OPENING OF THE WAIMEA PLAINS LINE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1499, 7 August 1880, Page 10

OPENING OF THE WAIMEA PLAINS LINE.

(by oub special repobteh.) All the faots of interest in connection with the Waimea Plains railway jmay be briefly and easily told. The line does not in appearance differ from other lines which facilitate travel, ling, increase the value of property, and must aid the country by rendering accessible the means of permanent prosperity. There ishowevfcr.thismaterialdifference between the new railway and coastal lines, that, being a central railway, the Waimea railway of course opens land on both sides, and therefore, for making land available— which is of courae the principal object to be gained— it is worth at least twice its length of coastal line. What are technically known as works of art— large bridges, extensive tunnelling, &c— are not to be fouud on the Company's line; but as the railway ia literally a work of utility, the absence of expensive works, though they may be ever so interesting in a descriptive article, is certainly not a cause for regret. The railway connects Gore— a station on the line from Dunedin to Invercargill — with Lumßden (or Lowther), a Btation on the line_ from Inver cargill to Kingston, and the result is that by the new route, via Waimea Plains, the distance by rail from Dunedin to Lake Wakatipu is decreased by more than one-fifth (or 54 miles) of the total distance. The journey via Invercargill is 230 miles, and occupies two days, but the trip now will be made in one day without the slightest difficulty. This, 60 far as affects travellers, aud especially excursionists, is a very material matter, and will probably induce hundreds to visit the Lakes who would not otherwise do so. The great importance of the line, however, is the fact that it opens to settlement an immense tract of country, to which we shall make special reference. A description of the railway was published in these columns in August, 1879, but it may be interesting to reproduce some of the faots then stated. The railway across the Waimea Plains has been constructed by the Company under the District Railways Act. It was commenced on the 16th of January last year, about; which time tbe contract for construction was signad by Mr John Whittaker. Work was commenced at too Gore junction <f the line, but shortly afterwarda men were placed on the portion of the line near Lumsden. The work has progressed steadily, and though the contract time has been exceeded, we understand that the contractor is not to blame for that, and that the work has beea so well done that Mr Lowe, the engineer of constructed railroads, has expressed the opinion that in this respect it is one of the very best lines in the Colony. The length of the line is 36£ miles. It runs over level country. The ruling grade ie lin 100 and the steepest gradient 1 in 80, and that only occurs in places— once for a distance of 52 chains, eight miles from Gore, and again for 106 chains, 22 miles from Gore. The curves are also easy, .the sharpest being a 15-chain^ curve, and the | next has a radius of 18 chains. Only two streams of any consequence are crossed by the line — the Otamete and the Waimea — the former by a bridge of 20 spans of 20 feet each, and tbe latter by one of 19 similar spans. The other watercourses have been overcome by the erection of nine small bridges, and the construction of about a score of concrete culverts, which vary from two to 10 feet in length. The embankment is made up to a width of 12 feet at formation level, and the permanent- way, consisting of 521b rails, has been laid down in the best possible manner. The curves, gradients, and construction of the line are favourable to its working cheaply and well, and from these circumstances the public as well as the Company will reap advantage. We are informed that the cost of the construction of the line has but slightly exceeded the estimated amount, which was LIOB.OOO, or L3OOO per mile. Mr H. P. Higginson, M. Inst. C.E., has been the Company's engineer, and Mr A. R. W. Fulton, A. Inst. 0.E,, the resident engineer in charge cf the works, and to these gentlemen is doubtless to be attributed a large portion of the credit connected with the successful construction of one of the much-covoted railways to the interior. THE PLAINS. A description of the Waimea Pliius railway without some account of tha country through which if. runs would, to use a vfry well- worn simile, vo>y lnuch reaemblo the play of " Hamlet," with tho part of the Prince [ left out. The new railway runß dingonaUylhrough the property of the New Zsa-

land Agricultural Company— an estate which extends from Gore to some distance beyond Lnmsden, is bounded on the north by the Waimea River, extends to the south beyond the main line of railway (Invercargill to Kingston), and contains some 160,000 acres of land. Of this land it is estimated that there are 120,000 acres fit for agricultural purposes. As a matter of fact the Company has been very successful in growing crops of all kinds on the estate, and has carried on very extensive operations for the purpose of preparing the land for settlement. Along the line of railway townships have been surveyed a3 follows :— At Riveradale, 17£ miles from Gore, the junction of the Switzers line of railway, which is expected to be the centre of a large agricultural district, and have the advantage of the traffic to Switzera j Mandeville, 10J miles from Gore, and a station for settlers on the eastern bank of the Mataura (the Chatton and Otama districts); and at Lumsden, the junction of the Government railway extension to Mararoa. There are two forestß of first-class timber on the Company's block— one near Gore, and the other at the other extremity of the line, at Okaiterua near the station; and as there are sawmills in active operation, they may be reckoned among the natural advantages by intending settlers. Of the conformation and advantages of this portion of the country a report propsrei by Meßsra Bastings and Pearson (Waste Lands Commissioners) says:— "The estate consists of large plaina of alluvial deposit, interspersed with rolling downs of .volcanic formation, the whole covered with a fine sward of native pasture, and is without exception the finest block of agricultural land that we have ever examined either in New Zealand or Australia. The soil consists chiefly of alluvial deposits of loam, with a Bubsoil of clay intermixed with marl, underlain at a depth of several feet with beds of mixed clay and gravel, which give a fine natural drainage. The properties are intersected by numerous neverfailing streams, and have a frontage to the Mataura River of 38 miles, and to the Oreti River of 16 miles. The Waimea and Ofcamete Rivers also flow through the properties — the former for 30 miles, the latter for 16 miles. On the properties large deposits of brown coal exist suitable for domestic and steam purposes, and there is also a very valuable quarry of freestone, which, in the opinion of the Engineer-in-chief of the Middle Island, is the beßt in the south of New Zealand for building purposes. These are merely mentioned, but not estimated in our value of the properties. The nature of the soil and climate admirably suits it for the growth of cereals, root crops, and artificial prasaes. Tbe averaga yield for last season was 40 bushels of wheat, 60 of oats, and 10 tons of potatoes to the acre— the wheat being of a quality (according to the local miller) unsurpassed in the country. The orchards at the several homesteads yield crops of all English fruits in the greatest profusion, and there are large plantations of English forest trees, Scotch firs, and all classes of pines, which have grown with rapidity." It is true that of this land the Royal Commission on Public Works reported unfavourably, but notwithstanding the "official utterance," which, according to Sir Joseph Porter, should be regarded as unanswerable, the facts seem to be against the Commissioners. Of course any judgment which could be formed by simply passing through the country would be of no more value than the opinion of the Royal Commissioners. The following may, however, be regarded a 9 of excellent authority. On May 6th last year the Hon. W. H. Reynolds and A. C. Strode, Esq., wrote as follows :— " We found the freehold land belonging to the Company, for the most part of unexceptionally good quality, a fine friable soil, with a subsoil of a sandy loam— such a soil, in fact, that with moderately good tillage couid be made to produce crops of first quality. Moreover, the growing crops on the land was convincing proof of the excellent soil. Two large fields of turnips, one on the property formerly held by Mr Bell, and the other at Longridge, were most satisfying on that point. As a field for settlement, we are satisfied, from the great natural advantages which the property possesses, such as being well watered, the proximity of lignite pits of good quality, and excellent building stone, that it cannot be surpassed." The Hon. Robert Campbell, M.L.0., also reported^ that the property, for quality of boH and position, was not to be equalled in New Zealand. The Company's railway, however, does something more than open to settlement the vast estate which competent authorities have described bo favourably. It is estimated that it will practically open for settlement half-a-million of acres. It renders accessible for agricultural purposes the Mararoa Valley, brings Switzers wifchin 14 miles of a railway, and mnsbgreatlyimprove the extensive education reserves, now leased as runs, but which will within a short time be again offered for public competition, and will no doubt be in part disposed of for agricultural purpose?. From these facts it would appear that the construction and opening of the railway across the Waimea Plains are events of much consequence, and may properly be considered of general importance.