THE WAIWAKAIHO BRIDGE

Taranaki Daily News, 10 November 1916, Page 4

THE WAIWAKAIHO BRIDGE

temporary repairs. It was not until daylight yesterday that t,e full extent of th<> damage to the \i aiwakaihc bridge was revealed, tnogap being about 40 feet wide. From early morning till daTk there was a constant flow of visitors to the scene, the tramcars throughout the day being crowded, especially .during the afternoon, the traffic being greatly facilitated by the Tramway.? Inspector (Mr. Pentecost), who did all in his power to successfully cope with the extraordinary pressure. The County Chairman (Mr J Brown) received news of the disaster soon after 8 a.m. yesterday and lost no time in arriving on the scene and arranging for work to be put in nand at once to prepare for a temporary connection Tjetween the severed portion of the bridge and the main road on the east, end. In this he was fortunate enough to have the co-operation of Mr. Quin, chairman of directors of tha Farmers' Meat -frmijßg now bemg erected at Smart Road; ~ with commendable public spirit, Mr. Quin placed the resources of the work! including Jabor, at the disposal of the County Chairman, and still further added toTnat boon by releasing Mr. F. M. Grayling, supervisor of the Freezing Works, from his duties there, and eft Mr. (irayling is one of the foremost bridge experts in the North Island, his services were most welcome, as was the help of Mr. Grayling's staff of bridge-builders employed "at the Freezing Works. II was decided to construct a tem« porary span in woodwork, so as to carry a load tip to about four tons, and the necessary timber was speedily ordered for immediate delivery, the main bearera being 45 feet long. It was hoped that some of the timber' would have been on the spot before 2 p.m., but it was not until nearly 6 o'clock that the first load arrived. The Borough Council also co-operated by making a~ installation of electric lighting, so as to enable tho work to be carried out all night. It is expected that foot passengers will be able to get across this morning, and that by Saturday morning the bridge will be re-opened for 'vehicular traffic Mention must also be made of the assistance rendered by the Railway Department in stationing a man with a jigger at the railway bridge over th« river, so as to trolly residents on t'h* eastern side of the bridge to and fro, thus preventing their isolation, and this concession proved a great, boon, though it was occasionally abused by sight-seers There was naturally a good deal of talk as to who was to blame The County Chairman considers that if the proposed toll-gate had not been opposed by the Borough Council, the pier would have beeh repaired, the cost defrayed, and the toll removed by this time As to who will have to foot the bill for the reconstruction of the span, and the temporary work now being carried out, will have to be determined later, but <;he great point is that the work is joing on, sc that as small an amount if inconvenience as possible will be felt ■y the settlers. TRAFFIC DELAYED MANGANUI BRIDGE SHAKEN', TRAINS UNABLE TO CROSS. The lieavy rains during tfte past three days flooded the various mountain streams Passengers by the mail train yesterday morning had a rare experience. Although raining when leaving New Plymouth, good time was made till liiglewood was reached. Rain was still falling, but at Tariki tlje weather appeared to be breaking. At Waipuku, just approaching the station, the speed slackened considerably, and a man was observed, waving the red flag for "Danger!" Passengers smartly descended, and the news spun round that the bridge (railway) was in danger of collapsing. The train remained at Waipuku some minutes and then, the bridge being over a mile away, the passengers were re-embarked, and the i jourrityi! made to tho danger point. Here the passengers finally left the usual Wellington express and inspected the bridge. At first glance it was apparent that something was amiss, as the centre had dropped. The river, is spanned by three stone pillara, ami it was the centre one that caused the danger. In length the bridge is probably 40 feet, but beyond the depression in the lines, estimated at 12 inches, does not appear unsafe. Viewed from the road-bridge, 'however, one could easily trace the Bubsidenie. The racing waters had eaten away all the boulders, etc., around the pillars, and the waters were working right through and underneath the supports. Further delay was inevitable, and whilst the majority of the passengers were content to relate experiences whilst standing in the rain, some made a bee-line back to the Wellington express. Here the usual cards were introduced, and a pleasant thirty minutes spent. Meanwhile tha first train from Hawera had linked up extra carriages for the mail passengers. This train arrived at the other side of the river, and railway officials and workers smartly transferred mail matter, passengers' luggage, etc., and, despite the delay, the engine wa3 only 00 misutoa behind at Hawera.

Although the Manganui rfts running high, the weather was breaking, and Ik is thought the strengthening of thi bridge will not take many days. Motorists passing through from N'ew Plymouth also had a rough time, th« roads in many places being submerged, whilst running streams breaking away from culverts indicate that the county workers have something 16 do when the weather breaks.