OTIRA TUNNEL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10767, 13 May 1913, Page 4

OTIRA TUNNEL.

WEAK SPOT SAFELY PASSED. GOOD PROGRESS. [From Our Correspondent.] WELLINGTON May 12. , Alarmist reports about the condition of Otira tunnel at its Bealey end con-, tinue to circulate, despito the fact that three weeks ago the Public Works Department's officers in Wellington gave an emphatic denial to an assertion that there was trouble. Since then Mr Holmes (chief engineer) has visited the tunnel, and he rer ports that the work is going on very well, and the Department is able to find room for a few more first-class tunnel hands if they can be obtained. The work is in 33 chains at the Bealey end or three chains past the point at which some trouble might have been experienced with water. As Punchbowl Creek was overhead, and the engineers would not have been surprised to find that the deep fissure was carried well beneath the surface, they took precautions against an inflow of water, but were glad to find hard rock instead of a fissure full of soft material. As the tunnel slopes down from east to west, water has to be pumped out of the eastern end until the big hole is through, when there will be natural drainage. Meanwhile, there is no difficulty in keeping the work clear by pumping. Recent floods in the Bealey did not damage the tunnel or approach.

BEALEY FLAT NOTES. [From Our Correspondent.] Progress at the Bealey end of the tunnel is greater than it has been previously, and the work is being maintained at a steady pace. An electric locomotive has recently been installed to haul the increased quantity of spoil out of the tunnel, and the outside protective works and main embankment are being pushed on with the utmost speed. The Public Works Department is experiencing some difficulty in finding accommodation for the men employed, and more houses are in course'of erection. Seven cottages are beiag built for the railway men, and the buildings, which are neatly designed, are making good progress. The weather for the past two weeks has been bitterly cold, and snow has fallen nearly every day. The small rainfall during April, coupled with the froson state of the higher levels, has affected the water pressure for power purposes, and during the past week the demand has exceeded the supply.