RAILWAY EXTENSION TO LIVINGSTONE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 722, 2 August 1878, Page 2

RAILWAY EXTENSION TO LIVINGSTONE.

The following is the report of Mr. Ussher, the surveyor appointed by the Government to make a reconnaisance survey of the proposed extension of the Waiareka railway to Livingstone :- Public Works Office, Duneclin, 21st June, IS7S. Sir, —Agreeably to your instructions to make a reconnaisance survey of the pronosed extension of railway to Livingstone, from either Ngapara, Windsor, or Teaneraki, I have the honor to report that I have examined the above-mentioned routes, together with one from Ngapara via Jessop's Gully, I enclose a tracing showing the course of the respective lines, together with their approximate distances from the Waiareka railway : Route. Miles.

No. 1. Ngapara to Livingstone ... 12^ No. 2. Via Jessop's Gully ... .... 13 No. 3. Windsor to Livingstone ... IGh ~ Via deviation ... 16 No. 4. Teaneraki to Livingstone ... 21], ~ Via deviation ... ... ... 21

Route No. 1 is that reported upon by Messrs. Thornton and Bull to the Oamaru and Naseby railway committee in June of last year. After having thoroughly examined the country in the neighborhood of Ngapara, I can arrive at no other conclusion than that of Messrs. Thornton and Bull, viz., that the terminus of the Waiareka railway is situated in a basin enclosed with hills on all sides, exoept at the inlet, and there is no means of extending it except by a tunnel of nearly two miles in lenr 1 ;!:, passing under the tables into tho valley ui the Awc<:>oko. This fact is sufficient, I think, I at once condemn the line, and :'urlher comment is unnecessary. My rer\n-]:■■■ re r ute No. 1, will apply to that °f INO. 2. I have no hesitation, in saying that Nos. 1 and si should be abandoned, as a very large outlay would be necessary to construct the tunnels met with on either liae3, besides which were an accurate survey made they might turn out impracticable. The line from Windsor to Livingstone (route No. 3) is, in my opinion the one most suited to the district generally, passing as it does through its whole length one of the finest wheat growing districts in Otago. The general grade for tho first oi miles up to the saddle at district road undo? Trig, station C. will average about 1 in 60, and two tunnejs y,"ill bt> necessary to 1}?. pierced, one through the saddle to the North of Raki's table and the other at the district road saddle at »\ miles. The first tunnel at liaki's t*d>le will lie about twenty chains in length, and that at the. district road some eight or tr-n chains. These tunnels can be avoided should it be thought necessary to follow the contour of the oountrv, thus bringing the line down towards the Kakanui river, and thence back again to tho line under Trig. (.'. This, however, would greatly lengthen it and cause a nasty loop ; better grades however would be obtained. From the saddle at oh miles to the junction of streams in Awamoko Fiat at 9 miles, there y.'fujld ho a dotyn grade of aboi;t 1 in 180, and from where the line crosses the il-it at about !hu. 20ehs to 11 miles near shepherd's old hut, an up-grade of 1 in [OO can he obtained ; from here, wlioro I may say the tabio land hn,: been "cached, and on to the township of 'Livingstone, very good grades are to bo had, generally averaging about 1 in 10". and should the line follow the deep gully mid?!' instead of running straight up to it, ! ha\e no doubt I much easier grades arc to be obtained. As it will be seen the only difficulty that occurs on this line is met with under Liaki's table ; 1 have no doubt, however, were a mors accurate survey mode than, that with a barometer, fj-.afc to ?, greau extent these difficulties would be removed. Limestone of a good nature for building purposes is met with. I may say, throughout the entire length of the line. No large streams are met with where large bridges would, be required. The orjly of auv extent v. ould be that crossing the Awamoko; any other streams can be passed under the line by means of' culverts or bridges of short spans, The line from Teanoraki (route No. 4\ joins the Wind-or lino under P.aki's table at a distance of four mih's from Windsor and nine and a-half (!;:! from Tcaner.-iki. The country on this lino is more broken and undulating than en >he Windsor line. No engineering difficulties however occur, and the grades througliontare pretty good. For the "first two and a-half miles after leaving the TVaneraki station the line would pass through an open and undulating country, necessitating a considerable, amount of work on account of several rather wide gullies. The grades would be raising arid failing ones of about 1 in 50 to the Hat marked XX on tracing: from t)]is point f<u- about four miles it would bp necessary to run a gwu'e of abfitit 1 in (>'o, in order to reae'li the leading ridge at the main road between Teanoraki and the Kakanui rivor. From the main road to junction the line would follow a rather broken leading ridge a distance of 3 miles, with a nearly level grade. No streams are to be met with on this portion of the line necessitating large bridges. The following is my estimate of the line Windsor to, Livingstone; length Ifl inil-;s : - Tunnel, 660 yards, at Llrt '... I'WOO 0 0 liallast, 2800 o. yards, at 35... 4200, 0 0

' Sleepers, 32,800, at m. ... H2OO U 0 Fencing, 32 miles, at Ll-20 .., SS<±o 0 0 Permanent wiv, 40lba. (IOOS tons), at LS Sofi4 0 0 Bridges, etc • 1">00 0 0 Formation, 16 miles, at L3UOO 48,000 0 O Extras, 5 per cent. ... ... 4185 0 0 LS7,SSB 0 0 say, a lump sum of 'LSB,OOO or L 5,500 per mile. The line from Teaneraki, on account of the roughness of the country to its junction witli tiie Windsor line, a distance of some (JH) nine and a half-miles, would, in my opinion, bring the average cost per mile somewhat similar to the Windsor. I cannot recommend the adoption of this line on account of its running parallel with the Waiareka railway for some six or eeven miles, a-sd at an average distance therefrom of two miles. One tunnel, however, could be avoided were this route selected. The "\yindsor line as you will perceive, by the tracing, is tho most direct line to Livingstone, and passes through the most cultivated part of the country, and i* geneniUv a central line between the K kanui river and the Awamoko Railway.—l have, &c. (Signed) E, E, Usshek,