EAST AND WEST COAST RAILWAY

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2226, 16 April 1881, Page 4

EAST AND WEST COAST RAILWAY

to ini? bd:tob or the raeaa. Sib, — I enclose herewith for publication at your convenience copy of Mr Browne’s report of his journey along the proposed route, made in company of the Government engineer, Mr C. Y. O’Connor. Yours, &c.. Thomas S. Weston, Chairman pro tern of Promoters’ Committee. Christchurch, April 14lh, 1881. Christchurch, April 13 Lh, 1881. To the Chairman and Promoters of the West Coast Railway Company. Gentlemen, —Acting on your instructions, I have tho honor to inform you that I accompanied Mr O. Y. O’Connor, the Government (■Superintending Engineer for the South Island, over the proposed railway route via Cannibal Gorge, as reported on by Mr Thornton and myself, and have much pleasure in informing you that our report has been verified by tho more accurate surveys made by the officers of tho Public Works Department under Mr O’Oonnor’o personal supervision. As has been already reported, we examined three passes through the dividing range, all leading into the Cannibal Gorge, one of which, the Ada Pass, was fixed on by us as a practicable route, and os it had not been mentioned by the Government Engineers, wo devoted some extra attention to it. It was found from our flying survey that tho Lewis Saddle was a few hundred feet lower, but from the report of the engineer in charge of the explorations, the approaching works were described as heavy, and the gradients unfit for mineral traffic, but could not help fixing on it as an alternative line, feeling, from an ordinary coup d’ecil of the country to be traversed, that it was practicable, and have now much pleasure in recommending it on Mr O’Connor’s suggestion, as from information in his possession the lino can be shortened by about ten miles, and the gradients almost as good as the Ada Pass route. It is merely a deviation, and the country to ho developed just the same, with tho exception of a few miles between the Upper Wuiau and Cannibal Gorge. As some misunderstanding has arisen in tho public mind relative to the action of the Public Works Department in connection with this route, it will be necessary to place before you tho facto of the case, in order that a grave charge which has been made against that department generally may be refuted, and to show that although the greatest care was taken to place every information before tho public by the gentlemen at the head of the department, through the prejudice or otherwise of the officers in charge of the exploration surveys false data was given in connection with this route, as is now fully borne out.

What had been looked for for bo long, a practicable route which should connect the vast resources of the West Coast with Nelson and Christchurch, was pointed out by the settlors in the vicinity to one of the junior members of the Public Works Department, a Mr Fowler, who made a reconnaissance survey, and reported the matter to the late engineer-in-chief, who fixed on it from its geographical position as the key to open the vast territory which had been so long locked up, and an officer with competent assistants was appointed to explore the particular place, with the results already stated. In the interests of public morality I hope the very strange position taken up by Mr Foy, the officer alluded to above, and who was in charge of these explorations for four years, will be duly explained, in justice to himself as well as the profession he represents, and the department for which he has worked. The peculiar position of Government officers who are not allowed to reply to any charges which may be made generally against them, demands that the fullest inquiry he made on a question of this kind, when, through mere blundering one, officer may lead a whole department into discredit, and deprive the colony of the vast wealth waiting to be developed. I cannot add much to the statistics already in your possession, but I may mention that the more I have gone into the question the more I feel convinced that the mineral resources of the country are practicably inexhaustible. Large deposits of iron ore exist in the line of route, which was not mentioned in our last report, and large coal measures exist thirty miles nearer Christchurch than Eesfton. The hot springs near the Cannibal Gorge must become a favorite resort the moment the line is open, as they are quite close to it, which is a groat convenience to invalids, and I have reason to believe that a grand sanitorium for Australasian emd Indian invalids will be established there, owing to the salubrious nature of the climate. Yours, &c., J. R. Brownb, O.E.