THE BRIDLE PATH & THE ADJOINING HILLS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VI, Issue 434, 31 December 1856, Page 6

THE BRIDLE PATH & THE ADJOINING HILLS.

REPORT ON" A SURVEY BY W. B. BRAY, ESQ.(From tho' Provincial Government Guacotu-,' Dec. 27.) To his Honor the Superintendent of the Province of Canterbury. Sir,—Having been entrusted by your Honor with making the special survey referred to in the resolution of the Provincial Council, cf the 20th Nov., ISSG, I have carefully examined the Port Hill, between Raupaki and Mount Pleasant, for the purpose of finding a practicable line of cart road, which should be of easier ascent than the present Bridle-path, and more direct than the Sumner Road. The former of these roads has an ascent of more than 13 feet per chain. "With this gradient, the action of surface water removing the soil, and the sledges, and the feet of horses loosening the Htonos, have gradually worn away I lie surface, leaving in many places the rocks or the sides of the road protruding 12 or 15 inches. The entire distance to Christchurch by this line is 7 triles and 70 chains.

The Sumner Road commences at the Heathcote Perry, up to which point the road from Christchurch. will be completed and

metalled before harvest. The road from the Perry to Sumner, 3± miles, is perfectly level, and very little remains to do to it betides, metalling.

Between Sumner and Lyttelton a great

deal of work remains to be done. On this 1" portion of the road the Commissioners recommended a deviation from Capt. Thomas' ' line, in order to avoid the bad ground near ' Sumner, aud the heavy rock cuttings, and

" expensive retaining walls. The altered line was to ascend from Sumner valley to ' * ISvans' pass with an incline not steeper than : 3 feet 4 inches per chain, tunnelling under > the pass, and thence descending with an I easy gradient to join Captain Thomas' road '[" in Polhill's Bay. The entire distance to V the middle of Christchurch would be Uf i miles.

- This being the only road which can be { made to Lyttelton with so easy an ascent f, as 3 feet 4 inches per chain, and with a 5 "summit of only 370 feet above high water, %it is clearly the easiest line e 'for a dray road. s r \ jfeut it has been supposed that in some 5y 'rimer direction a road with a quicker ascent g .and shorter distance might be laid out for 'I light traffic. ;,', The only accessible passes over the Port • Hills, between Mount Pleasant and Raupa- : ki, are the following : — Hornbrook's Pass .. 1250 feet high ;< ' Bridle Path 1060 " " £ Lee's Pass ....1180 " « A Raupaki H4O " " -', The first of these passes is accessible from .% the Heathcote ferry by the old bullock track i£ up the spur of Mount Pleasant, which rises „U from 4 ft. to 13 ft. per chain. y~y A tolerably direct road might belaid out with an ascent of 7 ft. to 8 ft. per chain, -,\ which is too steep for a cart* road. An - "/easier line with a rise of 4-h ft. per chain, can -<,'only be obtained by heading several gullies, -1 'and winding up Moabone spur, reaching a //-summit of 1360 feet at 4 miles from the ""ferry. This line is shewn on the accompa- ,./ nyiug plan by a strong black line. The des;"'cent from this summit towards Lyttelton \ /can not be rendered practicable for carts, /-owing to the precipitious nature of the '-; ground. For 12 chains the fall must be „/;8f feet per chain, aud for the next 34 chains ,%• it would be 13 feet per chain, after which -ti th.3 ground is of an easier character, and a "Id'scent-of 9 feet per chain for about 84 'fi chains would reach Lyttelton. The er.tiie js- distance to Christchurch would be 9f miles; [ f-but the gradients on the Port side of the are altogether too steep for carts, and v&the total height to be surmounted is 980 ft. ;|'more than by the Sumner Road, ■ %g., The next pass is that crossed by the The ground on the LytteL f^ion sUre will admit of a road being laid out %with a rise of 9 to 10 feet per chain through--put Jackson's gulley, and winding up the »»purs,descending 7 to 8 feet per chain along rfLee's spur to the road at the foot of the making the distance to Christchurch Jtbout 8-j miles. V' Another line has been pointed out ascen."fiing from near the extreme couth end of (;|iyttelton, contouring the hills at the back s*jj§lhe town, through Mr. Alport's rural CjWfction, to the summit of the present btidle;jpj<»th, and descending either by Lee's spur vQg'ftt the buck of Captain Morgan's and ■Xisterton, to the present bridle road. The , gradient of such a line would be 5 to 6 feet p*»' : chain, the total ascent 1,030 feet, and %W entire distance about nine miles and a '&|s. But, the country passed through is itfpreciphous, that the expense of such a ff£l would be greater than any similar road J^FiVans's Pass, while only 2] miles would j |m saved. 1 therefore cfitlj not deem it I-wes^ary to trace- out this line. I iEiee's pass, ai. the bead of the valley ocFjjfie'l by Mr. I.e..'* section, might, be npMd on the Ciiri.-i.church side by a road

from near Mr. Cookson's contouring Lee's spur, but the distance by such a line would be increased to 11 miles, for which reason it did not merit further examination.

From Mr. Lean's section, where the road at the foot of the hills is carried over the spur at the back of Mr. Lean's house, a line of road rising 6 to Q\ feet per chain may be obtained along the western side of the spur, passing over the summit at an elevation of 1,180 feet between Lee's pass and Raupaki pass, descending with an equally easy gradient over the spurs of Cass's peak to join the Governor's Bay Road, at 50 chains from Lyttelloii, making the entire distance to Christchurch 9f miles.

The steepest porliou of this road would be the ascent of the Governor's Bay road from the Cemetery reserve to the head of the slip, this being 7 feet per chain,- while the general gradient of the remainder would be 6 feet per chain.

This line presents a much easier ascent than the bridle path, and avoids the ferry ; but the summit is 800 feet higher than the Sumner road ; the length of side cutting is nearly double that of the Sumner road, rendering the construction more expensive ; while the saving of distance is only two miles, to compensate for the extra rise of 800 feet and the increased danger on a narrow road, when the gradient is so steep that a cart would run back of itself.

The resolutions of the Provincial Council ordering this survey state the object to be to ascertain whether any temporary cart road can be constructed on any other part of the hills which may serve for the passage of light traffic, pending the opening of the Sumner road, and that careful estimates ought to be prepared of the cost of any such road.

After a long and careful examination of the hills, I have altogether failed in discovering any line of road that I can recommend as answering the above object. All the lines practicable for light cart traffic would require for their construction as great an expenditure of time and money as would complete the Sumner road. I have not thought it necessary to prepare careful estimates of roads evidently not answering the purpose proposed.

The accompanying plan of the Port hills shews the general disposition of the spurs, and the elevation of various points is figured. The lines of road which I have gone more particularly over, up Mount Pleasant spur, and from Mr. Lean's to the Governor's Bay road, are indicated by strong black lines.

The Bridle Path summit is the lowest (after Evan's pass): the other passes are from lOOtoSOOfeethigber. To carry aline of road fit for light carts requires at least 2-J----miles of ascent on the spurs on each side of the pass. The'greater portion of these five miles of road would be in heavy side cutting, whichever spur you select, and the cost must be proportionably heavy.

The result cf this survey points out the necessity of repairing and improving the present Bridle-path for direct communication with Lvttelton.

Then, when labour and capital can be spared from the construction of the necessary roads fiom the interior to the shipping wharves, whence the produce can be sent by steamer to port, a can road with the easiest ascent can be completed to Lyttelton. on the least expensive line, which Ls by way of Sumner, W". B. Bray. Avonbcatl, Dec. IS, 1856.

The Pkesuytkuiax Chuuch. —We have been requested io publish l\ic follow, ing account of the formation of a Presbytery of Auckland : —•" The Presbyterian Church in the Province of Auckland lias recently,' as we learn, been formally organised, On October LI, a meeting was hold

of the ministers in the Province along with the elders delegated from the respective Kirk-sessions, when, after solemn deliberation and earnest prayer, the Presbytery was duly constituted. The ministers present were the Revs. Messrs. Macky, Bruce, Norrie, and McKinney, all of whom, along with the great majority of the people under the care, hold the principles of tho Free Church of Scotland. At the same time the Constitution of the Presbytery has been so drawn up as to be cordially welcomed and approved by all the Presbyterians in the settlement. The sole headship of the Lord Jesus Christ over the Church, and tho respective rights and privileges of the ofi'ce bearers and members are distinctly recognised. Loyal addresses were drawn up for presentation to her Majesty the Queen, and to his Excellency the Governor of New Zealand. Acts of Presbytery were also passed with the view of establishing intercourse and correspondence with the Presbyterian churches in other provinces, and of engaging the attention of the churches to the duty of missionary effort, and to the religious instruction of the young. We trust that the erection of this ecclesiastical court may be the

means of leading to increased zeal, harmony, and efficiency in every good work among the presbyterians of Auckland."