KAWARAU BRIDGE, NEVIS FERRY.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 239, 9 June 1874, Page 5

KAWARAU BRIDGE, NEVIS FERRY.

Aa previously announced, the completion of Mr M'Cormick's new bridge over the Kawaran River, at Edwards's Crossing, on the main road between Cromwell and Queenstown, was celebrated on Wednesday last. Cromwell people had made up their minds to respond to Mr M'Cormick's invitation, having a grateful remembrance of the pleasure of the opening-day last year of the Bannockburn Bridge ; and conveyances—quadrupedal and vehicular—were in great request for a day or two previous. On Wednesday morning, a very heavy shower, which took place about 7 o'clock and lasted for nearly two hours, was looked upon as a precursor of disappointment ; but this feeling gave way as the rain passed entirely over, and there appeared every promise of a fine day. This promise luckily held good, and consequently from ten to eleven o'clock the street looked quite busy with the number of horsemen and carriages starting towards the Nevis. Ferry. On arrival at the Bridge, everything was found to be in a forward state of readiness for the proposed "spree," and what with visitors from the Arrow, Deep Creek, and

that neighbourhood, the concourse of people present could not have been less than 300 or 350.

Before going on to describe the celebration festivities, it may be well to give a few particulars as to the Bridge itself. As is generally known, the erection-of it is a private speculation of Mr John M'Cormick, who apparently has a kind of weakness for supplying means of crossing rivers. He owned the first pjiht at the Kawarau Junction, at the time of the great rush to Fox's ; afterwards put a punt.on the.Clutha River at the time of the Bendigo excitement; was the initiator of the Kawarau Bridge ; and now is sole proprietor and constructor of the Bridge under notice. As one of the speakers on Wednesday put it, he is justthe kind of man for a new country. Mr M'Cormick has kindly supplied us with a few particulars as to the construction of the Bridge, from which it will be seen that the undertaking was one of no slight responsibility and moment for a man single-handed as he has been. The span of the structure is 195 feet 6 inches,, which is the greatest span of any bridge in the Australian or New Zealand colonies, and the height from the river is 70 feet. The spring of the arch is 2ft 10in. The quantity of timber used in the bridge is over 50,000 feet, and of iron 19 tons. 12,600 feet of 4§-inch wire rope has been used, and the masonry built on both sides of the river is something over six hundred tons. The materials used are of the strongest description, the erection being suspended by twenty-eight 44-inch wire ropes, passing over two piers'at either end which are 3 feet 6 inches square, and built of thoroughly seasoned timber, bolted together; and with hot tar run in between the seams and joints. There are also eight 4-inch mooring-ropes. The ends of the ropes are fastened to sheave castings, each one ton weight, let 25 feet into the solid rock on the Cromwell side, and built into 300 tons of solid cemented masonry on the Arrow side. The roadway is composed of 4i-inch red birch planking, the hand-rails being" 6 feet 6 inches above the roadway, and built of picked red birch 9 inches by 6 inches, bolted securely to the superstructure by bolts—thus giving the bridge great rigidity. As the breaking strain of each wire rope" amounts to some 40 tons, the strength of the structure is placed beyond the shadow of a doubt. The total cost is a little over L.6000, and only four months were occupied in the work of construction ; that is to say, four months have elapsed since Mr M'Cormick sustained the severe loss of one of the girders which were originally intended to be used in its construction ; and as this loss entirely changed the plan of the erection, it may be fairly said that such is the real time of the Bridge's"completion.

The lady deputed to perform the ceremony of christening was Mrs Corse, of Cromwell, and about three o'clock that lady was escorted towards the centre of the Bridge by Mr M 'Cormick. Proceedings were opened by the Rev. Mr Drake engaging in prayer, thanking Providence for allowing the course of the Bridge's erection to be undisturbed by any accident to life or limb. Mrs Corse then approached the pendant bottle of champagne, and with a few expressions of congratulation on the successful completion of the work, and of hope that prosperity would attend Mr M'Cormick, she dashed the bottle against the structure, and christened it the " Victoria Bridge." Of course, cheers for everybody concerned followed. Then the Mayor of Arrowtown, Mr S. Goldston, arose in his might, and said lie had been asked by Mr M'Cormick to formally open the Bridge for traffic It was flattering to the Municipality of which he had the honour to be Mayor that he had been selected, and although other Mayors might be more fit, he would do his best. This he did according to the light that was in him,.but his best was not brilliant. Presently he got into a fog regarding the relations between Mr M'Cormick and the Executive, and pulled up short by declaring the Bridge formally open. Cheering once more followed. Then an adjournment was made to the table laid out on the Arrow side of the river,—and before going further, a high meed of praise i 3 due to Mrs Sl'Cormick, who superintended the supplying of eatables. Everything was first-class, and" as many of the visitors had come a distance of fourteen or fifteen miles, it may be relied upon that I justice was done to the spread. There was | no stint of eatables or drinkables, and wo are glad to say that in not one instance did we notice that the supply of the latter was misused or abused. Sorne little time having been spent in satisfying the " inner man"' with solids, the liquids came into request for the purpose of toast-drinking. The usual toasts j were given at short length, and then came ! that of the day, " Success and Prosperity to j Mr John M 'Cormick," proposed by Mr Cope, and seconded by most unanimous and prolonged cheering. Mr M'Cormick, in a very few words, replied, and then once again cheering followed. The only oilier toast j which calls for notice was thai given by Mr I M'Cormick, ''The Workmen," which was replied to by Mr Leece, in an excellent and well-delivered speech. The Rev. Mr Drake also addressed the assemblage, as also did Mr James Dawkins, the Mayor of Cromwell. The proceedings were pleasantly varied by some excellent music by a portion of the Cromwell Brass Band, under the able leader- | ship of Mr VVheUor. " Grid save the Queen" i concluded the affair, and the homeward route was taken by all, well pleased at the good cheer provided for them by Mr .M'Cormiek, and expressing the most lively hopes for his future success. Mr M'Cormick intends at once to proceed with the erection of a hotel and range of stabling on the Arrow oidj of the vv. jv.