OPENING OF THE OREPUKI RAILWAY.

Western Star, Issue 945, 6 May 1885, Page 2

OPENING OF THE OREPUKI RAILWAY.

We hive it oh the. authbrity of Mr. Maoandrew that it is fifteen years this mouth since the Provincial Council of Otago,< on the motion of Mr Daniel, agreed to the construction of the Orepukif railway., Before the work was commenced, however, a period of four years elapsed, and eleven years ago Mr Maoandrew himself turned the first sod of , what may be termed the Riverton-Orepuki line. At the initiation' of'the scheme there was every reason to believe that the predictions indulged'in as to the early completion of the work were well founded. But the line before it was half finished fell upon evil .times.' 'Disputes arose between the Government and the contractors owing to the loose way in which the conditions were drawn up; the matter was referred to arbitration,'.with what result all the district knows. After a delay of some two or three years, during which the provincial system was abolished; a start was again made with-the line by the Colonial Government, who reoognised io;as a provincial liability. At long intervals, and with frequent voxatious delays, tho corstruction of the line proceeded by. piecemeal. Atone time the work was delayed ,by Government on the plea that there were no funds; at another, a contractor would far exceed the specified time.for the completion of tho particular section in hand; one contractor would become bankrupt, whilo another would abscond in tho middle of his work, displaying great absence of mind in first neglecting to pay workmen's wages and settle sundry tradesmen's accounts. Amidst such pleasant interruptions, however, each succeeding year saw some progress made, and the more sanguine in tho community latterly began to believe that the generation that had seen the work inaugurated might also see it corncompleted, which, as yesterday's proceedings proved, turned out correct. Tho residents of the distr.cthave now got what, but for a combination of unfortunate circumstances, they ought to have been in possession of j years ago, viz., communication with the I outor world. Up till recently "Orepuki ' has been the most isolated settlement of any importance in Southland; although only a distance of some 18 miles fro'i> Kiverton it was a fair day's journey !o accomplish the distan-o until the County Council came in'o existence, when (he road received considerable attention ; even latterly the discomfort" of the journey were such us to drter any but cho.-e lOmpelled to vi.-it the place from undertaking i he journey. It has never been posoible to take a dray from Kiverton to "Jnspuki. Since the opening of tiie line to C'olac Bay, however, the truffle has been carried on by drays, in preCerenge to the KJQre uncertain rpute by sea,,

The opening of the railway has changed all this, and the district is now placed upon an equal footing with those which have enjoyed the advantage of railway communication for y ars. The effect of such communication upon the commercial and social welfare of the residents, and in developing the varied resources, of that fine district, cannot fail to prove most beneficial. Tho portion of the line opened yesterday measures 12 miles from the starting point, Round Hill crossing, The first four miles passes through bush, until Paihi flat is reached, which is traversed from end to end. Hirrt's Bush is next reached, after clearing which the line enters the open ground at Orepuki, and another mile and a half bines the train to a stop at rlirstfieU, the present and what will doubtless reman for a cons d ruble time the tcrminnsof the li e. The only heavy cutting on tho line is where it rises from the flat to the hill at Hirst's Bu-h ; there are no bridses, but there are on" or two large ml v*rtß, notabl v that at Fall's Or- e!c. A co'siilerab'e quantity of swampy Inn-1 is traversed, the way over which-had-to be raised. The ballasting and platelaying work has been completed by Wv Coneher in a very creditable mm nor.' Tho line is as firm and solid as if it had been open a twelvemonth—a fact that was frequently testified to by the passengers. The vorious station buildings—station, goods, engine, and coal sheds, and four cottages for the stationmaster,' engine-driver, guard, &c.—are completa and well appointed, and 'everything is m readiness for the regular traffic, which commences to-day. Tho contractor for tbi' portion of°fhe work was Mr Campbell, of Invercatvill, who completed the work in an exneditious and satisfactory manner. The excursion train in honor of the occassion arrived at Riverton from Invercargill at 10.25 a.m. yesterday, bringing about 300 passengers. About 250 more wero taken on at Riverton, and including those pickod up at the intermediate stations there could not have been fewe* than 700 on board the tr.ain When it arrived at Orepuki. , The train was drawn by two engines, and was in charge of Mr Gaw, District Traffic Manager, and a full complement of guards.. Under such conditions the ti-ipwas greatly, enjoyed ; prompt time was kept and not the slightest hitch occurred to mar the excursion. Even the •; Weather; which threatened only the previous day to ,be extremely disagreeable, smiled propitiously, and partook ,more of the nature of a gen'al autumn day than early winter. Considerable disappointment was expressed when .it became known that Mr Macandrew would not be present to formally complete a work in which ho has always displayed such a warm interest. On Monday, Mr Daniel, received the following telegram and letter apologising for. his unavoidable absence: —

Macandrew Bay, Ist May, 1885. My Dear Friend,—Your kind letter roached me several days after I saw you and gave you a. verbal reply; hence I did not deem,it necessary to write. I am delighted to learn from the papers that you are to open the line to Orepuki, which is one of your numerous children. It will be 15 years this month since the Provincial Council of Otago, on your motion, agreed to. its construction, and had the people of the County been true to themselves, this lino, as well ai most all those initiated by me in 1878, would long ero now have been open for traffic. I trust it may bo your privilege yet to porform the opening ceremony in respect of that further extension to Waiau, which you always advocated, and which was submitted by mo by message 'to the Provincial Council eleven years ago. This extension would render available a territory on which thousands of families might flourish in peace and plenty. There are few districts in Otago which in the interests of settlement have less to thank abolition fer than the Western District ; and my conviction is that had this province been let alone and left to work out its own destiny, the Waiau country would at this moment have contained a numerous arid thriving population. However, both you and [ can only console ourselves with the reflection that we have done our best. With best regards.—l remain, yours faithfully, V .;.":. ■ . J. Macandrew. " Regret cannot be prosont to congratulate I district. Please congratulate on my behalf. Thank friends for kind invitation." When it was known Jat] Orepuki that Mr Macandrew would not bo present, the local committeo decided, in compliment to Mr Daniel, who most undoubtedly is the father of the line,' to ask that gentleman to formally declare it open. When the train ■ roached Orepuki, the crowd assembled there indicated that the whole of the inhabitants of tho : district had met to do honor to the occasion. To most of tho people there the spectacle was a most novel one, and amongst the younger portion of the community especially the event is one that will be remembered during life. ~4-S the train rolled in to the station a hearty cheer was raised by those assembled on the platform, which was as heartily responded to by the visitors, and the local brass band, under the! leadership of Mr McLean, and augmented by

a few of the members of the late Eiverton band, struck up a spirited air. After a few moments had boen allowed to exohange congratulations, Mr T. Daniel mounted the platform of a carriage and addrossed tho assemblage. H£ apologised for the absence of Mr Maoandrew, and'expressed his regret at the latter'a absence, as no one had taken a greater interest in the Western District railways. Mr Maoandrew had deputod him (Mr Daniel) To declare the line open. He wished that that honor had fallen into more competent

! hands. It was now fifteen years since the 1 iine was first sanctioned, and he was happy at being privileged to see it opened. He had already hud the honor to open two of the Western District branches, and he felt certain that if the people hal only put shoulder to the Orepuki Una would have b«nh finished long aeo. He was not yet satisfied, however, as he wanted to see the line extended

to tho Waiau, and if the people pulled together that would yet be accomplished; it had been promised by a member of a late governmoHt. Mr Daniel then mentione 1 the circumstance that first suggested to his mind the idea of making a tramway to Orepuki. After waling up ti the knees in mud,'two mates an! himself arrived at a bark hut, and it was then that the idea occurr.d to him, and when he went to the Provincial Connoil he got his schema ssreioned, ani lie wa? now hippy to see it finished as far as Orepuki ; but he was not satisfied with that, and wished to see it continued to th« Waiau.. Ho then declared tie line inened, and called for three cheers for Mr Mictmdrew aid Mr Hirst, which was lurtity responded to. A similar compliment was paid to Mr Daniel by the crowd.

Mr A. Cassels then stepped forward, and on behalf of the inhabitants of Orepuki and surrounding district tendered to Mr Daniel their congratulations on the ceremony that had just taken place —the opening of such an important work. Those who had resided in Orepuki for the past fifteen years would appreciate the advantages of such a work. When the idea was first conceived by Mr Daniel of connecting Orepuki with Riverton by railway, he would speak plainly and say that it was considered by two-thirds of tho people—and himself amongst them—to bo tho idea of a madman ; bat he now admitted that his ideas' had turned out differently to what ho had expected. When Mr Daniol represented the district in Parliament he had never ceased to advocate the lino ; it should now, therefore be extremely gratifying to ■ Mr Daniel to sec his efforts crowned with success. Whilst giving Mr Daniel every credit for the part he had taken in getting the construction of tho lino agreed to, there were other members whose exertions in the sumo direction were entitled to recognition, viz., Messrs Joyco, Hirst.—(Hear hear). — He hoped the anticipations as to tho good results tho railway would produce would be fully roalised, and that the resources of the district would be dovoloped Ho then presented an illuminated address to Mr Daniel, of which the following is a copy :

To T. Daniel, Esq. Dear Sir,—We the undersigned inhabitants of Orepuki, Paihi, Round Hill, and Orepuki diatriot gen.raUy.bcgtg present you with this testimonial

in appreciation of your services as the originator and constant and earnest supporter of the RivertonOrepuki railway which has this day been successfully opened. —wo ore, &c, A. Caasels, H. Hirst, and G 9 others.

Mr Cassels next placed in Mr Daniel's hands a bundle of bank note*, remarking that lie hone.l Mr Daniel would not ectin.ate the gift nfc its monetary value, but luthor by, the good feeling that was entertained towards him by the people of the distri<t The amount, he hoped, would be supplemented by other districts.

In returning thanks for the double gift, Mr Daniel said he aould not adequately express' his feelings. He had a large family and' whatever he had done for thedistrict he felt that he was onlv doing good for himself, aid discharging hi? duty, and he honed that ev:ry person win represented the district in Pirl ament would do the. same. (The duty of the member for the dis!ri t was to do the utmost for his district an.l the Oilony at large. He done his utmost not only for thi« district, but Invercargill and Bluff and the Kingston line. He returned his kindly thanks for the testimonial and the purse. He appreciated the gifts mure thin he could express. -After the length of time he ha«i served the district in various capacities, it was extremely eratifying to him to lnve it said of him," Well done, good ard faithful servant."—(Cheers). The c.owi then disperse! wh6rever fancy dictated. Avery large number betook themselves to the Orepuki Coal Co.'s pit, the works; jn connection wiJi which were critiaallv examined. It was estimated that over 200, amongst them a large number of ladies, descended the shaft.. The oil township also receive I du» attention, and the mining claims were an object of curiosity to many. About 5.15 a large number of representative gentlemen, at the invitation of the local committee, sat down to a substantial repast at .Mr' Jone's Railway Hotel. Tim * p'efrnitted of only a few toasts being proposed, including ;tho: usual loyal and patriotic, ' Success't> the newly opened railway," :p''opo*ed by Mr Hirst and nsponded to by Mr Jvnox; " The contractor," " The Ladies," " Host and Hostess," &3.—Punctual at the «pp>inted time (4 p.m.) the train startel on its r turn journey, reachin' its destination without mishap of any kind.