THE IRON ROAD.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1079, 18 March 1911, Page 3

THE IRON ROAD.

FROM PICTON TO CHRISTCHURCH. [ THE LAST LINK IN Til]-; MAIN c TRUNK LINE. J (Br Wild L.uvsox.) ' (All Rights Reserved.) "As this will be the main line con- I neeting the two islands by menus of a ferry from I'icton to Wellington, I think considerable expense should be incurred to make the gradients such, thai a fair nito of speed may be maintained, otherwise there will be no inducement for through passengers or gojds to take the rail instead of the sea from Lyttellon to Wellington.-' . So wrote the late Mr. W. N. Blair, Government. Civil Engineer ill charge of South Island, in 1875. when, reporting on the route of a railway that was to connect Amljerley with Nelson nnd Blenheim by way of Tophouse and Jollic's Pass, and though tho inland mountainous route that was first surveyed, has now been abandoned in favour of the coastal line, the sentiments expressed in tho above sentence thirty-six years ago are just, as applicable to-day to tho coaslal route. Since the inland route has from time to time been mentioned as the best route for a trunk line. it. may be stated that it attains a maximum elevation of .'MOO feet as against 500 feet on the coastal line, and it is 30 miles longer than tlie latter route. What this elevation means in winter may be gauged by a comparison with the highest point in the North Island Main Trunk line at Waiuru, where the altitude is 2SGO feet. The Roulh Island line is 400 miles further south and 640 feet, higher. It does not require the word of a traveller who has crossed the route in winter to prove how bitterly cold the temperature is. After a survey of this route, two lines were planned to eo via the coast, one starting from Waiau township along what is now the coach road to Kaikoura, another from Waipara through the country where Cheviot now is and across tho Waiau River. Thence bv the line of the nresent coast rood to Kaikoura. North of Kaikoura there was no doubt as to tho route, as the only one available is that along the coast. The present position of the railway at the north end as regards the portions authorised for construction and those that are merely suggested is as follows:—From Picton to "Ward, 51 miles, tlie li" D is eomnleted mid nnen for trnPo: from to Mirza 3J miles, construction is authorised, and money for a further 3J miles to carry the line through the Tar-barrel Hill and a mile beyond I'-o I're Riv»r, is to b" placed on tlie Estimates this year. This further short sec f 'on is a most important one locally, as it' will save much labour and risk to read traffic in winter. The tunnel through the Tnr-b-ivrnl in name which convcvs some ideo. of tho lull-road's stickiness in vain) will ho a fairly lons "ne, and the bridge across the river, together with its approaches, will take some time to construct, as the Ure is'an earth-eating stream. At the. south end the line is being built as far as Parnassus, just across the Waiau River. Between Parnassus and Mirza the distance by proposed rail is 78 miles, and the cost of construction of this portion is set down at ,£950,000. Having crossed the Ure River, the line is at once forced on to tho narrow strip between hills and sea, which a mile beyond the Ure broadens out into a wide level stretch. Here construction will be. unattended by any ssrious difficulties. For more than 30 miles, as far as the Clarence River, the.beach will border the line, sometimes a fairly wide stretch of land is encountered, sometimes there is barely room for the coach road. Here and there gigantic rock-slides will tax the ingenuity of the engineer for in heavy rain tho torrents set the rocks tumbling down the wonderful slides. So many rocks have so descended that the torrent-bed is no longer a depression, but a heap of huge stones spread from cliffs to sea. In this thirty miles of line, viewed from a local standpoint, there is nothing to have but sheep. There will, however, be plenty of sheep, since tho sheep stations are large, and there is no other outlet save the coast road. At tho Clarence River there already stands a fine railway and traffic bridge, built, with foresight, against the day when the railway shall come. South of the Clarence lies tho worst nart of all this coastal line, if the coast be still followed. The laud rises to a considerable height at the rocky Ohaii Point, and there is no alternative to tunnelling. As far beck as ISS2 the surveyors planned a half-mile-lons tunnel with another half-mile of wooden trestlework to carry the rails clear of the surf along the high clifi'-face. Such construction is not followed nowadays, and the alternative is a longer tunnel, probably something over' a mile in length. Once past this point no difficulties exist beyond a bridge across the Ilapuka, which stream is never dee]), but snreads wide in floodtime —wide and swil't. like the Canterbury rivers. Then there is a straight, level run into Kaikoura. The alternative route to that in which occurs this heavy tunnel work is to leave the coast-line, taking a wide sweep from the bridge-end and follow Urn south bank of the Clarence, which is high and of a firm substance, as far as the Miller Junction, a distance of about four miles, thence another five miles to the Limestone Saddle, which is crossed, the lino traversing, tho valley of Whakarire Stream, commonly known as the Waipapa Puhi, and crossing tho Kareku Saddle six miles further south into tho Puhi Valley and thence by an easy grade to the Hapuka, which is crossed at a point some distance from the coast, where bridging is easier than it would be lower down its stream. This route is distinct from another route which traverses the Puhi Yallev proper and crosses into the Clarence bv a saddle, having many feet more elevation than the highest ponn of this route, which may be called the . eaward Yallev route. There are no tunnels necessary, "and tho engineering difficulties do not appear to lie anything. The lats-st maps do not show that any exploration has been carried out her, and if, this be one cannot but wonder at it since the obvif-.ting oi the necessity for a long and costly rock-tunnel would seem to be a most desirable thing. . . The railwav will never go right into Kaikoura town though a branch will havo to be built to serve the local wharf. The main lino will cross Kaikoura 1' hit ■and "o away southward by the Waiau coach" road, which will be followed for twenty miles, the iron road then turning off to sweep round Green Hills and the Whaleback and down the Leader Valley to Parnassus. . The controversy, of routes for tlijs southern portion of the line, begun in ISS2, has not ended yet, ■ though there is every probability that the route abovementioned will be followed. On both the Leader and the Conway routes the construction, work will be heavy for a short distance, due to tho seaward run of tho ranges, making it. necessary to cross over or tunnel beneath each lino of iiills. There is. however, no doubt that this portion of the line will pay even from the local point of view. That, however, it not the point of view from which to regard this through line. Tt is only as a trunk line that its construction is justified, though as local lines the north and south ends could profitably bo pushed further on. Ever since its first survey, it is as a trunk lino that it lias been regarded by engineers, and as such its building is certainly justified. One has only to watch the coach traffic and stock' and wool trade to see that, and the traveller over the route of this, the last link in tho North and South trunk railway, cannot but wonder that it was not built years and years ago. Urom Christehnrch to tho Bluff, and froir) Wellington to Auckland, the best that the country possesses in permanent way nnd rolling-stock carry tho travellers to and fro, and there is a 175-niilc sea-ferry journey to link the islands. On the Blenheim-Christehurch overland route there are 15G miles of travel that is oldfashioned in the extreme. Were the rails laid it would mean that tho seai'errv would have only a 50-mile journey —only two hours in open water. If. the last link was built it. wonh'. be nos-ible for a fcrrv steamer, such as the Maori, to leave Wellington at .sixo'clock u.m.. two hours after the arrival of the Auckland train. She would reach I'icton at nine and passengers boarding the train at once would reach Christchurch at seven the next morning. Wliil.-> the up train lenvine Chrisfchurch nt eight would be in Piclon at six in the inorninu". The returning ferry would i reach Wellington at ten, giving two 1 liours to through passengers n'ho wished

to do business in tlio capital. One fast -stcitmpr could do all the l'err.v work, and Mich a route will bp a boon to travellers. Possibly, ero fifty.years have elapsed since the lirst survey was made, the main trunk service in all its entirety will bo an accomplished fact—from Auckland clear through to the BlulY. MarHwroiigh, so loiij,' neglected, would be brought into the line of progress and who knows that lileuheim would not shine as a star in the constellation of New Zealand cities?