ACROSS AUSTRALIA.
SOUTH TO NORTH. FLYING SURVEY FOR RAILWAY. Among tho passengers by tho steamef Tasman, which arrived iu Sydney last week, was Mr R. I'. Lawrence, M.1.C.E., of tho firm of Lawrence and Chalmers, civil engineers and surveyors, who wero entrusted .with tho work of, making a flying survey of the north and south transcontinental railway. ' . Messrs. Lawrence and Chalmers, with a staff of over 20 assistants, and a team of 28 camels, ami still more horses, started early last March from a point known as tho Pines, about a hundred miles distant from Port Augusta, on the Kalgorlio side, and Mr. Lawrence's party traversed tho entire continent, going right through to Darwin. Tho other party, unctyr Mr. Chalmers, is still on tho field, and will probably not finish its work till, the end of tho year.
From tho Pines the main party travelled over sandhill country, thickly covered with mulga scrub, up the west side of Lake Torrens, and joined tho existing lino to Oodnadatta, at a placo called Coward Springs. From Oodnadatta the survey was run north, right up. to Katherine River, and the existing survey to l'ino Creek, tho terminus of tho lin? that runs south from Darwin; was utilised, so tint the flying survey from south to north is complete, but it is only a flying survey, carried out so as to enable estimates to be made as to the cost of tho. lino. Tho track has been blazed, so. to speak, for the permanent survey, which can now be carried, out immediately, if the Government so decide.
Mr. Chalmers struck out from New. cnstlc Waters to Camooweal, which lino will connect the Queensland system with the Transcontinental railway.
llr. Lawrence said that thoy had found ii splendid route, and that the country presented practically no engineering difficulties. Tho interior was patchy.. Somo of 'the country was •excellent. They had experienced a shortage of water on 6omo of the stages, though, fortwiatsly, rain had recently fallen, and their difficulties were not so great as they might otherwise have been. The worst rmrt of the journey was between Burt Well and Stirling Station, whore there was no known' water for the 150 miles that separated those places. A, great many natives had been ii!et with, Uit they had given uo trouble whatever. •
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Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1837, 25 August 1913, Page 5
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386ACROSS AUSTRALIA. Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1837, 25 August 1913, Page 5
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