AT THE BIG DAM.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 94, 14 January 1908, Page 6

AT THE BIG DAM.

VISIT BY' MEMBERS -OF THE INDUS' TRIAL ASSOCIATION'..

WORK NEARING COMPLETION,

r " v Aftcr' you with the spoon,'! said a well;knoSvn sawniiller to the local .Consul for Norway. They wore two of a merry party of niembers "of' tho .^Wellington;'lndustrial! AsW'^tion,, who ,were charmed manufactory by golden glory of [a rramnfer'^Say,'aqd;' -taken 'tho tho. Karori tunnel, and .from there jha-i tramped • a:, good. mile. to. tho ;g'reat dam' thit., blocks/ the Reservoir yaUej; threes : quart~orsjOf a'mile ,to the south of'the ,valvetower in'the, existing ■ Karon , Eesetvpir. After,,a look over., tho works,- thoy'assembled in: tho . men's,, cook-shop „ high above /• the 1 browTi waters/ofMhe new lake of. drinking water. v on v a' sinbiirnt mountainside. ' The work hfti; been progressing rapidly. :sißb©;-"titijr,:la^'/progress report, thanks/ to\ a long..spell, of; ; fino . weather, -add; tliere ' was rtiu'ch. tb/'sco. tliat' had "not been seen 'before, and '.the' cooks^op^'incident "was only a' wn niinutes' 'item, in : tfce' aft'ernobri amble/ "' '

•progress the Worft.' /• ~. When; last' se'eriithe great'curved , concrete. . wall ■ was' just • beginning' to • rise. ajjoyV; the; .blue' earth:, in 'which ,-its/broad .-base is. 'deep.'•s|unk',j 'ntiw'/it fises-JOft! .'above .the arid ; its■ proportions: liavo...tapered The concrete is'"still" being : istributetl''/'in layers' according /to a*set/plan,'-/which; allows each ;,l?yer .'to 'tp rock-hardness; before njore"is -laid' on. '' •'But.'tho'. latter'' is. being madoV closer/to. tho perpendicular,;.and tho, remaining 12ft.'/ of .wall will - still ■ leaver, a crescent-shaped' wall-top 4ft. 6iri; j wide,/with a ' bank-tb-'bsnk sweep .of : about '560 ft.'/ On the/westorh hill :*tho stone;<!nishcrgroans /Scrjmchingly as it', is fed liy . a , perspiring worker, who ' finds it difficult' to appease Ith'e appetite-'of. the''corrugated.' crushing ■ bell. From/the-crusher, the; metftkpasses --into/tho . vasjicr, 'where/the stone is .'Washed . clean- and allthe 'small- stuff ' falls through' the . perorations 'of the .cylindrical; sieve. Thence it Us sJjpt\on-;td. a. travelling .'belt.'of- iron; trays, ■which .'drops the. metal, • whore; it;,can; be- conveniehtly tumbled-.into-the'truck, that c'oh- w !.ve;s''iit,' to the concrete/mixer,; is. .'Commingled .with-sand and ;cem,en^—an'to .one churned round and round perpendicularly,., and' then..poured;--intor a > truck. ~:This.is .wheeled;' ayjay.'a ' few"yards,' a. great, hook, descends.; from.: space—an/ attri,buto''' of. a .'''flying-fox ; .at ' tK» given' signal/is ( ':borhe''into' and a^vay■ across" to! the'; castern S-ibutment/v.whero tho... by-wash 'is', being constructed.'.- ■ The" flying-fox '' is.'the ' suspendedwire /system of cpnvcying-w.cight across'a declivity. This wiro/is;'firmly-sepuVed ,pti : both, -sides,/and 15' .it.; is 'attached, cleVorJy-con|fiv'cd; runninggear, which is worked byia donkey/boiler and -.drutn .wind situated.at/tlyvwestern, Snd .of , the "wire'.' EleVating "andlowerihg gear/is also ..part of tl)o' oUtfit|;.-the/ whole.'of 'ivhich iis"(jfoVked. by plectrical signals, 'Convoypdl)y ■iyhistlc.-.frohi tte/'boncret'e'., : hahds_ ''to;- a ilad i stationed' 'on; the',top' of thpdainj 'whose "bjiSiuc>s is to /press an /olcctric -- button intelligojitly; - •.- A/Gjeiri'Spaiv,':-','. : v; v:-,; .;• - '. ! :The,. steel wire ■ '-that.'- connectsthehills Feet;; through; space vat'Vai?: , lvejght''<'bf ;• about 1.150 ./'feet-/fro f m'"jtha' "ground ' iii. ; - tho''."cent,rp/;;;Its .brokingpoint. fisHQ-.'t.on?' weiilitj.'so ;.that ( -'6fv'cphc,ret'6 ;'it-S;::""sfcrongfchj-; '■ b_as without' 'mishap tlirouglioiit the job. .'. It-was", related, by Mr. King (pf Messrs. Mitchell: and King, . :'tfio, /cpntfaptors) that in the early stages pf t'ne nwk,''soon after^hb.wire had.beeri'stretqhdd/ the': foolhardy'.feat!, this .valley was. being' talked;'of; in.'camp,/'and one man said' he,'would 'bp "gaifi'O' to :gp across hahd 'o'vet'' haiid. ./One or tho-otTiors /bofc him ten shillings that he wpuld/ not bfc/game, to do it. • The; mail,' Who was a :-sailor,'.took, up the: bet," and, 'to /'everyone's surprise, cjimbed 'tho hill,'launched himself- oiv/.the wire,'., 'and . weijt; right.'/across 'the ■' 550rfept. sp4n-^-a : fcat that' wouldtmake him a .star '! ,in the "best' show on-'earth."• • -'WoU>'.one membpn of' tho-.lndustriar, Association : said' he ; iß'onld not'do it for £10,000, arid/ that is qiiite'/a lot/of money; ./'-' / .-/

.Water', storage./ V ,v , : ' ,'// ; !'//. :. ' 'There wafer''to (at'-the' valvetowor,' which in this i ease 'bulges .'out from the* dain itself),, of noarly 40 feet, - shelving /away, up/'the '- valley into , pretty/ little', bays' and reaches that have already-' assiimed/'all -Uhd/clmrm'/of soonntoinf--lako .hills round tho now basin; arc,.brown and 'horo,-with the exception of a'.fow old rewa--I'owa,/' (honoy3iickle) trees, that' in,.their/ hoaiy-old-age have still ; lifo ' onough to display a canopy of. green,- and- wliich lend- a tolich of the, picturesque; to the;.scene.;\., Thanhs.'' / , '

: Aftcr. the,inspection..was .'ovccr-;it -was tho havdest work 'some 'of tho party"had' dorie for, was' tho/cpokshopj'.a'hd'.after. .that^-thc;, president of the, 1 Association'*(Mr. ; I'v.-Crease)-. Wefly.;.t.biink(7d: Mr! v Kink ''(who/ accompanied, the party over the .works) for ati.-., intensely..iritprestiiiig /'afternoon'and. tho hospitality ho; had. shown .'// Mr. '(Councillor) John ■ Smith, who was one '"of 1 - the visitors, said',that" 110 liad < takontkoenMntefestvih'Vthe work right through, and. it was?,a big woi-k----ivel done. Mr., King, in .returning, thanks,, said that any, wprk' his/' firni' took, iip -was always., well aonp, and nil'the/party lio was ; not; 1' /..tly. did lus> v.ijrk before/ the' visitors