THE WAIHOANGA BRIDGE.

Shannon News, 20 November 1923, Page 3

THE WAIHOANGA BRIDGE.

CAUSE OF COLLAPSE,

At Saturday ? S meeting of the Horowhe.nua County Council; tne following report of the collapse,of the Waihoangu suspension bridge, which spanned the Otaki river in the Gorge, was submitted by the County Engineer:— . • "During the period the Te Horo Biding suffered a severe loss in-the collapse of the Waihoanga bridge in the Otaki Gorge. On Sunday morning, the 28th October, the cables (three in number) parted at the anchors at the northeastern corner of the bridge, allowing the bridge to' drop on one side, this putting the whole weight of the bridge, on. the remaining cables. Qn Monday morning these cables parted, also at the armors, and fi)J6v»ed the whole to. drop into the river. On 'exaii.iii:if:'on of the cables I found that the eals are absolutely rusted through. Thr ironwork in Th-j" bridge' is badly buckled and ,a good' deal of the timber is ■ splintered;- but the greater part has now been salvaged. Arrangements have been made to, erect a chair. over the.river at the site of the bridge. A cable is on the ground, the chair is completed, and the anchors will be put in at the beginning of next week.

'.' Since writing the above further information has come to hand regarding the anchors. These'were found to be iron-bark logs imbedded in concrete with the ends of the cables looped round the ironbark logs. The cables, where they entered the ground, were encased in tarred sand, but of a very poor quality, thus allowing the dampness and water , to . lodge about the cables at the anchor blocks, and there causing. corrosion of the ends and of: the cables.

"I have inspected a new site further down the river, but at present I have nothing to report on same." The- chairman said that the collapse would appear to have been the result of careless work in the construction- of' the bridge. There wag no use in recrimination, but there was no denying that; after only 19 years a bridge had collapsed which should have lasted for fifty. The only matter for congratulation was/-that there had not been anydne on the structure when. it did give way. He could not make any statement at the present juncture regarding the .restoration of the bridge, but it was ; a matter which would have to be gone into at an early date and a decision arrived" at. Mention had been made of the fact that a number of children would have to cross to school daily on the chair which was being provided as a temporary m'eans of crossing, the'river, but he was of opinion that this would be quite safe.