WORK ON HOMER TUNNEL CLOSED

Southland Times, Issue 23540, 21 June 1938, Page 6

WORK ON HOMER TUNNEL CLOSED

Possible Danger Of

Avalanches

START IN OCTOBER EXPECTED MILD SEASON PROLONGS PERIOD OF ACTIVITY (Special to The Times) DUNEDIN, June 20. Because of the growing frequency of minor snowfalls and the accumulation of snow on the mountain sides, work on the Homer tunnel has been closed down for the winter. Mr A. F. Downer, head of the contracting firm of Downer and Company, of Wellington, which is driving the heading tunnel, told a reporter when passing through Dunedin today that the work would probably be resumed about the end of October, although the exact date would naturally depend on the weather at the Homer Saddle.

For several weeks before the actual decision was made on Friday the question of closing down the work had been under frequent consideration. It was known that the closing would have to take place before long, although the exceptionally mild season had prolonged the working time to a considerably greater extent than could reasonably have been expected in ordinary circumstances. Mr Downer stated that the work at the tunnel was definitely made unsafe on Sunday, June 12, when a stop was made for 24 hours, but the tunnellers resumed work the following night, by which time a decision had been made to close down on Friday. This decision was made after a conference with Mr W. G. Pearce, the Public Works Department’s engineer at Invercargill. Several minor falls of snow had taken place and it was considered that the amount of snow that had accumulated on the mountainside in the neighbourhood of the tunnel mouth was such that there was a definite danger of avalanches. PROGRESS OF WORK Thirty tunnellers working continuously day and night have' been employed on the job by Downer and Company for the past seven or eight months and when the work was stopped on Friday the heading tunnel had been driven for approximately 25 chains. The length of the tunnel when completed will be 4000 feet, so that by far the greater part of the task lies ahead and because of the irregularity of the working time it is impossible to estimate when, the mam tunnel will be finished, affording direct communication with Milford Sound by means of a road which is being built from the sound to the Site of the western portal of the tunnel. With the object of providing as much safety as possible when the work is completed, as well as during the tunnelling operations, the Public Works Department is engaged cn the construction of what really amounts to an extension of the tunnel for some distance from the eastern end. This will give a measure of protection for traffic which is very much needed in a region where sudden and unexpected avalanches have fallen.