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EASTERN ROUTE. No. 1. Mr. G. P. Williams to the Enmneeu-in-Chief, Wellington. Sin,— Public Works Office, Wellington, May, 1884. I have the honour to make the following final report upon the proposed trunk line of railway from Hasting, on this Wellington Napier lino, to 'IV. Awamutu, ihe present terminus of the southern line from Auckland. 1 have'coinpleted the reconnaissance survey of tho country through which such a lino would pass, and T attach to (his report general plan and stations of the line. For the purpose of comparing this route witli others lli^t. have been proposal foi- the trunk line I have indicated upon the general action the probable lengths of the principal stretches of gradients that are as steep or steeper than 1 in 50, and the probable dimensions* of any important bridges The length of the line is estimated at 170 miles. The chief difficulties on the line are in the llawke's Bay portion, between Hi miles and .58 miles, Tho riiii«3s which he. all along llic south and east bank oi the, Mohaka Eivor are a formidable barrier for a ]im: running westwards from the coast. The coach-road goes over tho Til,iokura Hill, which is sonic 000 ft. higher than the saddle at tho Puketitiri i'.uslu.' where the lino would go, and winch is the only feasible gap in the range for railway purposes. Tho "\lohaka cuts the, general 4ope of theeountry in(,o [.wo, ii,!i<l, after the lino has dropped down with a sharp descent to its bed, tho main watershed has still to be surmounted. To do this the proposed line follows up the- Liepia, which runs into the Mohaka, and has a good general direction, cutting down deeply through very high and broken country, covered with bush. Tho route described by Mr. V.lhnan as beine, peculiarly favourable, foe railway purposes, an account of which appeared in the H t ii"k,>.',<; }Unj Herald, is only adapted for a road, though it is suggested that it would answer equally well for railway purposes. I except the portion up the Ucpia where fora great length ihe duiie-uh.ies for n railway are probably no greater than they ■would be for the construction of a road. " The long ridge separating tho waters o l' the Mangahouhou from those of tho Manga one," along which the preseni, road goes to l-'atoka Statiou, rises far too steeply for ordinary railway gradients, and falls ;m;l rises again without any advantage of level being gained; it is* also too narrow and crooked for railway curves. Further on in the account of the'route mentioned the line is described as going from the Anawhonua " Hats j which are really only a few broken terraces| by light cuttings to th" south-west bank of the Makalm." Now the Anawheiiua, before joining this ilykahti. enters into a, very narrow gorge with steep slopes, about \ to 1, and several hundred feet high, so that neither a road nor railway could follow it down; and the lino must therefore pass o\er or tunnel t.hvotigh a saddle which rises 270 ft above the creek ut >V.)i miles on section, while on the other side of tho saddle the Mohaka River runs about three miles off and 700 ft. below it. Yet, in spite of this very rapid descent down to the Mohaka, it is stated, in the description of the bridge sue at the Moliaka, that "up to this point the whole road has been almost a gradual rise." This is misleading, as is also the description of the Repia, which is treated as if it were an ordinary valley, any exceptional dilliculties being ignored, although for at least eight miles of its length it can only be utilized by means of works of the, heaviest description. I do not wonder, however, thi:.l the Repia was not fully undeiM.oo:!, as I found Unit no one had ever been right through it before, I went. For six miles 'its slopes are covered with dense bush, prineipallv Kagns. and this had prevented any p/.s^age. between its upper and lower ends, until I had a rough foot-track cut Lhrough it; ihough there was an old disused Maori track, now grown over, which led over the hill-lops out of sight of the gorge. ' I will now describe the route which is in my opinion the most practicable, premising that, on account of the great summit-levels to be surmounted, long stretches of steep gradients are uuavoidable, and that, in order to make them as even as possible, certain river-courses must: be followed, tb", couutn generally being much too broken up h\ contused spurs and gullies lo admit of grading being carried oul, otherwise. After leaving .1 lasting* the line passes throng!; easy country to the crossing of the present channel of the Xgaruroro River, at about 5 miles on section. This river has a r,hiii"hs-bed similar to those, in Canterbury, and can be crossed at a height oi \.">L. above the bed, with seven or < i^lit spans of 4-Uft., nearly opposite .Mr. Douolly's house. The line would then strike through easy open country, Native land, to the Tutaikuri River, which it would follow up on its south bank, and, commencing to rise at a point opposite where the ro.ul strikes oil' to Hissington on the north bank, it would continue, without any difficulty but. a few small cuttings, up to the terrace oiJposite S \iJe's homestea.t, a.; die junction of the Mangaone with the Tutaikuii ithvi- near 15 miles. Now, to reach the I'ukeliliri .Hush the natural course, would he to follow up the Tutaikuri to the mouth of the Mangatntn, and then all the way up the Mangatutu; but this is impracticable, as the features oJ' the banks of the Tutaikuri are on too large a scale, consisting often of pfim reef-terraces two or three hundred feet in height, intersected by deep ravines, or of steep spurs running down from adjacent hills. I propose therefore to follow up the Waihau Greek, whoso banks are on a smaller scale, from above its junction with the Mangahouhou up to its source; and, although io follow it up would involve heavy cuttings along iff, whole distance, yet, by keeping about 100 ft. above its bed, in ground siopmg on an average between 2 to 1 and 3 i* 1, a line may be got following feiK-ralh- rv> 'he n outh-v,esi -i, '■■. The Man ; ;,diouliou is worse, if anything, anil bosses by goins more to "the norih the line would be approaching too nea,- ihe high country about the Paioka ilill, Where the gradients would be inadmissible. In order Lo g.\. to the W.uhau from the river junction at 15 miles tho line must go round one wide of Mount Cameron. The Waihau and the Mii.ngii.houhou after their junction form one stream called tho Wai-iti, which flows in a deep broken gorge on the 14—1. 6.

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