A DEATH-TRAP DOOMED.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8000, 11 December 1905, Page 3

A DEATH-TRAP DOOMED.

Xttß NEW TIiYMOUTU RAILWAY

\ DEVIATION

For years past tho people_of N\-w Plymouth have been persistently agitating iqr a*>viatlon of the railway line which passes Jthrough the tausmess centre of tin;.town, crossing Iha main thorougni'arv at its busiest point. From time to tinio Ministerial promises have, been made, ami * now, alter hard fighting by Mr E. H. Smith, M.H.H., wh< so efforts were ably seconded by other leading townsmen, wo are on a fair way to have this* Devon Street death-trap clcscd. v - la tbe past.few years several fatalities have occurred at the various cromißg*- "X 1 tihiti js itself a sufficient reason for proceeding witb the deviation. But apart from this, tho stsea incline trading out of the town mMßitatcs tbe employment if a bo-, coad engine on every train until this WU, is negotiated. , Besides rMg {expense a crossing•eeper has to be stationed at Devon Street in order to warn pedestrian and vehicular traffic of approaching trains. This is all needless e.xpjae. •AuthorityJ -has now been given to deviate the lhief in order to avoid Hit centre of .the town, ami surveyor! have recently made flying surveys of (possible routes. On Friday an inspection was ,mado by the General Manager. Mr T. Ronaync. and staff. They were: Mr Uuxton, 'Chief Traffic Manager 7 Mr A. L. Bcattie, Chief Mechanical Enfllßeer : Mr J. Coom. Chief Inspectng Engineer ,- Mr Biss. l>istrict Engineer : .and Were accompanied by Mr O'LougMfn, gtationtnaster at Xew Plymouth. A representative of the Tnranuki Daily ;Xew», thirstimr' for information, visited the local railway offices 00 Baturday morning, and interviewed the KtationuißKter,, who kindly supplied him with the names of oflitials as above. Hhi ti the subject ct • the deviation was imniinned. Mr O'Lotighlin became most diplmnatically non-cotnmittal. merely mentioning that trip officials' named had been over the suggested route. "Curiosity took our 'reporter' then , tc the railway yard:.' extension below , the Bash and Door Company's yards j (namuii on'thvVnap Mount Mc CorI tnirfc). whence he came back by »aj ! of. (fee Terrace to Wahnami Street. ' t iirtick jailed on the timber-yard j fence looked like a.tlue, and this was 1 [followed up. The yardn.un was ap-1 I proacbed. Yes, ;that stick en «ihe | J fence vat certainly erected by tho J J surveyor who was engaged on the jraijjajay scheme. Hero were his pegs, 1 running right through the yard. J which has recently tail reclaimul at ia heavy cost by the NVw Plymouth I Sash and Door ITimber Company, j From here to the level of the rail- !»"•/ lines in the yard Mow was a [sheer drop of somewhere about forty ||get, so instead of go-ins in that 1 (Hrcction, the information-hunter s-t 40 to follow the pegs, which could be seen leading ofT across Ituller , Street in the direction of tt'oolcoiiftfc } Terrace. At "Tainui" the surveyed : route emerged on to Woulcoratw Ter- | rate, and thw hunt for pegs led on I right through Ocjavius .Place, the ; djfai of our j municipal rubbish re- , serve. • Here the direction followed ; brought the route nearer the b-.-ach j again. Cnying through the seaward .and of the pinus insignis plantation j and just above the East End bathI lag shed, this (Will-o'-the-wisp sort of r railway line crossed tho lleitui River • and then turned 1n a more southerly ; direction * until 'Devon Street was I reached near Mr J. It Connett's res' sidenec Then it worked its way ir*. • land, encountering the pre** imain jjiae at the back of Mrs llellringer's ■ f: koiW.''TJua.. route, should give a f railway Mne on at practically level , | grade for about a mile, and then a •very easy upward tendency to the 5 present system. Danger to life will , Jbe almost minimised, and much ex- ' pease ia wear and tear saved to the J Hallway Department. f Along the line of March were to |be found enthusiasts, and some peo- ! pie who wero fcuite Hie opposite. One. ! '■ old gentleman talked grandilAAnntly ' ! of heritages and birthrights, secming;ly convinced that to allow the Co ' vermnent to use 1 the strip of fore- ' shore was robbing the Xi w riyI mouth people of the right .to use the ' ? beach as a promemurj. This has not I proved to be the case so far where - the Railway Department has a line ; running out to Moturca. Then again 1 it was pointed out that the cliffs ' i along Woolcombe Terrace jsere gradu- ' 1 i ally being washed away into the sea. The erosion hero has caused the au- ; thorities some concern, over a couple of acres having disappeared in the ; post two years. To prevent this encroachment of the ocean means a big Hem, and if the borough ratepayers have to face 'the difficulty it will mean much expenditure of the funds ' of the Borough Council. • In constructing the new line lof railway this matter of irosion will be dealt . frith, and-«he demolition of land ■long I*4 Terrace prevented, and this prill be «mple recompense for anv fwaymafance cansed by the line ! cutting oil to some extent our approaches to the sea beach. In the interests of the public safety it is • hoped that this work will be pushed, on with vigour.