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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 7, Issue 6 (October 1, 1932.)

[section]

When Mr. Paterson's report was made public, Messrs. Geo. Holmes and Co. addressed the Superintendent by letter, under date 18th October, 1869. Their letter reads (in part):—

“Our attention having been called to the report of Mr. T. Paterson, C.E., on the tunnel on the Lyttelton and Christchurch Railway, we consider it necessary to make some remarks thereon, and request Your Honour will cause this letter to be laid on the table of the House in order that members and the public may not prematurely form any prejudiced opinion.

“We are not aware how the person employed by the Railway Engineer arrived at the true centre line of the tunnel. The observatory has long since been destroyed, and without removing the Heath-cote Valley station building it would be quite impossible to get the exact line on which the work was based. The observatory on the top of the hill was found to be out of line, and was not used latterly. We had accurate measurements made in November, 1867, and in May, 1868, which show that the greatest divergence from the straight line was only 8 1/2 inches, and that at a spot not mentioned in the report. There was sound practical reason for every divergence made with the consent of the Engineer, and if the sides of the tunnel have been meddled with to allow of their being so much divergence as stated in the report it is not difficult to account for much of the uneasiness about its stability. For all practical purposes the line was straight when finished by us. The line was opened before the grading was ready, and the works were unfinished when the line was taken over. Miners have been working many months since. Blasting work lowering the floor affects the foot walls and exposes new surfaces. The quantity of material excavated by us exceeded by 15,000 yards the quantity specified in the original contract. Cross sections taken when we gave up the tunnel give different results from those shown by Mr. Paterson. The permanent way was laid by two of the most experienced platelayers in this hemisphere. Why the Railway Engineer in charge during the last six months has neglected to replace the short sleepers we are unable to say.”

In effect, Messrs. Holmes and Co. contended that the condition of the tunnel when taken over from them was not as described by Mr. Paterson, and that such minor alterations as the Engineer-in-Charge considered necessary would have been made if the work had remained under their control.