THE PROPOSED TRAMWAY.

Dunstan Times, Issue 300, 24 January 1868, Page 3

THE PROPOSED TRAMWAY.

(TO TEE EDITOR OF THE DUNSTAN TIMES.) Sir, —There appeared in the "Otago Daily Times of the 11th inst. a paragraph, emanating from Captain Murray, of the steamer Tua'peka, plying on the Molyneux river, in reference to the opening up of the Dunstan country by tho laying of a tramway from the highest navigable point of the Moly" neux to the Dunstan Goldfields. I have not the pleasure of being personally acquainted with Captain Murray, but 1 am intimately 'acquainted with the subject referred to by hira. Having often gone in and out the Molyneux, and also up the river so far as navigable by boats, 1 know the d tliculties to be encountered in forwarding goods from Part Chalmers to the Dunstan by the route recommended by Captain Murray. The goods, after arrival at Port Chalmers, would have to be transhipped into lighters for Dunediu, stored there and so forth : shipped again for Molyneux, and after arrival there transhipped again into small steamers or other craft for up-river to the tramway, and then forwarded to their destination over, land. Now, the distance from the Port to Dunedin is nine miles ; from Dunedin to the Otago Heads, fifteen miles; from the Otago Heads to Port Molyneux, about fifty miles ; from Port Molyneux to the point of the river where the tramway will join it, about twenty-five ] and from the landingplace to the termination of the proposed tramway, somewhere I suppose about seventy miles ; in all making the distance of the proposed route from Port Chalmers to the Dunstan, via Molyneux River, about one hundred and sixty-nine miles, the most difficult and dangerous in Otago. During my early aqueous exploits on the Otago waters 1 frequently called at Molyneux, and was twice capsized on the bar ; the last time, had I not been a good swimmer, I would ire now have been bevoured by sea (not land) sharks. I never encountered a more dangerous river outlet than the Molyneux in my travels, which embrace all the zones, and the river itself is just as bad. When heavy freshets come down they sweep everything before them, and steamers are useless on such occasions. There is another serious drawback to the route proposed by Captain Murray besides the difficulty of transit, which is the frequent shifting of goods from one vessel to another ere they reach their destination, which upon the whole makes Captain Murray's scheme for opening up the Dunstan country impracticable, and certain am I that all men interested in the welfare of the Dunstan gol.!fiolds will back me up in that opinion. I have, Sir, a counter scheme to that of i Captain Murray, namely the route via Waikouaiti ; but, having already overstepped | the legitimate boundaries of space in your columns, 1 will, with your permission, on a I future occasion, give your constituents an | opportunity of judging which of tho two ; routes they would prefer. I am, &c, • ANDREW THOMPSON. Hawkesbury, Jan. lfi, 185 S.