LAKE COLERIDGE.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18151, 14 August 1924, Page 8

LAKE COLERIDGE.

OPERATIONS AT NEW TUNNEL. WORK TO PROCEED ON NEW ALIGNMENT. HEROIC EFFORTS TO OVERCOME WATER. (SPECIAL TO "THS F&SSE. ') WELLINGTON, August 13.

After hard and determined work on the part of the contractors and men to overcome the water inflow in number two tunnel, Lake Coleridge, it has now been decided to abandon tho eld line of the tunnel and to strike out 011 a new alignment. The difficult nature of the problem before the men will be appreciated when it is stated that the water was, pouring into the tunnel at the rate of seventy-fiv© gallons a minute. Sustained and even heroio efforts were made to overcome the trouble, but without success. The country through which the tunnel has to go is largely of rooraimc and shingly formation, and when the water came pouring in a. great deal of tho work collapsed. Men were even buncd or almost buried in tne debris. To use a colloquial phrase, the men tried to bullock it through, but without anj success. The other day Mr Beban, panifd bv Mr Nore, came to Wellington for the nurpose of interviewing the Minister of 'Public Works in regard to an alternative method. Mr Contes immediately sent one of the Public Works engineers up to Lake Coleridge to report. The engineer has now made certain recommendations, tho result or which will be that the tunnel will be proceeded with on a now alignment. The engineer's recommendations coincide with the nlan recommended by Messrs Beban "and Nore. Shafts will bo driven until the limit of the water inflow is passed, and then tho tunnel work will proceed on the new alignment. This will mean the scrapping of a good deal of the work already done, possibly at an extra cost of some £7OOO. The new drive necessary in connexion with the altered lay-out will be started to-morrow. The probability is that if the tunnel proceeds on the new alignment, the work will not be delayed appreciably. The Minister says he greatly appreciates the splendid and determined manner in which all concerned have endeavoured to overcome the difficulty, «vnd tho manner in which the Department has been met by the contractors.

EXTENSION OF POWER STATION. RESIDENT ENGINEER'S VIEWS. The suggestion contained in' the motion, of which notice was given at this week's meeting of the City Council, that operations in connexion with, the extension of tho Lake Coleridge power station can be accelerated, was brought under the notice of Mr IP. Langbein, Resident Engineer, Public Works Department, by a representative of "The l J ress," who asked for Mr Langbein's comment. "1 have authority to employ as many men as I desire in order to get the work completed ap speedily as possible," Mr Langbein said. There are, however, considerations that impose a limit on the numerical strength of the working force, and these _ Mr Langbien briefly indicated. It is necessary to realise that the work is divided into several sections which require to be linked up to complete the scheme, and tjhat practically no time would be saved in" completing one or two sections ahead of others that may be described 3a tho "key sections." ' 'As regards the work in the open, such as the erection of the addition to the power house, and excavation for tlie pipe line, it would be possible," Mr Langbein said, "to employ a working force up to 3CO men ana get these and similar works done in two or three months. To do 80, however, ptvouid not, in reality, accelerate the completion of the whole scheme: in addition it would not be economic, because to provide accommodation for such a large working force would be very expensive, and would only add unnecessary expense to the ultimate cost of the job. "The determining factor wiU be, probably, the time taken to complete the No. 2 tunnel; although I recognise that difficulties may be experienced in connexion with the intake works. As regards the No. 2 tunnel, the working force that can be employed on it is limited by the fact that there are only four working faces, and that only a certain number of men can be employed effectively on each face. At present, the contractors for the tunnel (Beban and party) have a total of 45 men employed; it is anticipated that very shortly the complement will be increased to somewhere in the vicinity of 80 men. It should be borne in mind that tho expenditure on the No. 2 tunnel represents about one-half- of the total expenditure on the extension of the power station." Asked if he could state to what extent, if any, the recent slip in the tunnel was likely to delay operations, Mr Langbein said that with Mr J. Wood, Inspecting Engineer, Public Works Department, he (visited the tunnel last Saturday; but as Mr Wood was under instructions to report direct to the Minister, he (Mr Langbein) could give no information on the subject. Regarding the other sections of the work —those sections being done by the Department —Mr Langbein said that the Department did not anticipate that they would be behindhand. In respect of the intake «works, three shifts would bo at work practically immediately: this was the greatest number that it was possible to accommodate at this point. Three shifts would be soon at work on the excavation of the surge chamber. At present the excavation for the pipe line is about 75 per cent, completed; and the concrete anchor blocks and cradles would be put in during the coming spring and summer. Tenders for the erection of the additions to the power house will be called for almost immediately. The major portion of the widening of the tail race will be done by means of a drag line excavator, which will be available about the beginning of next year. The additions to the power house, and the laying of the pipe line would bo finished, in all probability, by the end of 1925.

Regarding the proposal to send a deputation to Wellington to press on the Government the urgent necessity for pushing on with the extension of the Lake Coleridge power station by increasing the staff there as much as possible, Mr Langbein suggested that before the deputation went to Wellington, it would be advisable for members of the Citv Council to visit Lake CoTeridge and see for themselves what Js beinp; done and what remains to oe done.