THE WELLINGTON AND MASTERTON RAILWAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4908, 14 December 1876, Page 3

THE WELLINGTON AND MASTERTON RAILWAY.

■ (BY. OUB SPECIAL OORKBSPONDENTi) ' ' * Somehow or another ’the - dwellers* in the neighborhood of the works going on on the. above railway seem to consider -that walking over those works is ah accomplishment only fitting for people who have no other object in existence. ’ Upon getting to the Upper Hutt on Friday evening last, . and mentioning, (in answer to, inquiries) that I and a proprietor, of tlje Press Agency purposed personally inspecting the railway works, I found myself and my 1 companion regarded from three different stand: points, namely, the jocular, the sympathising, and -the . satirical): Those ! who addressed us from the - first hinted that 1 upon getting'tired,, after, accomplishing halt-a-raile of pur task, they could tell us a, short cut by. which to get, back.. The sympathising suggested boots of a particnlarshape for the’ frightful walking before us,' and recommended' cabbage leaves 'carried in the interior pf the hat as a sure- preventative of sunstroke., -The satirical were good enough to, say that; there were plenty of 'Carpenters along, the line Who. could knock up a couple of. bush coffins in no time.. It may be pardonable - to mention'that conversation; of; this class, induced us.' to ■ go to i bed early in order to be ready for herculean, feats. In the cased my .companion, this {Saving with good intentions was rooted up by the advent to our hotel,’ atj one o’clock in the morning, of three distinguished citizens of Wellington, onitheir, way to 1 a wedding at Carterton. Having ascertained who were in the .-house* they .roused up my friend to’enjoy himself; with them for,a coupleof: hours, and only let.me sleepuntupbuthe distinct, understanding that my .friend - Vouidt consume the necessary.for both, which- he,, did, and, which; .kindness 'upon the earliest opportunity I shall repay him.-Amidst the undisguised contempt, of - the people of the Upper. Hutt, and the ironical cheering - of a coachful of passengers, we set out, under a broil- ■ ing, sun, on Saturday-morning, at' the' com-: mencomentofr-.m -.4 fhv si .(!< I‘p; ‘ ; . MtaRDY’S-CONIUAdT,': 1 ; which is IS) miles frogi Wellington. ' And lna> very short time it .‘became palpable that the 1 work ; on the • line was of a - different rand • far - heavier characterthan'that on the portion now open for traffic. . Thpiline runs .up to the firsttunnel near .Gruiokshank’s on an incline of 1 in 35, and in the space 'of ’ two ' miles includes no lens than', fifteen 'cuttings, and : an equal number of embankments, many of them being very deep and heavy. One in especial

of the met with, almost Immediately after, leaving the; Upper. Hutt, passes in a curve , along-the lower ( parf of deep gully, and.is ,73ft. iu height at its highest part and 13 chains in length, r It ia;pierced,at ,the level of the watercourse in the gully by a brick culvert,of '24oft. in length/Bft, in height,.and 4ft. in width/ with concrete" facings of the most solid description. The whole of this portion 'of the'line' follows as much as possible what maylibe -'called'the’-‘oofitour of the hills, at.an elevation'which, /gradually- increasing; soon gets very,;far above:the level-of tbe'Hntt river, v, Passing along, bycuttings through the hoses of the spurs, and embankments, across the gully, it, reaches the tunnqlß r hyiouslyjnenf tiohed,’ not/ however, without-ample evidence, in thosliapo of numerous slips, of the treacherous nature of the soil, ’a matter fo which I purpose presently directing "some/attehtibn, as I am confident-that it will enlighten the public very much- as'-'to" the- 1 very/great/ difficulties presented in-the-construction b£ ; this-railway,-and will enable them -to understand that bf whibh personal, inspection- might a convince-' the most ignorant, namely,-that instead of being;dis--satisfied we should be perfectly - contented with ilie,. progress;made ,on all .the.eohtracts; for what applies to, the one now under notice; applies, as will be seen, even, in a greater degree to those further on. The deepest cutting in tliis section ocours at the place'just,described,. at, a distance of 20 miles 4 chains from, It is 60ft; in depth. o , ///,: /* The tunnel is 132 yards in lengthVahd I'may, say--seems a perfectly unnecessary work/for the Small saddle : it passes through' doiild have' been; .traversed without anyV .'difficulty Jby a cutting bridged .over in one-part vtb admitof the passage of the: tramway in. cbnneotion,with; saw, mill,; which, .in addition to; crossing a portion of .the ,hill above, the, tunnel, j ' has to bef carried oyer the cutting in profit of I :it on a "strong bridge/ The/mill/ace'is also; j - encountered in the‘tunnel itself, and is passed by-means bf a massive eulvett. .TCTpon mouht-,' ;ing the-hiir through whicK.ithe' tunnel is fiiade/ ■ a every, fine - view of the Mungarba ■ valleyis obtained,, and at bud’s -feet “arb the "kilns - in; which the - bricks nsed ' for ’lining" the' tunnel were, burned.- .The tunnel is lined for 7ft. Gin. on either side with concrete,' above- which, pug the Mungaroa .side,: rises a, pointed gothic arch/threqibricks, in thickness, ; -formed lot two arches,, with "a, rqdius of ~7ft.’ ;9in. each. About two chains in the point dis-. appears, and an; ordinary rounded arch takes ;its place' for the rest of the .tunnel, 'There Were Used in ‘ the . construction' of the lining; I may mention, some 150,600 bricks ; , and a shp.at the Muugaroa face necessithted J -very heavy 1 work, besides which ' the- tunnel itself ; required most substantial timbering during its whole, progress.. The lining is almost/ it may,he said, finished. ,gj -.-i ' TTpon emerging from the tunnel; the line crosses, the Mungaroa river on a pile bridge of 19 spans, of 26ft. each and one of -lift. From this it runs in a perfectly straight' line across the Mungaroa vafiey/.and it may be said,is, with, the" exception 11 of - the permanent way,.“ prabtically finished up I to that 'point. The walk across the valley is not uninteresting. In front' are the -Mungaroa‘>Tahg6S/ leaf clad; to' the;' summit, and only wanting the lawns arid wiriding gladeSof - “Enoch Arden”’t«>makethem seem, like ways /high- up to Heaven. • - Theibush has been cleared for, a; fair distance, ori each side of the line, and the .burned up.,,tree stumps;. trunks, arid,'.branches serve ..as. a.foil to the. varying foliage of the dense;,.verdure, behind, in which every now and then a small glade or opening, cool and overshadowed.' by leayes, seems to'tempt the traveller to leave the glaring sun-heated soil, and wander info the weods.T

i Upon reaching thefurther side of the valley it is at once easily seen that the-portion of; the works upon which most active operations are being,carried has been reached. The works ■ on , the,.spurn, before . coming, to No. id, or Gruickshank’s tunnel,- is .thrpughppen country, , and though the cuttings are deep and the em- . barikments correspondingly high, the hills are. rounded, and their ’ sides are not particularly . steep. 1 But we how conie upon a. country , | thick with'tall trees and h dense 1 uhderbush, with almost’ precipitous 'gullies, and'through which the survey of >the Uhe ■' must 5 have ' been, most difficult. The soil, too, is* 1 as treacherous; ■ as ever, and ; is of [what,. for. > want fOf h technical term, I may call of so sloppy a character that whole embankments slide away or shrink, ' ' [whilst in the cuttings it literally flows ;in fre- . [queut slips. From here to the Pakuratahi station is ' but a succession of difficult cuttings, and .. equally difficult ’ embankment^, the clay for , which as it is turned put ih the trolleys can he. •plainly seen' to be saturated by water. ‘ The' deepest of these cuttings is about 60ft., and 50" ; men are at work on It, many w them'working twelve'hours, and; consequently, at; the cost'of overtime,• making handsome'wagesJ i- In'many' a; case an embankment has -been, known to .fall away to the extent ;ofi ];sft.' ini length during * the, night, and ,in ; ,one, placedffie debris can he -plainly seen where a.slip in, Ijhe gully;abpye. ; carried an [embankment bpdijiy s,oyds. ’down from its proper position. [ At a distance of 25 miles 46 chains froiu Wellington, Bome'df the, heaviest stone work on the: line is reached, in ’ the shape • of : abutments of- stone, and cement,' for a bridge over a creek/. The abutments .are’, 26ft. -' 16in;„ in height, with foundations of ;6ft.'; ‘ ’ and were once all carried right away, and had to be rebuilt. At 24 miles 21 chains; is No/‘2 tunnel, 253yds. in length,: which it istpurposed to commence lining; on Monday, - The tim--bering through this tunnel; is; of the, very stoutest; character, and must .have cost a very, great deal in labor and money. ‘ ; , . ., 01 ., Bad as slips 'have been on' the,,line, they [have been .worst of all • ih'the cutting through, the Mungaroa saddle; where the soil on either side has literally run tawtiy ia places: l "The, summit -of. this • cutting;'*is 872ftl above, Cea level; *and ;the'.permanant:way will-be ; 831ft. abpve;the same level. The- line runs all through the - neighborhood,; ini . quickly i; joining ■ curves ’of 5 chains,radius, leading : to*;the.Pakuratahi', station, where we once , more como on the coach road, [the last sight, previously of (Whiph was; obtained-before'‘entering. No.,^tunnel.:,.lt is quite probable ttiai the - line [might opened for; traffic as far' as; this’’point in time for. negf wool 1 season, but as the, ‘ lining of ’Np. 2 tqrinel will take folly l six* iphthsHo complete; :and[ as ’ the permanent way will have* to* be laid 'in addition, whilst there is much!heavy work' to be ;goti'throhgh.Yati:tiieiMungarea, itis’not ' reasonable to expect* that .the lihe' could* be • completed for traffic any sooner, t If it can be finished by . that ..time however, it . will become a question whether its, opening wovdd not be availed of by carriers and. others, in order to avoid the Mungaroa Mil. Of course it would cause the passenger "traffic” "by 1 -coach to [have , its |terminqsherp v ! t The . IPahurqteM:’ station, I, may, mention, is 26 1 miles 52 chains f rpm [ the ’present" Wellington terminus, •, The engineers had laid out.theline after, its passing; this station, [sp ; that, jits' construction. !t woijld:. involve a level crossing and ;;ar ;bridgo over? the coach road, but Messrs. McKirdy and. . Oakes (the*ldtter’s'contract joins! ■ that of the ■ former just here) pointed* out ithat by an easy diversion of the’road the crossing and’bridge 1 might i be* avoided. ’ Accordingly, both gentle- ; men are now at work on this diversion, whilst passing*'whieh Mr." MoKirdy’s contract- ends,, at a distance of 26 miles 78 chains from; Wellington. * •■i‘4 ; ' I -‘mb. OAKB3* CONTRACT. : , ! ’

My first letter left such' as read it at the termination' of 1 Mr. - MoKirdy’s' contract;/2$ miles iand -78 chains' from Wellington. ■ Here Mr. Oakes' contract begins,>and ! rana'riglit upto ; the summit.tunnel; that is.the one through a. saddle .of the Rimutaka.' The' contract involves seine very heavy work,’ : of -which a good deal has-been completed, and the : contractor’ has 1 suffered from the 1 treacherous nature of’the ground; though 1 not to the same degree as Mrl : MbKirdy.' i-dh ■ consequence 6f ; the road divoV-,-sionl which I mentioned yesterday, Mr. Oakes has not had meb at work’ just at this-end of ■his cohtraoti'fdr-some tiibe, 'the hands being engagedf upon the' rf>ad : diversion before men-" tioncd. As a result a large embankment wants .finishing, but after-the; gap, created, by.itsnot being completed the.lineds practioallyralmost /ready for tile laying pfithe permanent 'way fori several miles'. ’ A feature 'about the work jupthero is the manner in which the contractor, by the permission,of the Government, basin many instances avoided the construction of long and expensive culverts of brick or concrete through the widest and lowest, portions of largo em-.

bankments.- ■' By filling up the bottom of the gully and carrying ; the water-way on a siding the stream is : taken-across theline at a point where<a'small'bridge or a short culvert is all that is needed., .... T ;Early,in walking up. the contract one-of the slips which seem iai< necessary’consequence of railway-making has occurred. .'.ln' the very first cutting there are the sighs Of , where a slip took place, which brought away some' 5000 yards of stuff,'not cleared -away under ls.-6d. a yard.” ' : A'notable 'fact in tills connection is that Chinamen, in consequence of their steady persistency, absolutely are. better at 'clearing away debris than are .Europeans. ' L Beyond.this oiittirig are'the marks'i of-where a great' eM : bankment slipped away no less than three tiniess ,'A but is f nbw built' dh'tHetop-of- the sepond slip,.. ' Coming to a' aide-outing. 100ft.' deep, and a timber • bridge' 'l3oft. in length/the-lihe r‘cbmmen.ces ,to. follow,, up .the course of tho. Pakuratabilriverj’ . and Ibeing . for .... several -miles quite; finished/ .with 1 the-i ■ exception “of* the permanent way, the'walk ~along. is most easy, and gives' an opportunity to enjoy the . views along’ What struck/ me las . being decidedly/ the moat- picturesque portion I ‘of the ' railway;" '“On thit " contract -ijherc‘are no less than; sixteen; 'diversions from the line as originally planned, all suggested, I belieye, by the contractor ' to ’tKß'' GoTefnmeht, and all vast improyeineuta on, the-original/plan.• In most of these cases the engineers had laid out the line to' run somewhere about the middle of the construction bridges or* heavy i retainingi-walls. u >But by taking the line further into ’the hill 'a' capital ! route .his ' been -' obtained, carried along by ; Bor . instance,. -at- 29 miles. 55" chains > ’from ■ Wellington, a'bri dgej to ■ have iron girders .aud stone, piers, and to be I a quarter of a mile in length','had been planned, ibut by the simple:-: expedient: 'ofb keeping I further into the hill this has been saved,, and, jthe' line runs on by bo means 'heavy emb ank|ments and pretty shallow;cuttings. As I have. |said, this is’ithe .most picturesque -portion of the railway, and runs so'passengers, who I. hope' in a couple of; years, [will be travelling along it by thousands, will be ■able to get capital opportunities of seeing the jdensely wooded valley/’the trees on whose, [sides have every gradation of. the lovely tints Ifor-which the : blew Zealand bush'is celebrated,' [whilst some couple of hundred feet below a‘ ■clear and glistening river brawls over rooks, or jbabbleg along. its pebbly bed with the music of sweet waters.

j At thirtyjmiles and a half from Wellington yrd come' to the first tunnel on Mr. Oakes’ [contract, which is 77yds. .through, and will . be lined with concrete, [ immediately after "passing; through' it is a place where abridge was originally planned,, but where a diversion h’as how obviated the necessity for its construction. . The most important diversion, with one; exception.hbwever, occurs at 30 miles 66 chains from Wellington,, where two 80ft. arid two,4oft.bridges were laid 0ut.,.. Mr. pakes’, by making a pretty , heavy cutting through a -.rock, turns the river , from its original course, and thereby destroys the elbow, which it formed, and which caused ..the bridges'-to be provided for. At 31 idles 18 chains from jtowmis a very; handsome bridge of 80ft., with iron girders and massive concrete piers, fixing the foundations, fpf which was no light work, ehtailing as it. did the going down over 16ft. in order to get a solid bed. The bridge takes the. line to what [was plahnedas' a tunnel through a rooky spur, but-which;is now converted into-an open cutting. ;*At'3l miles 53 chains is- a bridge of two 30ft, spans, with ’a' splendid’ pier; and' abutments [of the most solid looking masonry. It carries ,i,the line across the river at a height of 30ft.'* Just in'this'neighborhood [is the house of the resi4ent engineer [ for [ the section, Mr-Mason,' a most prettily situated place, where we met with a hospitable reception, as indeed, we had met from Mr. Winks, the resident engineer of the previous section, to whom our thanks are c|ue.;; Mr. Mason has got quite a pretty little garden, and there being a large camp of Mr. Oakes’ .workmen in the neighborhood, the ' locality presents quite a startling change from the solitude of* the woods through which one has just passed previously.. I maymentipn here as a most creditable matter that in this camp alone, last- Saturday evening,'oyer *634 were collected from-the men, in order ,to'aid a fellow-workman. who-had been disabled ,by an 'accident/; ,[ : . ■■■*- ■- 1

. ! The line passes' over a ; curious formation .after leaving- the locality at which Mr. Mason’s house is situated,lt turns to -, the right, and: .rims over a peculiar -looking terrace, in which , masses of boulders, like 'those, 'in a moraine, .alternate with'swamp., At the end pf, this it [strikes right into the mouotavns, and the traveller finds himself literally’rathe heart of the Rimutaka. _A.t 32. miles fiS chainß a stupendoiis piece. of wbrk -is.encounfered; but , one the, construction of whichi saved -that ■ of ;';amuch .heavier. *'The-lihe'.as; Bid 1 ' 'put; inyplyed! a “re;taining wall at' the riverj. /which' .would have ' .requiredHSome il-ZQOrcubic .3 ards obmasonry;■ but a diversion of the -river was effected by cutting-throughthe, 1 rbckforßmhg i£sbed,--ahd .the bottom of the-embankment for the line is ,nbw situated ’ on; thh, |opnier. course ..of , the ‘stream.; T 1 le embankment .is a very heayy one, ’and is’some three chains in bright. It may be, ‘ mentioned that,at. 32 miles-55 chains a tunnel was avoided, and. again at 32 miles 69 chains, in .both casesb} ..substituthug open: cuttings for the .work as originally planned. There is a tunnel ’at 33 miles. 42 chains, of 44yds. in . length, and shortiy aftoq this,"'at 33 miles. 46 .chains, Mr., ,Oakes’ contract terminates, andtiiat of ~ !' i MESSRS.. COLLIE, SCOTT,AND WILKINSON begins. It is from the Tipper Hutt to, about , i.'this point, that .the Fairlie, ,or .bogie, engines, I 1 Will be used,; the Fell engine,-.,as will .be presently seen, being, intended for, the other side. I write! the other side because Messrs!, Collie, Scott, and' "Wilkinson have ftndertaken the work that is to : connect 1 the ‘point we have now arrived at with the other side of the'main range,, -or. with: th'e lino: to--descend' into" the Wairarapa/Valley. This is- done by’ what is called the: summit turmelp through a saddle’ of the Kimutaka, in. which: the contractors have made very, good progress, ■ being ; now : ■ in on the Wellington, side,. 22 chains, - and, bn the other bide 3J .: qhains, leaving-only, ,■3J / chains. J 'to, bo donq. , This; , willi bat-, finished 1 in;A couple of months, but there, will i still rfemaiu the lining of the \ tunnel, 'which is , ndt - in the l present : contract; ■ and which will take.no inconsiderable time; The tunnel is situated-at a.’height of 900 ft. above sea level-.’ From.what--I saw. of it, and ’I walked- up, to' ! the workings.on each side, I mayiaay that the Sooner it',is,: lined, after . it . is.piercedt.the batter.,!..There is, npt mn.qh/,timbering done, in- .it,.! and" the . rock seems, - ,to,f be of - a | character! [that.. .gets, quite, rotten - on 'lts ‘exposure' t6“th'e, air.. I The . walk,.from the -fanners ' mouth'.to the top of th9;,saddle 1 is ; al 'very-stiff''climb, but ’ on.accomplishing it. 1 the first vie w of the Wairarapa plain comes upon ( joW'oHere is sithated thobut in which one of thp engineering (staff, > Mr/ Park, has, residedj 1 almost 1 twjitheufe intermission, - for throe 1 years; and it must.haVoi,been almost as exciting an existence as .that, .which 1 the. father, recommended ...to- his,coil,, namely, the ,top of the , monument,.ih.order,that;;he might be kept.out of j harm’s. l way.., Descending to the. tunnel’s I,mouth on the/Wairavapa aide, we .almost im,,/mediately come upon . ...- . . . . .... ~, ■; I ". MR., MhCIRDY’S SECOND- CONTRACT, i'l .: ‘and,that, portioniof the-line about the/working l 6£ l which; hq little controversy exists. .For: ( Some two. or"three,mites the line ,descends at .A; gradient of .I'm’ 15, pid it [is here that; the Fell ep'gino !iS‘to be"'used.’" I need scarcely, 'stiito!that : tho !: Fpll engine !is‘that.yhioh, works ■ bu'abentral fail,“in additibn to the two ordinarily in'use/'ahd the* grip it - 'thus possesses' dnablearit; td’breep' up very stiff gradients; The, curvesoh. that part 'of the'line which [is'to ■]je| wCrkedxhy.it' are''very frequent (and’very ’ thoijioSsihiUty of ’ ‘{he deqoqntjbeing. too' .much forithaa: entered ‘ ‘into .thp,calculations of .the-.engineers/for ;ati ’ 'the hottqm![o£ incline; is a 4dh»g!ruh-; 1 nirig up the >n to. which it ,ia proposed to; ■turn the .Foil engine, 1 , should she/rmi away,, py . , means' of '.’a pointsman J ,to- whom the /engine driver con signal. 'But . should'the [engine, ■oommbneei to run away a chnple of miles above •this siding, I fancy that,’ with'' thw ouiyes that have ttd f be’‘rounded/-there’Would'bo little' chance ol« hers ’ever ; getting’ ribwn/the line fir . enough, tovehable the/saiety siding toi be' Used,

Mr. McKirdy’s contract .commences at 3d , miles ,68 chains (from Wellington,' and as in i the case of • Mr. Oakes’,-' he; has, with • the i •' consent of' the Government, made: several! diversions, to 1 the.undoubted advantage of/the i railway. With, theexception-i of ''the stiffer gradient, his work is'all of the same heavy 1 and difficult nature as that upon the upper portion of Mr. Oakes’ contract.' At. 35 miles ; 2 chains it attains its heaviest port. "Here 1 a party of Italians are putting in a tunnel of 6 chains, of which they have got in nearly 3 J, and they have done, their work in the most admirable manner. Of these, as also of several parties of Chinamen at work for Mr. Oakes, ’I shall have occasion to write subsequently-in the i course of. some • general' remarks l on the line, but I may say at' 1 the present that , the completely safe, way in which the, Italians have timbered the tunnel under notice as 1 they went on with it is a lesson to many British Workmen, .whose disregard of safety,in this respect only too often entails -very serious, consequences. At the: entrance to the tunnel on the "'Wairarapa l side' irf the hoaviustembaukmeht on this portion of the linq.., The . stream which it crossea.is not-carried: through the embankment by a culvert, but is ,taken by a tunnel through the solid’ rook at; the side. of the hill; The bank is 4 chains in length and is 100 ft. deep; Quioklysuoceedingitisariaduct of 80ft. 1 ’ "Ai'SS'milesTS chains a tunnel had been i planned, but this is now superseded .by ah open , cutting, and at 35 miles 40 chains' there is a I tunnel of 12l yards. At 37 miles 2 chains is i the safety or runaway siding which I have ; previously ‘ mentioned, and shortly, after, this ; the Ijhe,emerges -upon the .Wairarapa: plains;: i and, turning to' the left; runs over a country almost .dead level,, .and not involving the heI cessity'lor any works until the Abbot’s (creek bridge is,reached, .which is one of tim-' jber, v braced in places with iron, both, the -timber and the iron/being of unusual strength. (Then, oh.,lhe;putßkirtS;.,of -Featherston, at 43 j miles 68 ; chains: from Wellington, 1 Mr. iMcKirdy’s contract' and the and ■Mast or ton. railway works terminate for the present. In my next letter ! purpose to deal |more generally with several matters of in;terest in connection with the .railway and the 'works, as also the probable date at which it may be opened. I shall therefore defer returning thanks for the extreme courtesy.and kindness I met with from everyone- connected with the. line, whether engineers • or contractors,' and the extreme readiness evinced to afford me' information., I,may say that, only, five banks want finishing on Mr. McKirdyla contract, and that he expects to be through ■ -svith his work in six mouths, and Mr. Oakes hopes to. hand his over in about the same time. But it will be many months more before the engine runs from the Upper Hutt to Featherston." : - ' ' ■ I ... . • GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. i Beally at the _ present moment 1 the most prominent’ topic in connection with; the, railway appears to, be . the. question r when will it .be .opened. I have; already stated that- it ; might be opened- as far ’ as, ’ the Pakuratahi fey the beginning of.next Wool,' season, - and ■ 1 may. say now that, given certain circumstances, this portion Of the line might be opened in six months; but at the same time, if everything is carried but as the authorities apparently propose at present, there is ■ little ohanoe of any -portion of the line being opened' until .it is completed and ready for . traffic to Featherston, and that, unless some , alteration in. the present intentions of -the Go- - vefnment occur, will not be, for between . eighteen month's and two years. This will be better- understood when the facts are-stated; which stand thus MpKirdy’s first -ooa>' tract,' which runs to a point a little beyond the. - Pakuratahi station, will not be finished within six months.. The same as regards Mr. Oakes’ contract,- which commences where Mr. McKirdy’s ends,, and: runs to , within a short , distance- of the summit tunnel.; Collie, Scott;' ■ and Wilkinson’s contract, which includes' this : short distance, .njay be ready a little,before the,’ time; previously mentioned, and Mr. McKirdy’s- -. second contract,, which carries the line boat the ' termination-.of; Collie, Scott, and Wilkinson’s to the outskirts'....of., ; Featherston, will, -.take -1 six months ' to complete. It may be . fairly' assumed, then, that at least six,.; mouths must elapse before the, works, sp far,. ' are handed over to the Government. But when this- is done there yet remains much to be accomplished. The summit tunnel has to be- lined; and''under favorable : circumstances , this would take a good many months to accomplish,! But anyone who like myself has : visited the summit'tunnel, will 'discover-that its -inaccessible ’nature xjrlE -offer; very great 1 difficulties to the work of, lining. .It is. true that -between the, tunnel' and'one on Mr.-Oakes’-contract, that gentleman has ’ started' the manufacture ; of bricks ; for . lining the highest, i tunnel :• on his own': works ; but' ‘granting, that a similarly, favorable circumstance’; can ■ [be. . made use, qf VTor , the summit tunnel; this, will, merely slightly, abate, without: removing; the: difficulties I have mentioned. .Then it must .be,kemerhbered, ■ that as things-are tlxranged ;at present ; the cpmplefcion .of- their works by the contractors, en the four seefcions in progress, still leaves the permanent way to’ belaid over some sLx. aud twenty miles of' railway; and this..and', the manufacture.-and portageof bricks - for- -the summit, tunnel will all have to..be initiated add carried oh, when the contracts for, them .are.lst,at the-worst season of the year, winter; And’ ; winter in the Bimutaka means something so , awful in the way of obstacles,, tp, public-works ; that,, as, newspaper , reporters say, it; can; be.-I better imagined than described. Under existing plans, then. Which’ mean the cpid-’ pletion- of present contracts, before l’anything is done .towards laying the-, summit; tunnel, or . plate-laying, it is ' impossible ; ; to resist the logic of facts/ which pbint tb/the. .end of ISZS rather than.,its begmmn’g/as thei time at which the Wairarapa plain, and; ooun..try,, beyond,,unrivalled in - the- colony for- itsagricultural and pastoral resources, shall be ’fairly tapped, audits production so- stimulated . by facilities for procuring its requirements and- { exporting its* results as’ *.'to' multiply the trade ’of Wellington to a degree scarcely conceived,; ;T think; by . the most sanguine/ - II But here arises the question,, could not the 1 advent of- this, wished-for. time- be brought. a, l ’little nearer ? As a non-professional writer it iappeara to'- me that ' it ‘ could; though I doubt mot those in authority could give, equally good reasons to those that prevail with me; to-show , why it could not. Mr. McKirdy’a Mungaroa iContraet is now in a stale of forwardness that, wbuld admit of plate-laying being commenced upon it; and' carried ‘on- simultaneously;/with ’ its progress, so asto have the cpinpletipn pf both almost '‘simultaneous, In' dtlior -words, the line might be for- opening-- to. the ' Pakuratahi iu at , least eight or nine months; The some' observations wilt I shortly’apply to; thh other .contracts; but,even-supposing they ;'d«! not, the fact- remains that; by-losing ho' time hr regard-to -lining the summit tunnel,; -wOrk.on all sections, incluiling permanent way, , might hot be. negatived, 'as regards the utility' of] its' early completion, by this same lining. Howev’er, ’ there is; fof • course,- a 1 routine, and also a‘system/tbbq observed, against neither of! which, as‘their existence is doubtless the result Of - a/practical' experience' I do not pro;fess toposses4, aHi'l anxious to write a word. , ’There has not been; wanting. • comment oni the frequentand. singular, deviations; from the original plans, which as the work's progressed .babe been made, under the mptual agreement, ~of the Go vernment. and .the contractors, .These .deviations occur on Mr, Oakes- section, .and .on. that 1 section of Mr. ‘ McKirdy’s known -as “ The Incline.". Now, as many of,these deviations are ■ most, extensive, and remarkable alterations- from’ the plans, as- furnished to/tho- • contractors,’- and as they are,all undoubted im-. provements,' tlie inquiry naturally, arises—-must -there! nob i haVe . been something amiss about *thp laying off the line at first,"in order to abqount for so many alterations being) now,required; I Well/ without imputing want of care or skill to anyone, I iquat be permitted to say that .there, has 'beep plainly fault in the laying out of ith'e; line;:ph" the:sectionsinwhich the sab- , setjnent alterations were effected. And yet ’ s»qh’ ! 1 fault is 1 easily accounted for. If. anyone ’ will /ffifce ’the!.trouble to walk over the line, he ! will see that in a country of Alpine inacoossibility; hovered- in most places with dense and ' lofty foliage, the surveyors or engineers greatly groped in the dark Now that the bush for a lair distance on qach, felde of the line- has been

felled, it is quite easy to perceive how gentlemen laid out a bridge for a quarter of a mile - up the bed. of a.river,’ and did net notice that ; the line would’he - , much easier carried along the side of . a hill ’by means of sidings and embankments. . I am content to think that a’demand’ 1 for speed in the. production of the plans complicated by the difficulties I have mentioned, caused the mistakes : which have had to be subsequently rectified. But whilst I give this as a merely,’personal view, the result of non-professional/obaerv-ation, ,it-cannot be denied ■ that there: are . .professional men- who assert that the' lines'wene laid out ’in an office from surveys not made by the most!competent hands; however.' much they may have been under the presumed supervision ’of perfectly competent persons.;., But., .whether mistakeshave been made or .not, and whether, if made;they were to a. certain’ extent excusable, the fact remains that if the line had' been carried out as laid out, it, would have been a vast engineering mistake., And, indeed,’whether it is not, in r.espect to the route it now/puraues, an engineering mistake, is a subject requiring careful consideration 'Owing to the:nature. of the | country, there is every reason/toi apprehend a want of permanence in the embankments, sid--1 ingj, and cuttings. A case in point. From one; cutting ,stone of. such, extraordinary hardness' | was taken out that it was stacked for.; use in building’the piers'of: a. bridge’ on another part, of the line at.no great distance. -.'But in a few ; weeks after' exposure' to' the atmosphere’if became so . thoroughly soft," rotten, if the term be applicable, as to, .be quith’useless; and when I saw it; merely wanted a smart .'tap from a/stick:.;to: crumblerinto pieces. iAs much also, as a . suspected; want lof pqrmanence in the: earthwork's and cuttings •will be the difficulties of working the line when : opened. Instead of one engine running through • to Masterton with each train,- the following practice will have to he ,observed..:. One engine* .with driver and stoker, will take. the train; to Ithe Upper Hutt. -Thence; to the summit it ■will be hauled by a Fairlie driver and stoker.: Here it will be transferred to the Fell engine, with fresh workmen, and at the bottom of the incline a/fourth engine.’and; fourth set: of men. to work it xvill come ou. The traffic may be so managed as toprevent this' 'system causing extra' expense, but on the first blush it does seem rather/iikely te prove heavy in that direction., ' IBsto“the Fell engine and its adaptability for working the incline. As to its perfect power i by;taeans of - the cen-tral-raff to overcome an incline of one in fif- r teen, there need be, little'.doubt, but as'.to how it will-work . round, -the,; very sharp curves ' which abound on the-;incline is altogether another question, andorieiou which gentlemen’! competent to judge pronounced. very. adverse . opinions. . On the whole : it is well worthy of consideration whether ' 1 the plan ' of “Mr. Charles ffNeill, .which-.followed, in many respects the- direction.: of the coach - road, and by means of a -long tunnel through the Bimutaka [avoided' ' too’ stiff gradient : inclines and the use of Fell , engines, would not have been preferable to that now adopted. For one thing, there would: not have been so much groping in the dark, as it were, in laying but the line, and I question, after all, whether the expense would have: been greater.

There are one or two matters in connection with the. works mention of which- has been omitted up to ; this thine, inasmuch as to have written about them would have been to have broken the bontmuity.Gf the detail which in my first three .letters I; endeavored , to give. In the first place, I may now say that Mr Oakes has a. number of Chinamen engaged upon his contract, and speaks of their .work in terms of the highest praise. In making a cutting the work of Chinamen- to- a, mere observer shows in very favorable contrast with that, of Europeans. Instead of pushing ahead in; what to the onlooker seems a mere “ higgledy-piggledy ” fashion/' trusting to coming back subsequently land making all sinopth- and . straight, I the I Chinese .carry , their “batter”; along with .them right up to the point at which they are 'working; and on some cuttings on a curve ‘which they have made the. rides-of the cutting ! look faultlessly even and regular. Mr. Oakes Osseits that whilst in individual instances it is /always possible to find- a:European- capable of /beating the best day’s work of a > Chinaman, yet that taken in. bodies the work of the Mongolian is greater -and.better.executed. , It. is curious, too, that: the ■ Chinamen, as a: whole, live better than the Europeans. Mr. Oakes, who has been 'compelled tO I keep stores for sup-' ; plying,his workmen, assured.me that,. “John ” buys; far more of what may> be termed'luxuries thaEt dbes either Paddy/ John Bull, or, Sandy.

! In.'referenoe to the fact'of. the contractor keeping storea fir suppiying his it is only fair to' mention, in anticipation of any remarks' that may be made about “ the truck system,” that Mr. Oakes hashad storekeeping forced upon him. No outsider, though many were invited, would take up the trade, and men refusedI’to 1 ’to work on contracts where it 1 would be.next to ■ impossible to- supply themselves with decent f6od‘. Under these circumstances, and with the . full.;concairrence of the • Government,. Mr. Oalies' went'into storekeep-. ing. His contract, it may-be saidj, is perhaps the most inaccessible- of any for .the. greater portion of its length from the main road. ’ ‘Mr. McKirdy has- at work for him a party of Italians ’ who, as 'I are carrying put a .tunnel in;a,manner,that -nrouldshame ’ most British workmen. I visited their camp, . ; and was-, .received with the. greatest kindness. ■ They had formed amongst them a brass band of eighteen performers', whose playing, would; n6t'disgrace; an operatic . or- military; band. They visited Greytowri, and the-townspeople there having made- -a collection offered it to tHeim Their leader added £1 to the £7 coland;, handed'' the' whole l to-' the local hospital. They , are, remarkable not only for musical but for that of companionship. I; have a,shrewd; suspicion that if eighteen" British ; workmen" formed' a, band under ! siiniletr circumstances, the instruments would some fine night be used .as weapons wherewith tol settle personal; differences- as. to the relative 'merits of the performers. ; /' In concluding: notice of the. Wellington and ■ Masterton railway works,! must return thanks 'to! Messrs. ■ Winks and Mason, resident engi- . neers ;.Mr. Burnand, Government inspector of. works ; MessßS..MoKirdy,‘. Oakesy and Collie,, , contractors ; and Mr.' Taivse, foreman for Mr.- ’ Oakes for the ikindness they showed and the information they afforded me. ,

WESLEYAN CHURCH ■ ANNIYER- . ‘ V SARY, MOEESWORTH-STREET. A congregational tea meeting took placo-in, the church on December■ 6th, and was- well: attended. The tea was all that could be de- . ;sired,' and was done ample justice to by-those, present.. After tea :> a .public .meeting .toot place. John Knowles,, Esq., occupied the.-chair,, and delivered a short and appropriate address. ..... Mn, Watt then read the report and balance ’sheet for the year ending December -6j 1876; The total receipts of trust fund were £74* 16s. 1d.,,: andthe expenditure £74 10 s. 6d. ;, The total : , reieiplsiorthecirouit fund were £18&.10s. 9d., ! anii the disbursements £16116a. lldi, leavinga balance to credit of,new school fund; of £2V . .Igs.'lOd." ’ The Rev. H: R. Dewsbuut then, addressed ' the meeting, and spoke , hopefully, regarding the future prospoots of the Church, i Mr. Shout , and Mr. Tompkins, of.- Sandqn,. - both made short and practical addresses.The Rev.. Alex. Reid then made.ah, elo- ... queht speech, dwelling upon the-success, of the. Church, notwithstanding what had been said ■: against Christianity, by scientists, evolutionists, and' others. He showed, the. progress and power of the Gospel over-the natives of the Friendly Islands, who were now sending forth ■ missionaries to ; carry ~ the ' glad . tidings to , the natives of New Guinea. ■ - After a few remarks from Mr. J. Dixon, a vote; of thanks'; "was passed to the ladies who , had provided the tea, and one to the Chairman. The meeting closed by the Rev. A. Reid pronouncing the benediction. 1 ” " ■ , ■ ; . , - '.“Mark Twain- 1 on Bad Musicians.” The musical public and general readers arc cautioned not, to purchase Weston’s Wizard Oil and Magic Pills without carefully examining the outside wrapper, and be sure that the words, “ None Genuine without TOE SIONATOBH OP TOE PROrEIETOE—FeANK IVES"ton, ' Svdsev, N.S.W.,’' —are engraved there. , Any other so" called preparatious.ot mine are unauthorised by mo, and oaloulatcd to mislead the public.—, Signed, Fit an k "Weston, Solo Agents—Kempthome, . r Prosser, and (X, Dunedin. Price—Half-a-crown.