MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 95, 14 August 1908, Page 5

MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY.

Alleged Dangerous Tunnel. Taihape Daily Times of Mon-day'-nst contains the fcl'iowin.L - : -"On Saturday a statement was conveyed to us 61* a most alarming character, and such if there are any ground? tor it. will come as an unpleasant shock to travellers over the Main Trunk Ime. The report briefly went to show that what is commonly known as the "Black" tunnel, situated between Toi Toi and Mangaweka, was discovered to be in a very unsafe condition, it beingalleged that a hole existed through which the waters of the Rangitikei stream could be seen. As is weil known the tunnel in question skirts the Rangitikei stream at a prcoipitious height, and is regarded by those who know the locality as one of those many mistakes made when the southern section of the Main Trunk line was put through years ago. The information given us "further tended to show that a day or so before the Parliamentary special made its maiden trip over the route between Wellington and Auckland, a gang of men were engaged m shifting the rails laid through the tunnel further in from the river wall with the idea (so our informant said) of putting less weight on that side of the track in which the defect is supposed to exist. It was also pronouncedly prophesied that an accident was being awaited by those who were in a position to know the exact state of affairs, and that it was only a matter of time when some train or other would crash through the structure and smash into the bed of the river some hundreds of feet below.