THE OPENING TRIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 1418, 25 January 1879, Page 11

THE OPENING TRIP.

(from our special reporter.) Invercargill, 22nd January. The first through train from Duuedin to Invercargill— the excursion express— left Dunedin at 10.20 a.»a. to-day with a large number of visitors 01 board, including the Hon. J. Ballance (Colonial Treasurer), the only member of the Ministry who accom. panied the party ; the Hon. Colonel Brett, of Christchurch ; Hon. W. H. Reynolds ; Messrs G. M'Lean, J. C. Brown, Green, Shrimski, and E. Wakefield (M.H.K's) ; the Mayors of Christchurch, Dunedin, and of the suburban municipalities, and many other notabilities. At Balclutha, where the train was a quarter of an hour late, a large number of visitors joined the excursionists, including the leading men of that township. The Clinton Bection (that which is newly opened) is nearly all the way a continual ascension. At many of the wayside places settlers were congregated, waving handkerchiefs, &c. Clinton was also reached considerably behind time. It was expected a number of persons from Invercargill would have met the excursionists there, but only Messrs Arthur and Hannay, of the Railway Department, had come by the morning train. Good time was made between Clinton and Gore, where, through an unfortunate accident to Mr Conyers, a considerable detention occurred. The train was eventually two hours behind on reaching Invercargill, as it arrived there at twenty minutes past 6 o'clock, having been eight hours on the road. At Invercargill, evidently, the townspeople were making high holiday of it, for triumphal arches and all kinds of decorations abounded, and in the evening the town was illuminated. The railway station was handsomely got up with evergreens, &c, and the train, on arriving, was received with firing of guns by the Artillery. The Brass Band played the New Zealand Anthem as the visitors left the station, where there was no ceremony except that the Mayor and Councillors and principal citizens were drawn up, and cheered heartily. Considerable difficulty was found in getiing accommodation, but shake-downs and so forth were put up with with good grace. THE LINE FROM MATAURA TO INVERCARGILL. In yesterday's issue we published a general description of the main trunk line of railway from Dunedin to Mataura. Since then, we have obtained particulars of the southern portion of the line, and are now able to complete our account of the construction of the railway Tfeetween Dunedin and Invercargill, which was Opened yesterday. The first sod of the Invercargill and Mataura Railway was turned by the Mayor of Invercargill, now the Hon. W. Wood, on the 6th of September, 1872, and the ceremony was deemed of such importance that the sod then turned ha 3 been kept at the Southland Museum, where it may still be seen. Messrs Brogden and Sons were the contractors for this portion of the line, and the amount of the contract, which included bridges and fences, was L 88,832, to which there was subsequently added for extras L 6315, making the total cost of the line L 95,147. The contract was signed on the 10th of August, 1872, and the works were completed on the 7th of November, 1875 The extent of this contract was 39 miles 77 chains, and included all the work on the line from Invercargill to the north side of the Mataura River at Gore. All the cuttings and embankments, with two exceptions, were exceedingly light, and the curve 3 and grades easy. The deepest cutting was through a terrace 120 ft high, at Edensdale ; and at this place the grade was the steepest, and the curves the sharpest, on the section. There are nine railway bridges between Invercargill and Mataura, but the Mataura bridge was the only large one in the contract. It consists of 10 spans of 40ft each, and was built by Messrs Calder and Bell, the sub-contractors under Messrs • Brogden and Sons, and completed by them in October, 1874.