THE NORTHERN-RAILWAY LINE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1918, 24 August 1888, Page 11

THE NORTHERN-RAILWAY LINE.

{(Feom Ocr Special Correspondent.) Wellington, August 16.

There has been* so much said lately with , reference to the route of the railway north from Duoedin, that I thought it best to get full information as to the reasons that decided the selection of the much condemned route by the Purakanui cliffs. Through the courtesy of the Hon. Mr Mitchelson I was allowed to inspect all the plans and reports relating to tho subject, very few of which have been published. I find that no fewer than seven lines have been examined and surveyed with more or less minuteness, according to the advantages they appeared to have, aud the engineers assure me that no parts of the Main Trunk railway was better prospected than the section between Dunedin and Blueskin. They also say that no outside influence, political or otherwise, was brought to bear on the selection of the route. It was settled entirely and solely by the Public Works department on the merits of the competing lines. I am very glad to hear this, for, in common with mauy other Dunedin people, I was under the impression that the late Mr Macandrew had, in his own language, " moved the spheres" to get the railway near his beloved Port Chalmers. It turns out that he did not even know anything whatever about it till the route was fixed. The different lines reported on are as follows : — Route No. 1 leaves the Southern railway about Wingatui junction, and follow& up the Silver stream and down the south branch of the Waikouaiti river to the Waikouaiti township. No. 2 leaves . the Southern railway at Burnside and follows the Kaikorai and Leith Valleys to the Waitati saddle, then down to Blueskin. No. 3 leaves the Port Chalmers railway at Peliehet Bay, aud runs up the Water of Leith and down the Waitati to Blueskin. No. 4 leaves the Port Chalmers railway at Logan's Point, and rise 3 up the slope of the range to the head of tho valley at Sawyers' Bay, then parses under the main road near the eight-mile posf, and works down on the northern slopes of Mount Cargill to the Waitati. (This was called tho Mount Cargill route). No. 5 is a low level runr-ing under from Sawyers' Bay to the east )>rauch of the Waitati, with an alternative of coming out in the 1 Orokonui Valley, behind tho college. No. 6 is the Purakauui routo as adopted, with an alternative line starting from the sea level at Port Chalmers. No. 7 is a son level line round the coast, all the way from Port Chalmers to Blueskiu. The objections to No 1, the Silver stream route, are ttat the works would bo heavy, that no extent of settlement country would be opened up, that the distance to Waikouaiti would be increased by 15 or 20 miles, and that Blueskin would be left out altogether. No. 2, the Kaikorai Valley route is feasible so far as the southern incliue is concerned, but a workable gradient could not be got down the' Waitati without a tunnel two and a-quartec miles long at the bnddlo, or an enormous viaduct at tho Kilmog G »rgis. The altitude, 800 ft, was also a fatal objection. No. 3, the lino up the Waterof Leith direct, the one that commends itself be=t to nonprofessional eyes, was most readily disposed' of. The Leith Valley rises much farther th>m the railway, so the gradient " ramo to earth" before reaching the pap r mill, .md from thence to Blu"es>kin would bua-oiil ruuiii*]. It is obvious even to uon-professionnb that this would not open up tho country, whatever it might do as regards rh ; lioiVt Is of tlu earth. The tunnel would have cost rn>;re than the whole line to Moeraki. No. 4, thii Mount Cargill line. But for one fatal objection this route wou'J have been adoptoil. Ib rw». 500 ft; higher Minn the Purakanui line, aud to lift the whole traffic of the Main Tcunk railway such n. height was a serious undertaking to be avokletl *t nny cost. In the other more important features the Mount Cargill route was superior to tho a<lopbed one, but the alter .iU'<>»s of gravity conM'U.Tafcions outweighed them all. No. 5, one of the low level lines from Sawyers' Bay, entailed a tmnsel of two miles and of 30 chains.both through basaltic n.onntaius, and this, too, with a 1 in 50 gradient ou the approaches. No 6, the adopted ioute by Puraknnui. As already .st.ited thi- principal rc.iMsu for its adoption is that a much lower line is got at a reasonable cost without an undue sacrifice of o<her interests. No. 7, the coast routo, was i\Uoj»ther too circuitous to be seriously considered, and the works would bo very heavy. These then are the reasons why tho railway is where it stand?, and why it is not somewhere else. The publication of them m»y help to make vi beat- tbv. ills wo have rather J,han fly to those wo know not) of. The objection to vho present line ia Minply the fa r of dropping over the Purakanui cliffs. I confess myself to feeling more at my euse when they are behind me, *nd I have head of a gallant fightiug captain of a fighting regiment who "funked" on them, but the danger is no great or thaiwit scores of other places between Dunedin and Oamaru where we "go it blind." A much shorter " drop " than the 200ft at Purakanui will square up tho "sublunary " affairs of most people.