WESTLAND TRAMWAYS.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume II, Issue 53, 6 January 1868, Page 3

WESTLAND TRAMWAYS.

(from THE “ HOKITIKA LEADER.”) A stranger now visiting Westland, and seeing its towns and various public works and its numerous population, would scarcely credit the statement that hardly 'three years since almost the whole of the country was occupied by a dense and nearly impenetrable forest. The discovery of gold—-that mighty agent in affecting the destinies of nations as well as of individuals—caused a vast influx of population to arrive at what was at that time deemed a most inhospitable region, a population consisting of men of untieing energy and indomitable perseverance, men who at once set their shoulders to the wheel, and the result has been the settlement of a country in which not only the necessaries but the luxuries of life can be obtained, but. whose progress has been so remarkable as to become unparalleled in the annals of colonisation. Foremost amongst the marks of progress is the construction of Tramways, three of which leading from Hokitika towards the great gold mining centres, we purpose now to describe, viz., the Hokitika and Greyraouth Tramway, the Hau Hau Tramway, and the Hokitika and Kaniera Tramway. Each of these is the result of private enterprise, no other en•conragement having been offered by the Government to the various companies than allowing them to occupy the waste land over which the Tramways passed. It is a remarkable fact in connection with means of land transit other than that offered by common roads, that wliereever railroads on which the motive power has been steam, or wooden tramways where horses supplied the tractive power have been established, that, sooner or later, along the whole line productive industries have been established, and what was once a wilderness has beoome dotted with smiling homesteads, bearing around them the indubitable signs of-' civilisation and future progress; and suoh have been the results which have followed the opening of Tramways in the neighborhood of Hokitika. We will now proceed' to give a brief sketch of each of the tramways we have previously alluded to. THE HOKITIKA AND QREYMOUTII TRAMWAY. This tramway, which at present extends srom Hokitika to the Arahura river, a distance of four miles and three-quarters, is the property of a Company with limited liability. It forms part of the highroad to the Waimea, one of the most productive of the Westland goldfields, and as such has a large passenger traffic, as well as bringing- into town large quantities of fish caught in the Arahura lagoon and vegetables grown in the market gardens which are on both sides of the line, as well as in the Arahura district. The line, which is of a four feet guage is composed of wooden rails, laid on sleepers four feet apart, and it contains no gradients of any consequence, and running as it does over a level plain, it contains no cuttings. The course of the line from Hokitika to the Three Mile diggings is tortuous* and this course was necessarily adopted owing to the ground oVer which the tramway passed being occupied by the diggers at the time of its construction, the only curves of any magnitude are at the two bridges, one of which crosses the Hau Hau River and the other the little Hau Hau The Tramway was constructed under the supervision of Mr Frew, the present Town Surveyor of Hokitika. The laying of the .first rail took place in October, 1866, and a portion of tho line was opened by a few of the Directors of the Company, in the following November The whole of the timber used in its construction is of New Zealand growth, and the passenger carriages, which are very convenient, were likewise manufactured in Hokitika by Messrs Scott and Watkins

The tramway .was completed to the Aralmra, about Christmas, 1366; and when His Excellency Sir George Grey visited Westland, the Directors solicited and obtained the honor of conveying him and his suite from the Arahura to Hokitika, in one cf their carriages which had been specially fitted up for the occasion. . The main station in Hokitika, from which the trains start is situated in North Re veil street, and is a very handsome building—fitted up with covered platforms, and having a spacious goods shed, together with a board room, and manager’s office. Attached to this arc refreshment and waiting rooms, known as the Railway Hotel, which are under the charge of Mr Ferdinand Udham, and where every civility and attention are shewn to the guests. Ample stables for the horses employed in drawing the carriages on the line, having been erected contiguous to the main building. The line runs along the ocean beach, having on the other side a range of low terraced hills partially covered with scrub and timber. For the first mile out of town there is nothing particularly deserving notice, but here we come upon a well managed dairy farm, the property of Mr Atkinson, who is one of the purveyors of the large quantity of milk which is consumed in Hokitika. From this point until reaching the Arahura station both sides of the line are nearly enclosed by gardens devoted to the growth of vegetables, and from which largo quantities are daiiy sent to town. There is a small station at the Threemile, about half way to the Aralmra,. where there is also a station, which although not so large as the one in Hokitika, is nevertheless most complete in its arrangements. The refreshment rooms belong to Mr Trenery, and here as in Hokitika every attention is paid to visitors. This station is surrounded bygardens, including a large patch set apart for the cultivation of flowers. Mr Trenery rather prides himself upon thisbeautiful'addition to his establishment. This Company employs a manager, a ■station master, veterinary surgeon, a blacksmith, two drivers, two grooms, a ticket collector, and three surface men. It has eight splendid horses used on the line—four covered carriages, capable of taking' twenty passengers each, and two goods trucks, and the average time in going from Hokitika to the Arahura is twenty minutes. THE HOKITIKA AND KANIERI TRAMWAY. This tramway, which is the property of a limited liability company, connects the township of Kanieri, three miles distant, and the Kanieri gold-diggings, which are adjacent to the township. The terminus at Hokitika is on Gibson’s Quay, and skirts the banks of the Hokitika river through its whole route. The rails are of wood, laid down in a similar manner to those on the other tramways; but in making this line eight bridges had to he erected over creek and guleies. Mr Frew, the present Town Surveyor,, lately superintended its construction. In May, 1860, this line was first laid, down from Gibson’s Quay to the Islay Hotel, about a mile distant from tho terminus. In the following September' it was carried about a mile farther, and in February-, 1867, it was finally completed to the Kanieri. It has two branch lines running half a mile into the forest fertile purpose of bringing down timber, fascines, and firewood. From the Hokitika Terminus, until near the Islay Hotel, on cur journey up the line, we passed a number of villa residences—many of them surrounded hy gardens very tastefully laid out. Beyond this—as we journey-ed on the country became wild in its character, although the forest, which was on one side of the line, the river being on the other, bore here and there marks of civilisation in the form of cultivated patches surrounding the huts and tents of the wood-cutters. Passing the Halfway House, the train sped on through the same kind of country, until it passed through a cutting five chains in length, and thirty six feet in depth ; emerging from the cutting it passed under a loftyframe of timber, which supports the flume conveying water to the wheel, which works the machinery for pumping the claims, and which is the property of the Westland Gold Mining Company, and beyond this is the Kanieri Terminus—were the train stopped. There is a good deal of passenger traffic on the line, and a large quantity of goods are weekly- conveyed up it to the Kanieri Diggings, and are forwarded, also to the Eight Mile Diggings on the opposite side of the Hokitika river. Timber, firewood, and fascines are brought down the line in great quantities, and wo hear it is contemplated to lay- down a branch line to extensive gravel beds in its neighborhood, so as to obtain a supply for ballasting the tramway-, also to bring into Hokitika for sale. Two branch lines already- exist for the more convenient transit of timber and firewood. There are stables at each terminus, and five powerful horses arc daily- working on the tramway-. There are in the employ of the Company a manager, clerk, four drivers, and two plate layers, besides laborers engaged in cutting timber and firewood. We have thus bneflly sketched three of the principal tramways in Westland, and we believe that the sketch will not prove uninteresting, as showing the great progress which has been made in this young community in a very short time, and likewise as indicating what has been effected by the energy and perseverance of the Anglo-Saxon race.