BALCLUTHA PROTECTIVE WORKS.

Clutha Leader, Volume XLIII, Issue 92, 1 June 1917, Page 5

BALCLUTHA PROTECTIVE WORKS.

VISITED BY DISTRICT ENGINEER. CONSIDERED HIGHLY EFFECTIVE. Mr J. 'MeKenzio (district engineer), aecompanied by Mr Monk (of the Public Works Department), visited Balclutha yesterday to inspect the damage done to the protective works in the town. The Mayor (Mr A. McNeil), the ex-Mayor (Mr D. Stewart) and Councillors A. Mill and Jas. Clark, the town clerk (Mr J. Walsh) and a representative of the Clutha Leader accompanied the engineer on his tour of inspection. In conversation with our representative Mr stated that he considered the sacks of earth that had been utilised to block up the holes in the embankment the best method that could have been adopted under the circumstances, but considered that when the water in the river had fallen to normal the sacks should be removed and elay tamped into the breaches. The highest point reached by the water he did not think had been within three feet from the top of the embankment. The latter should have nothing on it but. grass, and should be kept clear of gorse and broom. He advised that the willows should bo eut down to a certain height and allowed to fall over so that they might be able to take root again, thereby foriniug a natural barrier when silted. It would be a mistake to cut the willows too close to the ground, as this might cause the stumps to rot, as the holes thus left by the decayed roots would allow ingress to the water. With regard to the water which broke through the embankment, Mr McKenzie stated that in the case of another flood similar outlets would be found for the water at other places. He did not consider the water came through the embankment, but that it was forced upwards from under tho core of the embankment, and had to find an outlet somewhere. With regard to the fissures that occurred at various places along the protective works the district engineer said that those on the side away from the river were" due to the fact that the bank was still in the settling stage, but when finally settled would be much stronger. Between the ferry landing and the traffic bridge there were some bad lissures on the river side, and these could be attributed to various cause;). One of these was that iu that particular part of the works the formation was of silt. The part that had slipped was portion of the new embankment outside the old, the latter forming the core for the former. One fissure was from Gin to Sin wide and lift to 4ft deep. In other places the whole side of the embankment 011 the river had slipped down about two feet. Tliat was also attributable to the silt formation, but the bank would be strengthened when fully settled. The bank also rested on a silt bed which had settled somewhat, and thereby caused the embankment to slip. With reference to the lissures his ('Mr 'McKenzie's) advice was to dig them out as far as was possible and (ill' the gaps up with elay to the level of the surface. The weather, especially frost, was highly injurious in the case of fissures. Opposite Mr Sinclair's property the bank had to stand the biggest strain, as it got the full force of the current, but that part appeared to be the strongest part of the embankment. Referring to tho Barnego protective works Mr iMcKenzie said he thought it would be necessary to raise the embankment, which would mean that more pressure would be placed 011 the town side. This was explained by the fact that during the flood the whole volume of water spread over the laud at Barnego, which naturally took a lot of pressure off the town embankment. Mr McKenzie said he thought it advisable to have a release channel from below dent's property leading through below Ryrie Street. This would iu the case of an extra severe flood which might break through or over the - embankment help to carry away the water. Taking the embankment as a whole it had proved most effective, and would be still more effective iu future as the result of the thorough soaking it had received, as this would cause it to settle still more solidly, Mr McKenzie paid a brief visit to Stirling on his journey south. He considered the Btate of that locality was due to the break in the embankment at Hasborough Road, the old culvert underneath the embankment being the primary cause. In his opinion there was more water at Stirling than in the flood of 78. Mr McKenzie paid a visit of inspection to the Barnego embankment in the ai'temoofi.