Carlyle Railway Contract.

Patea Mail, Volume VI, Issue 536, 22 June 1880, Page 2

Carlyle Railway Contract.

The plans and specifications for this contract have been lying for inspection at the Public Works Office about seven days. They have been examined by many persons with much curiosity, which may result in one or two tenders from this district. In a work on so large a scale, and limited in time, many contractors and tradesmen of moderate means find the conditions exclude them from tendering. They are waiting, however, in expectation of being able to tender with advantage for portions of the work if these happen to be let out in sub-con-tracts by the general contractor. The Wharf is to be 540 feet in length of timber flooring, finished with cuds of fascine work, each 40 feet, making a total length of 620 feet. The level for shipping purposes is fixed about 2ft, 6in. above the highest flood level of the river, 6 feet above ordinary high-water level, and 14 feet above the level of low water.

The lino of wharf is that fixed in Sir John Goode’s plan of river embankment. The platform will have a breadth of 20 foot, and will be one fool higher than the station level. This structure will commence just beyond the creek, about six chains from the bridge. A double line of rails will run alongside the platform for wharfage traffic ; also a siding.

On the other side of these the Railway Station will be placed, fronting towards the platform, with the rails and sidings on the swamp side, away from the river. The Station building is not in the present contract, and is a work of the future. The rails approaching the Station and those approaching the Wharf will pass under the roadway, near the river bridge. This sinks the general level of the Wharf and Station a considerable depth below the present road level, and of course the foreshore level will have to be lowered over the whole of the large area covered by the Wharf and Station, and their appurtenances.

The whole area of excavation, as shown on the plan, is nearly four acres, The depth of excavation over this area will average about 10 feet. The surface is soft bog, but a substratum of

ironstone lies under a portion of it, as the excavators will find ; and the earthwork will be a heavy job altogether. The piles for the wharf arc to be 10 feet centres, with mooring piles every 50 feet, and the frontage will be on a slight curve. Three lines of rails will run along the wharf; and at the station platform there will be a main line and two sidings. The approach to the station and wharf will bo by a new road branching from the end of the river bridge, and forming part of the line of Dart-street, as marked on the plan of the town extension. This will cross the creek by a bridge of three spans ; and the creek will be bridged also in a line with the foreshore, one end abutting on the creek. That creek will be very much in the way; and there is a prospective nuisance of a strong aroma from the fellmongery close to the station and wharf. That nuisance will have to bo bought oat, sooner or later, and Mr M’Carthy does not estimate the value at a low figure even now. The expense of that station site is only beginning to show itself. The bridge building will be considerable. Two bridges have to span the creek; another largo bridge must carry the present roadway over the main line passing under tiie road; one or two culverts arc needed along the permanent way under the hill; and the largo bridge crossing the river of a mile up, will be a heavy piece of work. This main bridge, crossing the river bend, will be three spans of fit) feet each, three of 20 feet each, and one of 11 feet. The headway is to allow 20 feet clear at spring tides. Each main pier will have 14 timber piles. The superstructure will bo iron and timber, the lower boom being plate iron, and the. upper boom of timber. The sleepers and rails for the permanent way, and the faseinuings, will be supplied alongside the work by the Government. Certain quantities of pile timber will be delivered at Wellington to the contractor. T1 leso will cause freights to bo brought into the river, and a large future trade may be thereby initiated, as the result of experimental shipments. The whole work must be completed as per contract within 15 months, with three months’ maintenance to follow. The penalty for failure or delay is £2O per week. The deposit on each tender is £2OO, and the contractor must enter into a bond for £ISOO.