3

E.—B.

send all the produce from his extensive run by the railway, as a station on the north side of the Waipara River, as I have before alluded to, would afford accommodation for that purpose. I have purposely kept open this report until our arrival at the Waiau, as I should then have had an opportunity of passing again through the country that forms the route of the other line; and I must say that I feel more than ever convinced that the best route for the main line is through the Hurunui and AVaiau Districts, for whatever life and travel at present exists, and from all appearances is likely to continue, is undoubtedly through this part of the country, and the land, contrary to the other line, appears to be in possession of a far greater number of persons. The grades that constitute, equally with the traffic, a most important feature of a line of railway will compare most favourably with any of the other lines that have been examined; whether we take the West Coast line, from Nelson by way of the Buller River, the Wairau and Clarence Rivers by way of Jack's Pass, the Wairau, Tarndale and Acheron and Clarence Rivers by way of Jollies Pass, or the Awatere, Ward's Pass, the Acheron and Clarence Rivers, by way of Jollies Pass. The steepest grade by way of the coast line is that at the Greenhills, which I have reason to believe will not exceed 1 in 40. From a second examination of the line between the Kaikoura, and Waiau Townships I feel certain that all the grades as shown upon the sections accompanying my former report can be much improved ; and, as we now have an exploration of all the possible routes for a line of railway between Amberley and Blenheim, I feel myself justified in recommending that a trial " survey line " should be made through this district, so as to be certain of its practicability and the nature of the grades the country will afford. As the most expensive and at the same time the most difficult portion of the line is between the Waiau and Kaikoura Townships, especially in respect to grades, this portion might bo done first, and if found satisfactory the other portions can be done afterwards, more especially that along the seacoast between the Kaikoura Township and Flaxbourne. T have, &c, The Engineer in-Chief. Thomas M. Fot.

No. 3. Mr. T. M. Pot to the Engineee-in-Cihee. Survey of Trial Line for Railway, Conway to Kaikoura. Sic, — Kaikoura, 24th October, 1877. I have now the honor to forward you plan, section, and report of the above-mentioned work. As tho lino by the Campbell Creek and the crossing of the Conway Biver, with that of the ascent from the Greenburn to Greenhills, constitutes, in my opinion, the most difficult portion, as regards the location of the main line from Amberley to Blenheim, I was anxious to have the former portion included in this survey. We therefore commenced at tho saddle, on the western side of the Whale's Back, instead of at the Conway Biver. With the view of expediting the survey I subdivided the work, giving the first 11 miles—namely, from the above-mentioned saddle to the Charwell Eiver—to Mr. Simpson, with Mr. Evans, cadet, as an assistant ; whilst the remaining 25 _- miles, including the Greenhills portion, I took myself, assisted by Mr. Coom. I have prepared an index map of both plan and section, by which the grades and tho general direction of the surveyed line will be seen at a glance. By the plan it will be seen that the general direction of the line surveyed between the two extreme points is favourable enough. The only place where any marked deviation occurs is at the crossing of the Charwell Eiver. The sharpest curve upon the line of survey will bo of five chains radius, but this only occurs in two or three places—namely, at the ascent from the Greenburn to the Greenhills (and which I need scarcely remark is unavoidable owing to the configuration of the ground), and at the Campbell Creek. The grades, as will be seen by the index section, are not quite so uniform as I had expected, that of lin 25, tho ruling gradient, occurring in many places. The frequent recurrence of this grade is caused, first, by the descent from the saddle at the Whale's Back to the Conway Eiver, and then by having to rise over the Quail Bange, and from the Charwell Biver on to the high ground at the Greenhills, with the descent from that place to the Greenburn. But when the Cribb Creek is reached the grades immediately improve, and will continue favourable, with the exception of one or two places, the whole way to Blenheim. This survey embraces that portion of the main trunk line situate between the saddle at the AVhale's Back to the point where the line along the sea-coast commences, and in regard to length is 36 miles 4355 chains. It also includes that portion of the line that I mentioned in my former report as being likely to cause extra expense in working, owing to the steepness of the grades, and as containing about a mile of bridging. Division 1. The Campbell Creek.—The line by the course of this creek has been surveyed, and I must say that it has been found to be far more rugged than I had anticipated. However, it was necessary that a survey should be made, as I knew that it was the only route that w rould give us a grade so as to enable the line to bo worked on the one principle. The steepest grade along this creek is, as the section shows, lin 25, but wherever it occurs the cuttings are very heavy. Tho alternative line is over the Whale's Back, showing respectively grades of 1 in 28 and 1 in 7. No doubt but the line along the Campbell Creek could be somewhat improved in location, but not sufficiently to alter the general character of the work, or in any way to improve the grades. The crossings of the Conway Biver in connection with this route cannot be improved. However, as we now have a complete survey of the creek, having surveyed both sides, and thereby ascertained the best line obtainable, we are in a position to make a fair comparison between the two routes.