PUBLIC W0RKS AND BUILDINGS.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXI, Issue 2610, 29 November 1865, Page 4

PUBLIC WORKS AND BUILDINGS.

The new gaol at Mount ,Edon hta now bo«n completed, and tho pvisoneis removed thereto from the old unsightly pruou in Queen street. 'It w eiecbed about two hundred yards to thomoithwest ,o£ the gata o! tho Stookacle, iv nu ai)glo of the block oi lan.4 set npait a« a prison lejervo. It

is surrounded by a stiong and high lance. The whole Wililinij'is 121 f«ethmij by 28, feet, and '20 ' feet in height, divided into two storeys. It is separated into three distinct compat fcnicn ts, the airing yauls of, which .ivo also fenced off, One is for the, prisomjis committed for, trial, another for debtor*, and tho third for tho female pi isoners. The compartment, for prisoner* committed for trial comprises a day - (- rooin, measuring 27 foot by 11 feet, atid eight cells, each 12 feofc iquaio. Those are all wall ventilated, '/'here are also two "solitary" cells, well aired, but quite dark, whoro piisoners are confined when guilty (if any breach of prisou ducipliue. In this compartment also, into tho turiug-yard of which the principal gate of tho prison opuns, is the kitchou where the victuals for tho whole of the inmate* aie cooked, and also ap.utments for Mr. Justin, the assistant gaoler, and the other office) s of the department. This part ii constructed dHFeiently fiom tho rest of thu building, being built of s>ohd 3-uu.h timbers, liuod inside with diagon il boards, and outside with weatherboard*. It ia aa substantial as any building could bo constructed of timber. The piisonera awaiting trial are not allowed to be all in the exercising y.ud at flnco, but arc divided into two sections This plan has been adopted sinco the outbreak Home months ago, when thioo of the prisoneis succeeded in {jotting aw.vy foi a tun-. There are now twenty prisoneis n waiting thtir tiial at the next sitting of the Supreme Cnu't, which oommeuees on the Ist Deroinber. The second comoartment of tlie gaol is for insolvent debtois, and in this, of course, prison discipline is uot ho strict. Access ia allowed at all hours, uf the day to tho airing yard, aud various libeitics, denied to men committed h>i a triul, .vie acooided. Tliere is iv this compartment a spacious day-room on the grouud floor, a turnkey's room, aud two cells ; and on tho upper floor are five cells. All of these aio roomy, and appaiently in eveiy \vay suited for their purpose The part of tho prison set apart for the womeu contains a day-ioom and. tour cells, with two rooms for the matrou. Tho prisoneis are employed, under tho superintendence of the mation, in making clothes for the hospital, stockade, and asylum.' There aro at present twenty women undergoing sentence Wo may mention that the cooking tiie-place and appaiatus seem insufficient and inconveniently situated for tho service of tho whole building. Tliere is a want of forms and tables in tho building, but doubtless they Mill soon bo supplie 1. A stoic-room i-> also much needed foi the female compartment, the mation having to keep the material on which those uudei her ehargo aio employed, in one of the small ro ims allotted to herself. The gaol was erected from plans piepaie<l by Mr. Weaver, Engineer in-Chief, which were earned out under his supervision by Mr. William Cameron, contractor. The erection of this gaol, with the great improvements recently effected in the arrangements and management of the stockade by Mr. Tucuwell, the governor, puts tho province in a vastly more ciedit ible position in regard to its prison accommodation than it was a short time since. Another jmblic work is shortly to be commenced — the extension of the Flagstaff Wharf, Noith Miore, so as to enable a steamer to lie alongside at low water. The length o£ the piespnt wharf is 138 feet, aud to this it is proposed to .idd SO — inilcing the tot.il length of the wharf, when extended, 213 feet The GO feet of the extension at the shoie end will be 6 feet in wkUli, and will terminate with a return end or platform of 20 feet square. Under this will bo a landing stage, which will be about level with tho steamer's deck at low water, and wilt he leachod fiom the upper platfoim by a strong flight of steps. The cariying out of the specifications will ensure the whaif pud landing stages being of sufficient stiength to withstand foi a long time the great tear and we.ir inevitably caused by tho calling of a steamer. The piles will be either of totara, punri, or tea tree, not less than nine inches diameter at the smallest end. Tho givdeis to support the joists of the landing stage aie to be of tot.ira, and it is provided that the whole erection shall be bound in the strongest manner. Another important public work — tho construction of a breakwater on the Mangawai riirer — is being proceeded with, upon the pan and recommendation of Mr. Daniel Simpson 'Jhe work is being cairied out by a party of iintniir mts intioduced into the province under the Waik.ilo settlement scheme, and is progressing satis faotoiity. About 7,000 cubic yards of earth aud took have been removed, a considerable portion of which wu found to bo unfit to be nsed in the work, being mere surface soil, and had necessarily to be removed, in order to open a quairy from which suitable matenal could be procured. Tho breakwater has been earned ont for a distance of moie than tlaee and a half chaini, and for the most paifc this w o\er the deepest pirt of the channel, so that the work done may f.nrly be considered to represent about one-third of tlw entire undeit iking. In this portion of the woik .i considerable amount of labour and expense has been inclined, which will uot be expended in the remainder. Measures were recently devised for materially reducing the lubonr employed on the work ; and all the single men, ten in number, weie paid oft' on Saturday last. We understand that the amount cvpomled on the breakwater up to the present time has been about £1,000 ; and it is estimated that, in or ler to complete the work, a further sum of £1,500 will bo requited. The location of the immigrants in a locality wheie they had to provide themselves with wh.vres, and the purchase of tho necessaiy plant lor carrying on the work, have bueii sources of vxpeuse which will not occur again ; but the lnunigiauts employed having now become more accustomed to the woik, even still more satisfactory progress will be made, and, should tho weather continue favourable, the work will be completed for the sum «tatad. Mr. Weaver, Engineer-in-L'liief f in oomp.my with Mr. Simpson, inspected the works on tho 18th and 20th of thi3 month, and took such levels and other measurements as enabled him to ascertain exactly the quantity of woik done and to estimate that which remained to be executed. That gentleman has, in his official repott to his Honor the Superintendent, expressed himself pleased vtiththo way in which the woik is being cat lied out, aud is of opinion that when tho breakwater is completed it will be of great Kervtce to the shipping entering the Maugawai liver. Its effect will pi obiibly be to increase the depth of water on the bar, and celtiinly will obviate the danger now existing from tbe influx and reflux of tl\e titles through the preseut false channel. Already tho work, as far as ii has gone, is beginning to tell effectively upon the channel of the river, so that wo may reasonably expect that the breakwater, when completed, will be of considerable advantage to the settlers in those large distiiuts who will deiive their supplies by meaui of tho facilities afforded for communication on the Mangawai river. The demolition of tlie preicnb dilapidated premises which had' been used as a Custom .house will bo commenced in a few days, and the erection of the new Custom house and Post-office to be erected on the site immediately entered upon. The building will bo completed in about twelve months, and from the desoiiption aheady published of the plain, it will be a creditable specimen of what the public buildings of Auckland are to bo The want of a suitable building, in whjch to hold meetings and entertainments, had beeu long felt by the inhabiting of Otahuhu and the surrounding populous district. A few months ago ty number of gentlemen formed themselves into a company for tho purpose of supplying the aocommodation so much desired, and the result of their effuits has beeu the erection of a public building of an ornamental | character, situated nearly opposite tho Criterion Hotel. It is a handsome and commodious structure, and admirably adapted for the purpose for which it has been erected. It is built of wood on a brick foundation. Tho frontage extends 33 feet; the entire depth, 80 feet six inches ; aud the height from the floor to the ceiling is 20 feet. Tho fagade ia iv the Grecian style of architecture, and presents a pleasing combination of oimplicity and chaste ornamentation. Jt is pierced by three circular-headed windows — ono on each side of the entrance door, and the third lighting tho porch, over which is a louvred opening for the purpose of ventilation. There is an ornamental pilaster on each side of the door aud at the two angles. There are six plain windows on each side of the building. At tho reir of the hall thore are two ante-ieoms, each measuring 15 feet 9 inches by Jl feet, with fire-places; also, two porches leading to the anteroom?, 4 feet 6 inches square, The Jopby at the front entrance is 0 feet 6 inches by 8 feet. Over the aute.-rooms a gallery is constructed, which is lighted by two windows. The intoiior of the building i« neatly fitted up, and presents a light and cheerful appearauce. It will afford accommodation for upwards of five hundred persons. Mr. Sutherland was the builder, the amount of his contract boing £598; and the edifice, which is highly creditable to the promoters of the undertaking and all concerned in its erection, was built under the superintendence of, and from designs furnished by, Mr. B. Keals, architect. The hall will be opened by an entertainment to-morrow evening. The progress of the Auckland and Drury Railway is noted in a separate mticlo.