45

D.—2

869. I believe you have a minute acquaintance with the whole of this province?—l have been a great deal over this province. 870. You have lately been employed specially by the Nelson Eailway Committee to explore and examine what I may term the Central lino and the East Coast line ?—Tes, also the Greenhiils route. I have done so ; have gone carefully over all these lines, have taken aneroid heights, and prepared plans of all the routes. I produce a plan showing the three routes, which are distinguished by colours —the central by red, the coast yellow, and the Grreenhiils green. I have made section plans of the three routes which I now produce. [Witness pointed out the routes on the plan.] With regard to the central route beginning at Blenheim, from Blenheim to the Tophouse there is a very easy grade ; the only difficulty would be the one crossing of the Wairau liivcr. There is no special difficulty in crossing that river by a bridge, as piles could easily be driven. I would cross somewhere near Manuka Island. There would be some little side cutting near Birchhill and Manuka Island. From the Island to the Tophouse there is very little difficulty. The grade of the last three or four miles going to the Tophouse is 1 in 69, which could be altered by making the junction further up the Wairau Eivor to about lin 110. There is a descent of about 300 feet from the Tophouse Telegraph-station to the river level. A descending grade could be got from the telegraph-station to West-port or Eeefton. There is one hill of about 300 feet between Eeefton and (ireymouth. Except that, it is a descending grade the whole way. From the telegraph-station at Tophouse towards Christchurch the line would go level for 13 or 14 miles along the side of the ranges, which are very favourable, having tho spurs well rounded. It would then reach the Wairau at the river level, where the first large creek comes in, and so avoid a heavy bridge. Then the line would follow up the valley along or near the river level to the gorge crossing the Eainbow Eiver, which is very easy to bridge. The grade up the gorge is very good; there is no difficulty at all in the way as to grades. About a quarter of a mile up there is a rocky bluff which would necessitate crossing the river by a bridge. The river is narrow, and the bridge would not be a long one. The banks there are rocky ; it is a kind of trap-rock, and is sufficiently sound to give a secure footing for the bridge. Further on there are two rocky points which would require tunnelling —one 10 chains and the other 4 chains. The line would then pass over a shingle slip which could be made secure without much cost. You then re-cross the river with a bridge and get on to the table land. By doing this you avoid all the rocky cliff's on both, sides of the river. The last bridge is just above the gorge. You travel on the west bank of the river to the saddle at Tarndale, when you cross the stream again. The greatest gradient up to this point is 1 in 71, and that only for a short distance. The river is very narrow and the bridges would be all small. Instead of going down the Alma I propose to go down Travellers Creek. By this course you get an even gradient of about 1 in 200, and the common point of the junction of the Severn and the Alma would be reached with a saving of about five miles. The valley is rougher, but the-distance saved would more than compensate for extra formation. There are no special difficulties to contend with there, nor are there any down the Acheron. There are two places where it would be necessary to have either rock cuttings or to cross the river; I think crossing the river would be best. The crossing of the Eiver Acheron is not difficult, as it has good high banks and rock in many places. It would be perfectly convenient for the construction of a bridge. You strike the Clarence at the accommodation-house, and cross above its junction; the river there is about eight chains wide, with a bed of small shingle, and would be easily bridged. No timber comes down the river. Along the whole distance from Tarndale the grade is descending. From the Clarence accommodation-house to the Hossack Saddle it is an ascending grade of 1 in 136. For two or three miles down the Clarence it would be light easy construction, but further on, approaching the Hossaok Saddle, the formation would be heavy in many places, and there would be small gullies to bridge. The Hossack Saddle would only require a small cutting or tunnel of about a chain and a half long and some seventy feet deep. This is the only reverse grade in the whole line. From the Hossack Saddle you go to the Lottery Saddle, down the Hanmer Eiver. This is the worst gradient on the line—l in 486, but would probably be lessened to lin 50 when the curves are set out. The length is about six miles. That would be heavy construction. From the Lottery Saddle there are two ways of reaching the Eed Post —one is down the Lottery on to the table-land of the Lottery, which is about eight miles from the Waiau Township. The work would be rather heavy for the first four miles, but Ido not think there is any serious difficulty. From this point downwards I believe the terrace land could be kept until within such a distance of the Waiau Township that it would be necessary to grade down off the terraces, which are very high. The grade from the Lottery Saddle to the Waiau Township would be about lin 50. From the Waiau Township to the Eed Post the line would cross the Waiau by a bridge, which is now being built. That ends the difficulties of the work, from the Waiau to the Eed Post being a plain. The alternative route starts from the Lottery Saddle and follows down the Hanmer Eiver to the Waiau Gorge. A part of the work would be heavy. There is one rather heavy slip in it, but a good deal of terrace land would be available for formation. The advantage of that line would be that you could keep any grade. If the line was fixed to reach the terrace-level at the ferry it could be done with a grade of lin 70. You cross the river at the gorge, probably by a short suspension-bridge. There might be an advantage in keeping low there, so as to communicate with the Hanmer Plains. There is no particular difficulty through the Waiau Gorge. It is flat land through there to the Eed Post. Of the two routes I would recommend the one by way of the gorge rather than by the Waiau Township. I think it would be of more use to the people in the neighbourhood, and would make one line do for the West Coast line as well. It would join somewhere in the gorge. I think the best line would be up the Waiau, crossing into the Ahaura by the Doubtful. It would be a better track than the Hope. Both of the passes have a great drop on the west side, and would doubtless require special appjjances for working. It would command a greater portion of the flat land on the west than by way'of the Ada Saddle and Cannibal Gorge. The line would come out on the Ahaura. The grades throughout the central line are very good, with the exception of the one by the Hossack Saddle, which is lin 486. It would work out better on a survey. The grade on Jenkin's Hill is lin 37|. By far the steepest part of the whole line between Nelson and Christchurch would be within a couple of miles of Nelson. The country up the Wairau is very fair for railway formation. There are good side-cuttings, and plenty of ballast can be had, and the hiils are not very sharp. This