THE BEAUMONT AND TUAPEKA WATER RACE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 200, 30 November 1871, Page 5

THE BEAUMONT AND TUAPEKA WATER RACE.

Last week we referred to this race as j progressing rapidly in its construction '< Having a desire to visit the scone of operations, we the other day, accompanied by a few friends, saddled our horse and proceeded 4" the spot, s<>»ne ten <t twelve mi'es from Lawrence. The best track is by the old Dunstan road. Proceeding up Munro's Gully, a short distance past Mr. M'Millan's stockyard, on the left-hand side, a well-beaten spur is easily observable. Ascending this spur," we soon gain the leading ridge, by following which- we are brought to within a very short distance of the scene of operations. Having reached the spot, we are made very welcome by the working shareholders, who vie with each other in showing us kindness, and in- giverog us every information l asked for. Cosily cn v c msedin a gully, are four ! ran-new tents, \vh:re six of the eight men engaged in th« work rest their weary iimhs ; and a little further down are hwo huts, one occupied by Mr. Graham, the manager, and his family, and the other by another married couple. We enter one of the tents, and find the billy briskly boiling, and the camp oven sending forth, a very savory smell. Accompanied hy two or rhree of the party, we bake a stroll along the race, which they are working upwards to the Beaumont from the scene of their present working. Judging from the extremely wild and broken country through which they have so far had to construct the work, we were not anrprised to notice the many obstacles with, which they have already had to contend. But, with all these, they are making steady headway, having in eleven w^eks constructed three miles of a race 3ffc. 6in. in width at the base, and calculated to carry 1000 inches of water, and that, too, in many places, thrmgh hard rock. Besides this, at the bend of several of the gullies Ivgh. walls of stone and soda have been builtio keep the race to its level. Tha party appear to work harmoni >mly together. Each man has his allotted task to perform, and if he fails to accomplish it to-day, he has the more to do to-mor-row. If absent one day, ho has tp forfeit 125., or construct one chain of the race for every day's absence. Where the party are at present at work is about two miles from their tents. The Beaumont river, some fifty or sixty feet below, wends its crystal si ream to the Molyneux. Having followed the race as far up as constructed, we descended the ' hill and •walked by the river side, sifter which we crossed several spurs, when we arrived at the ruins of Mr. May's house, on the Duns tan road. Here there is one of the Baaiiinout tributaries, and a not unimportant ' ona— -a stream, indeed, wliicli when we saw it must have had two or three hundred inches of water running in it. We were informed by the party that the intention of the company is to construct the race up to that point, which they hnpo to have done by Christmas. That d«>ne, they will run this tributary into the race, and lot it follow them. In- 1 stead of continuing the work up to the Beaumont, some two or three miles higher up, they purpose commencing at the other end and making towards the saddle. By this means they have a supply of water which they can direct upon any payable srround, or sell to any parties requiring [ ifc, and thus lessen ilje working expenses. They will then return and finish the race up to the Beaumont. They anticipate reaching the Beaumont saddle by the middle of next winter, after which the continuation of the work to the Tnapeka spurs will be comparatively easy. In passing, and before f reiimuug in th,s tents, we cannot hejp Baying a , word about thu. bid accommodation house, where -$jr.May . administered to jfche necessities of many a pour 'footsore 4jf»» er - o$ hi< way

to the Dunstan. There it stands in a quiet nook at the meeting of .the -waters, roofless, with the raspberry bushes springing up in all directions from amidst its ruins. The garden, too, is Tun to weeds, and the raspbery bushes and strawberry beds are in full bloom all around the house. Returning over the hills by a short cut to the tents, we were regaled with a substantial dinner, for which it need not be said our appetites were well prepared. We could not help observing the high spirits of the party, and their great confidence in their leader, Mr. Graham. We did not overstretch the mark last week when we said a half-Bhare could not be obtained from any of the working party for L2OO, We would say, let them stick to it : the property will be an excellent one, during their lifetime, at all events. Thanking our hosts fdr their generous diggers' cheer, we mounted our horses and returned to Lawrence by way of the Beaumont — about the roughest road we hare experienced in the country ; but withal, we were highly gratified with our visit to the new witter race.