THE RAILWAY BREAK.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 January 1922, Page 6

THE RAILWAY BREAK.

REPAIR WORK PROCEEDING. A LABORIOUS TASK. Work at the damaged railway bridge at Whenuakura is proceeding apace, but owing to various circumstances the bridge will not be open for traffic in the ten days previously anticipated, in fact the public will have cause for congratulation if the rails are joined up in another three weeks’ time (says the Patea Press).

Altogether a length of some 140 feet of bridge was carried away and as the river is a deep one —there is 20 feet of water at high tide —the task of replacing the piers that were carried away is no light one. Three of these piers, each containing eleven 50 foot piles, which have to be driven 30 feet into the solid papa, have to be rebuilt, anc| in addition there is the bracing and superstructure to build UP The Railway Department has 32 bridge builders and carpenters at work on the bridge, who work in two shifts of 12 hours each, thus enabling the work to be carried on day and night without a break. There is hlso a large gang of platelayers engaged in the work of clearing the logs, which are banked up on the upper side of the bridge. Some idea of the magnitude of the work and the time it will take to complete /the job can be gauged from the fact that the piles which htfve to be driven 30 feet into the solid papa can only be driven about half an inch at each blow. The pile driving alone will therefore take some days to complete.

The Department has a large steam crane on the job lifting the heavy piles and bringing them to the bridge where there is a small portable engine which drives the pile driving “monkey.” The idea of a suspension bridge for foot passengers has been abandoned as impracticable under the circumstances. The span across the river is far too great for a bridge of this kind and the railway authorities no doubt consider the time employed in constructing this would be more profitably employed in repairing the old one. There is rhe additional fact that the height of such a bridge across the river would be so '.Teat that women and children would not care to make use of it. If such a bridge were erected much time at present employed in getting the old bridge ready for traffic would be wasted as the transit of passengers and luggage could not well be carried out without hampering the repair work. Altogether the railway authorities are doing the right thing in concentrating on the work of joining up the rails in the shortest possible time. HEAVY TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD. Part of the road from Patea to Waverley the other motning. between the time of arrival of the morning mail train at Patea and its departure for the south, was almost like a busy street in a city (says the Hawera Star). The motorist coming north met a succession of vehicles of many kinds —cars and lorries, large and small, motor buses, horse waggons, and drays, besides the oridnary run of gigs and traps. The road in parts has churned up a great deal, and for a mile or two there was a constant cloud of dust. One saw the county mark of Wanganui, Patea. Hawera, Stratford, New Plymouth, Taranaki. Eltham, and Egmont, and as prinkling of outside county marks. All were travelling as though were late and had to catch a train in record time — they were all going "eyes out.” Those plying for hire —and most of them were evidently in the business—appeared to be doing well. Certainly the gap is being bridged pretty well. It is an i’l wind that blows no one any good.

Evidences of the storm that tore away the bridge are plainly visible, on the stretf'hes of the Whenuakura one sees from he road. In many places may be seen huge trees forty feet above rhe ordinary level, lodged amongst the bush. At one place a vegetable garden has been pretty well washed away. The •-round is coated thick with rich silt. It is assumed that the present loss mav be compensated later by an extra vield par acre of liguminous crops. Right down the course of the river silt itfav be seen from thirty to forty feet above normal level. Lt is striking evidence of the violence of the cloudburst. The wonder appears to be that there was not more damage.