NOTES FROM OTIRA.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 139, 6 March 1908, Page 8

NOTES FROM OTIRA.

PROGRESS OP THE WORKS. BY TELEGRAPH- —SPECIAL, CORRESPONDENT, : Cforistchurch, March 5. »Tho, Otira correspondent of !'the| Christchurch "tress", writes Leslie Reynolds brought tho survey of •• the Punch Bow] to a successful termination' at' the end of : last week, and tho work of clearing and forming tho route of the pipe line will be 'put in hans immediately. The. tunnel portion of this work : will also be'commenced at an early date. Tho starting point of tho drive will be some 740 ft. abovo tho riverlied, and it is estimated to secure in the driest season: somo twelve heads of water, .which, with the great, altitudo of the iiir take; 1 will Jib quite jSuflicicnt to generate 800 horse-power. .Mr.; Reynolds oxprcssed himself as beinj* well pleased that this particular survey nnd been concluded with such a trifling accidorit as mentioned last week. The work, said Mr. Reynolds, was,at all times ;ttendcd by the greatest danger, and had tho man' : beeir injured there would,have b'een nothing for it but to lower'him over tho face of the' Punch Bowl, a straight drop | of close upon ipOft. . , . On the .Clira ciid' work generally is being pushed ahead with vigour, and the Holt's Crock pipe lino' takes , a more definite shape as the days- go : by. The contractors, have been fortunate .'in .-securing'.a] fine piece: of bush soma six miles from Otira. This particular strip of forest land contains somo splendid birch, straight as the proverbial arrow, and of a -very, serviceable length. Men axe . now .busy felling these, trees,. and, conveying them-to ..the. bridge sites up Holt's Creek, there to be:utilised in the const-ruc-tion'of'the bridges to .carry the .water mains. Tho general' aspect of the tunnel approach is much tho same. as last weekthere boing no sign . of. the solid country, so far. Tho heavy -rain .-of Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday brought ■ down a quantity of loose material, but a day or . two will see things squared. up'. again. Six inches of rain fell during Sunday,, and, as-a natural conse.quence, the_ Otira was running bank high., Boyond a slip or two of.no momont no damago .is .reported, and t the coachos left., for Broken River o'ri Monday afternoon. Somo iof tho older-hands hero declare it to' be tliQ biggest volume of water seen in the Otira River for the, past eight' years.