TUNNELS AW BRIDGES.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 August 1923, Page 4

TUNNELS AW BRIDGES.

IXTF.fiiNTI.vC FlOl'liK*. AVK'M.'INCTON. .Cmust I. Tlu> < iinijilt-cion of ih• • Otira luimel. I !:.■ seventh lnlioe~l in the world ami tli-.- longest in t!n- r.i-ilMi Fm! in'. Ims prompted 31r I l ’. \V. M'Lean. (diiof I't!‘il!i<'or of Now Zealand «>.«. Io (!svriLo the extent of tunnel:, ami hi-idge- i n |I:C \ev.- Zealand system, 'they form L’V |. - er eeni i.l the t* ■ Lit I mil.•l 00. (lain?', t ) N'ew Zealand’s cailieiirctioii low larpo railway systems in I lie world t:-.] tin I it in the proportion i.l' tunnels or of I»ritl. Including the (Mira runnel tito ion;! length of tunnels mm included in New Zealand railway sy-lem is a limit twenty-seven miles, which is approaching the percentage of tmal mileage. Bridges of over ten l'ee,l Si an, if put together continuously would extend for forty-seven and a. halt miles, which is over IV per ec-nl of the total mileage of (lie railway system.

aii I this < ~111 jiiiLutioii t:i!;os no ivniiint of the immher of culverts needed in ;i oonnli'y ahniimliue; in oiillh’s and rainfall. in which etdvens mi immense iMuiiuiii: c-oiUToti l I’.ns k«*<>n - ;11 i k. On (i’O II ((‘MllU'l'kurv) ascOilt to ,l!;c Oiirn tunnel there ft a short stretch hel w t'rn the thil ly-five miles ]V<j: and the forty-I,hive miles pet; in which there are lifleen tunnels, ae-cro-eatiiio 1d.21,j feet. Here tire some of the l.'.ro'est tunnels in New Zealand estimated in feel: sorm island. Feet. Otir.n 28.090 Lyttelton 8.010 Oaversham (donhie lin-o ... -1.020 Alolupiivo (.Nelson) -1.-107 A!iiiiwaha. (near Id. Chalmers) -I.dll NORTH ISLAND.

Porootiirao (XT. Main Trunk) 3.01."> Karangnlmke (T’aeioa-Waihi) 3,n(19 Matanxi (X.T. .Main Trunk) 1,997 Rimuta.ka (Wgtn.-Wairanipn) 1,91-1 From the above figures it wifi bo soon that until tlie recent completion of the Oiira tunnel the record for length was held by the first railway tunnel ever driven in Xew Zealand situated on the In -1 railway constmeted in Xew Zealand.

It was ns long as 1860. when railwav building science was still young, that the Canterbury Provincial Council let the contract- for the construction of the Ciiristchiiieh-l.yttollou railway. on which work was started in 1869. It is typical of our hilly islands, though not typical of lower Canterbury in general, that the engineers should he immediately contronted with a, great tunnel problem presented by the bills that capriciously wall off Canterbury plains from their port. Even to-dov a railway project including a tunnel like tlie Lyttelton tunnel, over a mile and a half long, would be considered important. What then must be said of the courage of Canterbury province in 13(12, when, with a population of less than 10.000. tlTo Provincial Council began this great undertaking, which was completed in 1867. “Surely/' concludes Mr MM .ean. "tin’s is a great example of courage and self-reliance.-"