THE WAIWAKAIHO BRIDGE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 18 October 1907, Page 2

THE WAIWAKAIHO BRIDGE.

OFFICIAL OPENING. With much pomp ami ceremony and much speaking, m beautiful weather, and iu the presence of several hundreds of people, xvas the new Waiwaikiiiho bridge yesterday ollieiaty opened for trallie. Tl lO structure was gaily bedecked witli Hags, ami everybody and everything Wore full holiday attire. District local , bodies were well represented. Tlic ceremony took place just about j the middle of the bridge, opposili 11 he marble tablet jn tile parapet wliicl tread: "Waiwakaiho bridge, erected 11)07, by tile Taranaki County Council. J. Brown, chairman; M. liopsmi, R. Stevens, C. V. Tate, .1. 1!. mil, C. Adlain, A. George, C. Andrews, councillors; R. Kllis, clerk; .1. Skinner, engineer; I'. P. Spencer, contractor. This bridge replaced the old puriri bridge erected in JSS7 for the Taranaki Provincial Council by Messrs Eundlc, Brooking a.Vd Clare." Here, a packing-case serving aa a platform. Mr. .losepli j>mwn, chairman of the Taranaki County Council, claimed the attention of the crowd, lie read apologies for Ihe non attendance of I Messrs T. Kelly, M.L.C., 11. Okey, , M.11.K., and T. Skinner, engineer. Tic , then called upon 31r Jame=i R. Hill, chairman of the committee and a member of the County Council, to read a i iUSXOKI' Ol' Xliii OLD JfuibUK [ This was principally tile substance uf i a conversation Mr lidl and Mr ; ji. Street a few days previously, ilie latter gentleman having been employe l ! ' on the work ol' coiistructng the original ' midge. The old bridge was built by 1 Messrs. liundle, Brooking, ami Clare in j 1857. Mi Richard Street, his brother

John, and William ltundlc were tiie tradesmen employed. The first punrl irec was felled on jNIr Tom Clare's birthday, and on liis hirlliduy a year later they swept the Hour of tlie old i.ridge, Implied. About half of the lime was occupied in sawing, and the other half in building. The limber was cut between the Waiwakaiho and Jlaj ngaoraka .stream:*, the bulk of it eom- ) nig li'om the .Smart and Kgmont roads. .Messrs. AV. Kundle and 11. g Stivui Imd to trim with an adze puriri lug* 24ft lung by 3ft square. ;>\ving to .Mr. Street's mate, John i'hillipSj having met with an accident. John .Street and Jas. Harvey were saw-

ing mates, William and Richard XUiiullc, Inuiiuel Kogcrs and others, These H-ero .Mr flundle's men. ill Brooking had charge of the ironwork, and went to [Sydney to get it. Mr Clare's men wen Tlios. Wheeler, John Lander, ii. Shaw, a man named Smyth, old Bill Jones, the late W. Ballantync, and others. Mr Joseph Street did the blacksmith ng, having his forge about the site of the present entrance to the Glcn.ivon property. There were others casually i'liiploycd, but those mentioned above were "the stickers" Mr Handle was the sole contractor for the re-erection of the bridge after it had been washed away by Hood, and on this occasion \\ lluam fving and Tom Jneli helped with the sawing. Air Street told Ail' iiill that he had seen the Waiwakaiho Hat under water on three different occasions. Mr Hill also mentioned that after last County Council meeting Mr i. Skinner, Ui. . rouniy engineer, had told him thai u'joiii ,'j > years ii go Ills mother (Mis Skinner) and his aunt (Mrs Black), with his brother (Mr \V. il. Skinner), a baby in arms, had been driven across ilu old biiJge in a Imi-lock-waggon, of which Mr Win, Kuudle was the driver. He bail thought it a good idea—and l'ur-tunaiciy tlie weather iiad enabled Ins thoughts to be put into eileet—th.it those ladies should be the lirst to cross Hie new oridge, not 111 a buliock waggon, but in one u f the Ulusl , modern conveyances, Mr George Bayly s motor car, wnien had been very lunaiy piaced at the committee's disposal Mr Brown again took charge, and n.aue tn« briuge-opcning speecn. They were met, he said, to celebrate the opening of another Waiwakaiho bridge. Some of his hearers would 110 doubt remember the opening of the bridge wh eh h.,d been superseded. With this function ihcy practically entered upon a ilea era v i Di ulge-buudiug. J'he old W'aiwajkaiho bridge, in its time, was a mie o.iuge, Out una Wll3 ii uer _ Jjul 110 not touch on anc.ent history— tnere we're Otliers beticr qualilied ihan he. Bell 're lie went any f Li niier lie wanted to give the credit that was due to Ml' J. it. fill],, an j to (i_ y_ faie and J. Skmuer lor arr.uigu« tj u ceremony But lor the nrst-namcd there would probably liave been no ollic.al ceremony at all. Mr Brown then eviewed the matters that fed up to the bin ding uf the bridge The County Counui having decided to raise a ij. loi the erection of bridges on the county reads, apueale.]

Out Of aM voles twmbl/m ®werc lor tiie l'ioio*il, a, id o IU ... ujj , ot _ v wood ;uid*ew Plymouth the voting 5-a S eu all m ' a " d at W equally sojjj against. At New i'lv mouth the votes «ere 1-JD f ur and 15 at Jag Wood 232 lor and >&i aganis, and at Wahara «*•> •ijij. »• i. • Jl o " as « jVloa ndtii" fi ioi, 44 against; Uuii.ua r dine 1 £\. a S al "*t; Uwata riding, 1$ , ' earned in Moa and Omato ■»iJ Rejected in Vftiitara lidiug. S crele piurs •11,1 ™ i » , U * A CUil ' J*"-** ana Wuud-dcdaii'r two m^i x T°?i S»4:#S£S Xuruiiig to'rcMf r" i*" am lls ua- ,,, ? a CUacl ' ete teidgta l«r running foot £ !^o'' u L ' ust iUs and iJi c vi a j, | bs od _ a Sfjuivic loot; ull 'g "Jot or in W '. I<Jd l ,w ' run ' *'om this iiiiti'lj J ' er f 3 "" 1 ' 0 fout - Apart iHuainiuy .... t "' ust ' l^u 'lucstiou of l«k«t in ol s T ml - U ' lW Jlad t0 Concrete w " w * i «W»oii. ia tliat forroed totZ rr mi C ° BCrute ' il (uivonn ntas ° concrete hri.i, Ulp fi,ther Of ferro-JJrou-S b " "loin tlie U| B steel " S * WU tliat I'Liidiiure in i . t '9 Lllre J to 0 lliucli ixyear. Tll " S.W ,U S "Ufl painting each given at 40 years but r'" 1 ®" Was llw «, iu the Wu, > • ° Wlcvud ll »t jtal somethingtZhMv Tlie lirst infnnii ! permanent. <"*n to erect HWo , of . , tlle had

"« kid C''J,™ in steely but until h 0 ~O A f a , tile i^i'o-concrete total cost ta^Jaonn"- 1 Uo dismantling ot ti * of the erection Jul I d br,d Z e > an 'l the Brown took thi mp ° rary bridgl! Jlr the N, nv pi " oc ' c »sion of timnfc;,,,, the j 11'i lm ' utll trough Count 1 for «'oi ouutaio w, f h th< * constrm.fi 2° toward s the cost of 10-m V Speaking of the bridge no to, fr' 110 d tbilt <*» Z rnZ t ' 110 diffcrod «'''«» the late I . man, Mr o key, who shouU Jmve Alimit nl?" 7 wMe lle was I'pcnded ti ° f the loan lla<11)00,1 ex ' !- 7 ' , ler ß were numerous other •. ? eS ?i rc and he could not see loir the work could"be 'done Trith.- ' 11u ' r borrowing. The erection »[ i tese .structures would relieve the comity fuijds Of a a ra i n of £IOOO a Jiai loimcrly jiaJJ for maintenance of )V M ' ™ He paid a tribute to e ".""'y engineer, who planned and supei vised construction of this in. ge. jf r Skinner had most satisfacfliilv carried out the instruction of the l ouncil to provide a good bridge, with"™i,"|pntation. Their engineer fit- _ ie } nnkee description of a good engineer, "a man who can get thirty

10 1 worth of work done for a ponnrl; ■my dinned fool could do it for two pomuW n ln ' o T - IVlto ' 83 an "oM-tiraer,» and lie oldest member of the Council, followed. He dived into ancient history, recollecting the erection of tho oid bruin,', file old foul nisd ferry-punt, m the late Dan Bishop's cure, and his own difficulty in fording the stream in all weathers with fodJer foil the military. He considered there waft quite as much grit shown in ordinary life, then as ill flic football field to-day. He congratulated flie eoimfy engineer upon bis pluck in tackling ferro concrete bridge construction. Mr .T. AV. "Foreman, chairman of the Clifton County Council, said lie had often negotiated tho old ford, had contributed his mite of work to" the construction of the old bridge by hauling timber to the site. He remarked on the great advaneo 5n road-making, and ki(jK6-Jnuldijig, find regretted tiafc

boulder streams as there were here, this 1 fact- preventing an economical adoption of ferroconcrete there. This bridge impressed him as being something lastling, and something that would be as good a century hence as now. I Jlr Dockrill, Jiayt r of New l'lymoutli, warmly congratulated the County Council, its engineer, and the contractor, upon the construction of a bridge that was good to look upon and 'capable of carrying enormous traffic. | Mr 11. N. Liardet, representing the .Stratford County Council and the ':Stratford Borough Council, followed in ■ a similar strain. lie included in his | congratulatory remarks the settlors and

I ratepayers whose prosperity varrantca | j the building of sii'eh a. bridge. He | hoped that that prosperity won]J go on and increase. Mr Jenkins, Mayor of Waitara, congratulated the Council and staff on the bridge, and the ratepayers upon having siu'li an up-to-date Council. Mr F. Brown, on behalf of the Mayor and councillors of Inglcwood, speaking as a. grandson of one of the contractors of the original bridge, thanked previous speakers for their remarks concerning pioneer sotllers. ITe added his congratulations.

Mr L. fi. P. Spencer, the contractor, who was loud.lv,. clieere.l, said ho was glad to see the bridge was complete. It had. liooii a big undertaking, hut not [nonrly ns much so ns the old bridge which ho hud just dismantled. He had never seen more faithful work than he had found ' n 't. hut ho could assuro them of faithful work in the new structure, too. Jlr -lohn Skinner, the county engineer, Mas loudly called for, hut ho declined to speak. Walking-sticks made from the timber of the old bridge were then presented to Messrs Street, Win. Rundie, T. Clare, T. Inch, S. Rogers, S. Bundle, 11. Faull, and W. Brooking, who had had to do with the building of the old bridge. Mr Clare returned thanks. Mrs Okey then severed the ribbon with a specially ornamented and inscribed pair of scissors, and the bridge was declared open for traflic. The first vehicle to cross was Mr Geo. Bayly's motor car, in which were Mrs Skinner, and -All's llluck, previously mentioned, MiBayly and Mr Skinner, county engineer. Immediately following came Mr J. C. Monteliore's bullock-dray, in which were crowded the county councillors and the "old-timers." Photographs were taken, and plenteous refreshments served, and the ceremony was over.

Hie arrangements by the committee, assisted by Dm County Clerk, wer.o good, and no hitch occurred during the afternoon.