THE RAILWAY STATION.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 21, 19 July 1864, Page 2

THE RAILWAY STATION.

'On Saturday last we paid a. visit of inspection 'to that handsome block of buildings, now nearly • completed, which are being erected for the purposes of the General Termini of th"e*.Bluff and Oreti Railways. As is already well known, the principal approach to the Railway Station is from Esk-street, "andythe front of the buildihga face this ' street— in a direct line. Above the main entrance ■ door -it' "ib 'purpbsed.'"to havea large clock placed?' which doubtless -wih^'as^it always-fdoes, prove of great-^utihty to -intending passengers, as well as - bejan ornamentaljfeatureto. the,. edifice itself. On entering the door we md; ourselves hi the General Waitmg'4rb'om?-r-a ; f hahdsbme, ; a and; ?conunbdious/ apartment, measuring (30 feet by.T7,-feet. _ In the centre of this, room, ahdistih'in-a direct hne -with the principal entrance, -is, or will-be, a green baize 'door; fitted with patent; sprmg: -hinges, which opens -into a six feet Ibbby^orVpassage leading to : the' plafifornis. ' "To -the; left; -of'- -the- 'General waiting-room is the 'Ladies'' ! Waiting-room, measuring 22 , by i; l7 feet, "while; to* the right are ' three "rooms to be appropriated to the' use bf / the, Railway Engmeer. and; Ms -staff, i ■In these front rooms the height-from floor to ceiling measures 16 feet, and the; wahVare lined with sinch beaded , Native, 'White) Phie. i This native . timber looks admirably Avell,'. .and we are informed that it r is peculiarly adapted for such 'work, aiid for house carpentery generally; : Th the case of these rooms, tliis lining covers the whole" of the wall space, and a coating of varnish imparts to the .genaral appearance a decidedly distinguS:.m.r. , The handsome cornicing: which runs round the;apartments, while massive,, yet.elegant, further., enhances their appearance very, considerably. The fire-places will be fitted Svith J marble jambs and. mantel pieces, and the; windows, whicharej formed of two sashes and. circular topped, afford a; sufficiency of light. The doors will be oakgrained, and we may safely say that when fully finished,- these apartments will -be airy, elegant, and equal, if not far superior, to anything of the kind we have in Invercargill at the present time. Facing the platform, to the right '■ bf tlie entrance lobby, we have the Gentlemen's Waiting room , and Refreshment room • in ; one apartment, measuring 28-ffc. x 17-ft. The ceiling in this room, as, in fact, in all the other rooms, is 16 feet" ""from the floor, and the cornicing is also similar, -while the fire places are of cedar wood,, in place of marble. , Adjoining this waiting-room, and still to the right of the lobby, is the Station Master's private room, bosides two other rooms, the uses to which they will be put being not yet determined.- upon. To the left of the lobby, we. come to the Ticket-office, s from which tickets will , be issued by a window communicating with the General Waiting-room, in the front ,- and immediately adjoining the Ticketoffice are the Parcel-office and Porter's room. At the extreme left of the building are being con« st-ructed two suites of water-closets. One of these, will communicate with the ladies' waiting-room;' and will be fitted up with all the most improved and complete apparatus, which has been brought to hand per the Oharlotta jane, direct from London. The whole is overtopped by a large watertank, computed to contain about 6,000 gallons of water. In case of fire, the great advantage of possessing such a quantity of water, ready at any moment, will be apparent. This tank receives the total rain-fall on the roof of the station buildings, and in' addition to this, can be filled by a force-pump close at hand, "and the whole willhave a direct communication with the sea or harbor, by means of a main drain. There arc two Platforms — one on either side of the rails — each measuring 120 feet in length, by fourteen feefc in breadth, and which will be boarded in the usual style. The platform reached on passing through the lobby, is termed the "Departure" platform, in connection with the Oreti or Northern Railway, while the' other, on the opposite, side, is called the " Arrival" platform, in connection with the Bluff Line. Between -these platforms are, or will be, three lines of rails, two or three feet below their level, which will enable passengers to get in and but of the carriages very conveniently. Over the rails, is a handsome and most substantial truss roof, measuring 120 feet in length, by thirty-three feet in width, from platform to platform. It overtops the roofe . of ..the platforms, which are flat, by five feet perpendicular, and proper spaces are "here left for ventilation and for the escape of engine smoke. The roof is further strengthened by diagonal braces and struts, and the whole is of a most tradesmanhke and substantial build, and is covered in with a roofing of English galvanised iron of a superior quality. Although there is little or almost nothing of an ornamental character about the buildings, the whole presents a very pleasing' appearance, and the good- taste prevailing over all is readily ap T parent. When the Esk-street approach is completely formed, our Railway Station will be no small adornment to the town, and may yet turn out something of which the Province . may feel not a little proud. The contractors are Messrs. Edwin V. Carter, and Co., who have kindly and courteously shown us over the works, and the designs emanate from the office of the Railway Engineer, where they have, received the personal superintendence of Mr. Marchant. The contractors inform us that the whole be finished in about a fortnight from this time, with the exception of the painting work, which generally occupies a week or two longer. The railway carriages, four in number, being now completed, or nearly so, will be brought down to the Railway Station, 60 soon as the rails are laid down, which will be in a very short time, as the men in the employment of Mr. Davies, the contractor, are presently busy with this work. The carnages are now in Mr. Davies' work shops, where- they have been built, and we can honestly say that, in every point of excellence, they will bear no unfavorable comparison with the carriages on any line in Europe. Should no further contretemps occur, we may hold forth the hope to the Inhabitants of Invercargill and the Province generally, that in the course of a couple of months more the snort of the " iron horse " will be a sound " familiar in our ears as household words."