AFTER 40 YEARS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 310, 23 May 1913, Page 6

AFTER 40 YEARS

THE WAITARA BRIDGE. REPLACED M A MODERN STRUCTURE. THE OPEXJXU CEREMONY. Yesterday marked an epoch in the history ol Waitara, being tin; occasion of the opening of an up-to-date ferro-con-crete and steel bridge, to replace the wooden structure that has done duty across the Waita.ni River during the past forty years. It was a fete day at the river port, the bridge being gaily decorated with bunting. The weather was perfect, and there was a very large attendance. 'The Waitara Borough Council, who had control of the erection of the bridge, arranged the function, and they were represented by Mr. W. J. Jenkins (Mayor), and Crs. Langman, Klenner, Birdling, and Brabant and Mr. C. F. Dowsett (engineer). Among other invited guests were Messrs. H. J. Okey, M.P. for Taranaki, W. T. Jennings, ex-M.P. for Taumaranui, G. W. Browne (Mayor), and Crs. A. Clark and Kibby (New Plymouth Borough); Crs. Tarpleo, Humphrey and Spurdle (lnglewood Borough); Crs. Ilathaway (Chairman of the Stratford County Council), Sander, O'Sullivan and Hicks (Clifton County Council); J. R. Hill, Mark Hopson, and R. Stevens (Taranaki County Council); Mr. H. Trimble (Chairman I 'of the Moa Road Board), and Mr. J.. Connett (Waitara West Road Board). Mr. Thos. Buchanan acted as master of ceremonies.

In keeping with the change from the old to the new era of bridge, the opening ceremony typified the change from the means of conveyance in vogue at the time the old bridge was constructed Rome forty years ago as contrasted with the present day, and accordingly the first vehicle to cross was a bullock dray, driven by Mr. J. Richards, who. drove the first bullock dray over the old bridge. The speechifying was done from the bullock dray, which was more than comfortably filled by the majority of the guests mentioned above. The Waitara Band enlivened the proceedings bv several selections.

Mr. W. F. Jenkins, Mayor of Waitara, first apologised for the absence of the Hon. W. ,F. Massey and tlie Hon. W. Fraser (Minister of Public Works) who were unable to attend, and also for the absence of Mr. C. K. Wilson, member for the district, who through being absent at Paemako did not receive the invitation in time. He also apologised for Messrs. J. B. Hine, M.P., S. .J. Kennington (chairman of the Clifton County Council), J. Brown (chairman of the Taranaki Council), Mr. Kirkwood (Mayor of Stratford), and the Hon. Thos. Kelly, M.L.C. Referring to the bridge, he said that all would agree that the bridge was a necessity. The old bridge was.a- faithfully built structure, and had served its purpose. Those who used the • bridge recognised that the time had arrived when a more adequate bridge was needed. The traffic had increased greatly, and would increase further. The new bridge was wide enough and strong enough to permit of two traction engines going over at once, and would do away with the inconvenience at present, caused; by perhaps six or eight traps having to wait while one crossed, often meaning a lost train. Moreover, the old bridge was getting very shaky. • Some, he stated, had considered that,the bridge should have been built in ferro-concrete. Personally, he had always been ,an advocate for ferroconcrete, but the latter would have cost more than they could, raise.. He was, however, ; given to understand by the engineers that t,he present bridge would not have begun to wear in 50 years' time. He was advised that the district! roads engineer was more than satisfied with the bridge. He paid a high tribute to the designing of Mr. C F. Dowsett, and to the carrying out of the work of Messrs, Johnston and Co., and did not consider that the cost for such! a splendid'piece of work had been excessive. He then called on Mr, W. T. Jennings', as one who had been identified with the district for many. years, and who had l wonked hard -for> the bridge, to declare'it open. Mr. Jennings, in..his opening remarks, facetiously .observed that "it was.not every day , they killed • a pig," and it was Icertainly not every day theyop : ened'such a fine bridge. He rqgretted that | it was impossible for either the Premier or a Minister, or the Member of the district to perforin the opening ceremony. He was pleased to see so many Maoris present, taking an active part and an active interest-in the movements of the white people. He asked them' to look- at ihe old bridge aml ! then at the new, and take it as a sign to ' them to march • on, and... progress. There was, he said, one more river to cross, viz., the Mokau, and he would say to his friend, Mr. Wilson, that if he was :able to succeed in gettjng ■••that 'nidged he would secure the esteem of he speaker .and everyone else in the listrict. Continuing, , Mr. Jennings laid ;he felt honored, as senior"member 'if'.the Harbour Board, and ex-member for the district, in,being asked to. de ; clare the bridge ope'n for traffic. There was no place in the. Dominion of New Zealand that had'the historical associ: ations that Waitara had. He . never passed the soldiers' cemetery* in" Waitai'a without raising his hat to Lieutenant Brookes'and brie other young men, who, in the flower of their virile manhood, to the, number of 32 killed and 30 wounded, were stricken down on June 22, 18fi0. When lifcleontrastediithe'.old bridge, opened for traffic- in-1872, with the present handsome structure, a flood -of reflections came over him. Many who were present on that occasion, when, as the poet Longfellow writes, their hearts were ''hot and restless," have passed away. There were a few there today, but their hearts were "subdued. :*'nd slow." Then again, what wis Wai.taiia and district in those days compared 1 , w'ith the present? The present, new .bviflge, as compared with tile old, gave :sl;h(j answer. A larger population, nearly eighty times greater, happy - and smiling homesteads, with 1 butter at Is instead of 4d and 3d., showed also, the great change that had taken place, and that the future of the district./)! Waitara and surrounding places must not stand still. To do so, was to retrograde. Forward must be the motto, and they must raise money to improve the harbour entrance. If he bad the privilege of bestowing a name to the bridge, it i would in the future be known as the i'"Good Will-Bridge." The Tree of Life 1 would be all the better if the branches of goodwill were more freely planted ' "that a liglit.be placed in the centre of the bridge by the Borough, and that light should have an inscription to this effect—This is the Light of Goodwill." He congratulated the citizens of Waitara and residents of the .surrounding districts upon the accomplishment of this great work. The total cost amounted to £10,500, of which the ■Government gave a subsidy of £3,000. There was not and could not lie. any direct charge on the residents over this bridge. Tlie interest from the harbour endowments ' and the pro rata contributions from surrounding local bodies, was sufficient forthe'purpose. In connection with the difficult negotiations, the Harbour Board and- the Borough worked amicably together; and he would be ungenerous if he did not mention the assistance of Messrs. W. Jenkins, G. Stubbs, J. Rattenbury, and J. Foreman, in bringing matters to a satisfactory position. He wished to congratulate the contractors and workmen. They had proved themselves worthy craftsmen, and it was ; pleasant .to, know that, there, were no accidents in tiie erection of the strut;-

hire. Ho wished good luck and good 1,c;:1l!i to all that would cross the bridge 10-day and in the future. Mr. Jennings concluding by apostrophising the bridge us follows: "Hridge of Waitara, we give thee had. May all pass o'er thee with sunshim. :uid smile, Willi hearts true .as steel so as ne'er to fail, hi striving for good for our beautiful l«!e, Of New Zealand.

lie tli.n called on Mrs. W. V. Jenkins to sevnr Ihe ribbon, and declare the bridge open. The bullock dray, with its freigiit of local body representatives, then crossed the bridge amidst applause, the bullocks having some trouble to start their heavy load. This was followed by the motor ear driven by Mr. Sampson, and 1 immediately the bridge was blocked by a great concourse.

DESCRIPTION OF THE BRIDGE, The bridge is a. fine, handsome strut- > ture, and the designer, Mr. C. F. Dowsett, claims no novelty in its construction, but has. designed it ou the lines of strength with simplicity. It is 240 feet long, with four spans of CO feet each. The width between the inside parapets is 20 feet,, and over all 28 feet. Before deciding on the present design, three other designs were considered, viz., a steel truss on cylinders, and two for ferro-concrete structure* of ornate design. Tenders, however, for either of the smaller of the two were thousands of pounds above that of the present bridge, viz., £9,388, so that the cost was a big factor to consider. The whole foundations are composed: of lain/ x loin concrete piles, reinforeed; witlii I%in. steel rods. They were well matured before driving, which was hard 1 throughout, indicating a good bottom. In fact,_ a record was established, one pile receiving 408 blows, and only sinking- Iiy 2 inches. These piles received blows equal to from 41.7 to 58.3 tons, double what they are asked to carry* on the' structure itself. Solid piers of re-i'nfbreed. concrete surmount the piles, aiid in' these the girder bolts are embedded. The girders are each 4ft Gin deep by 60ft. long, built in three sections. Surmounting these are steel joists which, carry the trough flooring, which is somewhat of a novelty in New Zealand. Over this is a base of 7 inches of concrete with another 8 inches of tarred' 'macadam, which completes the road'way. The footways are constructed ;! witlr No. 10 gauge corrugated iron; and (tarrying; ■a. concrete floor. The water channels are also of concrete, and are-graded to carry off storm water by means of. down piping. The parapets are constructed of, angle and tees supporting, trellis, work, j which give protection and please the., eye. The wing walls, are carried up, from the piles, and are crowned inforced concrete posts . with galvanised piping. In designing, the. live .load has, been taken at lOOlbs per superficial foot of roadway and footway; combined, The dead load" has been taken at one''ton 1 per lineal foot of trafTio,, and the wind load 150 lbs,per lineal foot, treated as 'concentrated dead, load., The whole, work , was fitted together under the',.supervision of Mr, Ealstrpn' Watson CE., in the Home yards and afterwards dismantled for transport. .'This reflevts.'great., credit on the well known -firm, trie Cleveland Bridge Coy, pfDarlingtJon,England, The contractors for; the "erectiorr of trW; bridge locallv were Messrs; -W.'T. 1 Johnston; of Wellington, and their overseer waß ; Mr. A. Steward,'Mr/' C. T<7 Brabant acting as Inspector. Tire-bridge bears the following! : inscription, on a marble I tablet: — •'' •' ■'' ; '■' ■'■ ■;.'■ :|J i "W r aitSTa Bridge, ; erected A.D..1913., Waitara Borough Council:—WV F..'Jeft-j kins'(Mayor).-. Councillors: ■ W.:'Bird,: lin". W. Black, A. K.leTWi'er,H. Langman,; C V. Tate, ,H. Spurdle. Ci.E. Dowsett, Borough Engineer.. W : T. Johnston and Coy.j contractors." i'„,-< LUNCHEON^--After the opening ceremony-' was concluded, an adjournment waa made by the invited guests of the Bbfbugh Council to KJerr's luncheon was provided and ajtoftst''list' discussed. The Jenkins)-, presided, and there were-pxesent representatives of all'the.'neighboring local bodies and representative men of the district. ■' ''' : '■ "The King" having foeeii toasted, the toast, "Parliament of New. Zealand," fol-' lowed., Mr.' H, Okey,; M.P., ed. 'He -complimented Waitarali !&ni. district upon possessing such'a fine structure as had beeri'bpeied that (dfty. '■ ! The next-work they should-aim at was a bridge over' the Mokau. ■■ !T-hey : were losing a-, good 'deal of trade' through not hav ing the' river' bridged.' ;Ho wottldi- be ; pleased to support' Hie Member, for the• district in securing a vote for the (bridge, for which Mr. JemiirigS' in'ltliftfpa'st had' .Uko' wrought. '' ' '"' ' ! [" Mr. W.'T.■ Jennings proposed'the' 'next toast!, "Local Bodies,''' 'saying 1 :ihd't the labors of members of local'bodies 'were not always appreemted-fw -tU«y-d«seryed to be. He referred to the self-sacrificing efforts of the public mei);in;newly settled districts, and the self-abnegation and useful work of. jnemb.ers. % otl9cal. bodies generally. . ~.. Mr 1 . G.-W-. BroWrte '(Mayor tof New Ply- ? in replying, said that they should endeavor to' get -tlie' Governmentto follow the American -plan in building a'bridge over the Mokau, namely.,-pro-vide for-a.rauway track, as;,well as for ordinary' traffic:' .'■' Were;.;, this.'done,, j* would- bring- ithe - extension of .the. \ *aib : way ; from Waitara, northward dby ;thisj route many, years-nearec. That, the timq was ltot'fardistant'whom they; would. ■ Kave to sliirt the oixtehsiony he, was, quite, sure. ■••'■■> !; : ' '"'' : ,;ji ' ' J::i ''-• ;^-- : " •,'■ Mr. Con.'. GPSulli vand (senior,member of, the Clifton County Councilman the:ah', sence of'the chairman.isaid the newWaii. tara bridge' would prove.sa, boon.to set-, tiers. He.had :more than ;once in; t.h.e past,missed ,a train .through the congest ■Hon of traffic on the old bridge. This 'wouUb'.tiat Mbapp<ui'i witli \ the, ,new. ; ,cftnS ■structwfa. the.-, liipkati'rinici'.ibradgedv,«..' Very .necessary: Work. -Oi'j : .ill i.i .'■';•; ! Mr. ItiXrimbln i( chairman-, of itlW/Moa Road Board) also replied, -He drew attention to .tboi'practic&roS tlKfiGoxcrnf merit Audit Office in attaching tags to items of expenditure ami .intimationsissued by them that the members passing the items would be held p"rsonally r»-. sponsible for the money involved. Jf the Audit Department persisted in reading the Act. in the strict mann-"- t''"v did and allowing members of local bodies no latitude or discretionary powv in the matter of the expenditure, of the money at their disposal, the time was not far off when good and responsible men would shy clear of the work of local government. And they could not be blamed, for no man was going to render himself liable for the repayment of money voted for necessary works.

Mr. Mark Hopson (member of the Taranaki County Council) apologised for the absence of Mr. J.,Brown (chairman). He had a good word to say for the quality of the bridge. He mentioned that Mr. jOkey was the originator of the concrete bridge in Taranaki, and deserved credit for what he had done. Concrete bridges were everlasting, and the best in every way.

Mr. Tarplee (a member of the Tnglewood Borough .-Council) a-pologised for the absence of the Mavor of his town. He remarked that twenty years ago the old Waitara bridge was regarded as unsafe, which showed that the new bridge was not built before its time. Mr. W. Hathaway (chairman of. the Stratford Conntv Council) also responded. He referred to the self-reliant policy of the people of his district in making

and maintaining their roads. As for a bridge like the Waitara one, the cost should have been borne almost wholly by the Government, which should also maintain the arterial roads.

Mr. T. Buchanan proposed the toast of "The Engineer, Mr. C. V. Dowsett," whose work he referred to in eulogistic terms. He traced the history of the new bridge from its inception, touching upon the difficulties that were met with and overcome. Waitara had been well served by the engineer, as well as by the contractors and all concerned with the job, and the bridge woidd always stand as a monument to Mr. Dbwsett's ability. Mr. Dowsett replied in a neat speech. The i contractor had carried out his work most faithfully, as did the other officials, andihe believed they had got a very fine bridge. Incidentally, he advised the residents of the town- to sink their little differences, have a "round table" conference and give a strong and a long pull, and push the town ahead. In nothing was l this wanted more than in connects with the port, the improvement of which should at once be taken in hand.

Mr. Birdling next .propped,',,.tjje, toast of "The Contractors" (Messrs. Johnstonit Co.). Mr. Johnston, in responding, said; that he believed Waitara, had,,£ot one -of the "best bridges in New Zealand. J|r. G. Browne next proposed the health of the Waitara Borough Council, Mr.'Jenkins acknowledging.- ; ■ ■. ■■ "The Press,"' proposed by Mr. J. B. Roy; and responded to by the Press representatives present, brought to a closea successful a:nd" pleasant afternoon'ls function) ; ' .