THE RAILWAY WORKS AT MANUTAHI.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 1029, 2 May 1883, Page 2

THE RAILWAY WORKS AT MANUTAHI.

The Station buildings are now nearly com- : pleted. They comprise the station-house, with the usual accessory rooms for use as luggage and waiting rooms, a large goods* shod, coal store, engine shed, and a wellfurnished and neat Station-master’s house. There is also a stand for supporting. 1600 gallons of water, for use, of the engines, . The water is ; brought through pipes from a reser- - voir a mile away, in the direction of the Manawapou river. The water in its journey has to ascend 80. feet, consequently a powerful hydraulic ram, a No. 10, is used at the .. reservoir. Near the Taumaha road, both the railway track and adjoining road for passengers pass over two bridges, under which a roadway has been made, to allow carts, stock, b &c., to pass. The work of forming and metalling the road from the main-road; to the station, is now being pushed;on. ,The locality of the railwayjbridge over the Manawapou, is assuming a busy appearance. The bridge after crossing the river, has again to cross a ravine, about 80 feet deep. This of course will be filled in. A number of men are .at,., present engaged in making a culvert in the bottom of this awkvyard Impediment. The culvert is made of broken .stone,, sand and cement, mixed with water. In a short time this mixture sets and becomes as " hard as solid stone, and will last as r; Tong as the hills. One noticeable feature is that the culvert instead- of.; being:: built of blocks of concrete, is made all in one piece. First the floor is laid ; then the walls, and lastly the arched roof,- * It is very strong and necessarily so ; as about--80 feet of earth will be resting on- it. Its dimensions are’, length, 323 feet; walls, 2 feet thick. ; The aperture is 2 feet high and 3 feet wide. The late wet weather:; has r greatly retarded the work, as it causes slips ; to come down. Near the site of the,, bridge , there is a neat and substantial house for the accommodation of the overseer, to..whose, courtesy we are indebted for the description 7 and dimensions of the culvert.