OPENING OF THE MOERAKI LINE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 169, 4 November 1876, Page 2

OPENING OF THE MOERAKI LINE.

j From an curly hour this morning the town was alive with the expectant excursionists, and although the first train was advertised to start at half-past nine. for fully an hour prior to that time the platform of the Station was crowded with pieasmc-sciken* dtt.rmined to take timu by the forelock. Notwithstanding the day was not formally declared a public holiday, not a few of the business places were closed. The steamer Taiaroa airived in the bay a", a late hour last night with Mr. Conyers. the General Manager of iiailways. At nine this morning the train from Mojraki, which left that station at half-past seven, arrived in town laden witiw full)' 300 passengers, and those, in addition to the crowd already gathered on the platform, gave a lively appearance which is s-dttom sjen in that vicinity. Punctually at half-past nine two engines having ten carriages attached was shunted up to the platform, when a simultaneous rush wa3 nnd-j to secure the available seats, and before the spaca of two minutes | had elapsed it was freighted with its living cargo, every inch of* standing ground . bein" utilised. At the verv lowest caleulation there could not have been less than I 600 paopls on board, and still numbers' [ were left behind to follow in the next f train, which started at eleven. As the | engines decoratsd with garlands of flowers steamed away from the Station, the gailycolored flags which surmounted each carriage fluttered in the breeza, while the waving of hats and handkerchiefs from the windows altogether made up a scene

w.iich is rarely seen in prosaic county Owing to an unforaeen occurrence, our report of the trip did not reach us in time for this evening publication.