed or ballasted with material of that dtßcription, viz. — fine sand. The bridge across the Waitati is on the plans laid down as a timber structure. I understand that an alteration may yet be made as to the material to be used. In" conclusion, the firm and excellent way in which all parts of the contract — 7 miles out of the B—are8 — are being worked is evident to any observer. There are 380 men (one-third Chinese) employed on the works, with a number of horses ; and the quantity of clay removed, exclusive of rock, is 25,000 yards cubic. We took particular notice of the tools, style of waggon, <fca, used, finish of stabling, places for safety of powder, &c, and could see that overything was of the best Sort, and the greatest care and attention exercised over the most trifling, nothing going to waste that could bo of service, and everything carried on well and systematically. The waggons made on the works are of a new sort. v Fiddlesticks" is the professional name given to them, the waggons (four-wheeled) working upwards from one axle, the transoms being fixed to tbe other axle in a way to allow play. The two axles are joined by an easy working frame, called a "fiddlestick bit, and it is claimed for such waggons that they clear easier and better. Of permanent per w$ wle, WO tons wo

out ready for use, the weight being 521bs. tothe yard. * - -.- This report, although incomplete, has gone to a greater length than I intended when I commenced. To wind up, we desire to say that Messrs Job Wain and Co. i are to be praised for the good job they have so far made of the contract, and wo have much pleasure also in thanking Mr Mo.gan for the information he so kindly placed at the dispo.al of our .reporter. Blueskin, Sept. 13, 1875.