THE NEW DAM

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 51, 5 March 1929, Page 14

THE NEW DAM

IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION

(By Telegraph.—Press' Association.)

. ' AUCKLAND, This Day • Reference to tho bursting of the reservoir was made at the Mount' Eden Borough Council's meeting last night when the Mayor, Mr. Potter, said that the council and its engineer were in no respect responsible for tho unfortunate disaster. The council extended to the Auckland City Council its rcret and sympathy in its misfortune. Tho borough engineer had assured him 'that the now reservoir now in course of construction would ba perfectly safe,.but it would be incumbent on the City Council ta make substantial repairs to tho damaged reservoir to ensure its permaneiit stability. _ The' City Engineer, Mr. W. E. Bush in an interview, said the'cause of the break, could not be determined until a detailed investigation was made The reservoir was ..constructed in. 1912. by the contractors under instructions' from the council, and the typo was in accordance with the standard practice at that time.. Since then advances had been made in forro-concrete work, and the new reservoir would bo in one pijce, tiia; is, the wall, floor, and roof would be all linked by reinforcing rods. Ihe concrete in the old reservoir wall was carried down past the floor, to winch it was fastened with rods, the joint being sealed. Ho was advised last',week there was a small leak from tho reservoir. Instructions were tfven that the pressure of the water should be reduced' the water in the tank to be sufficient to balance the flow from the pumps at Khyber Pass. The. break might have been duo to structural weakness where the wall and floor joined, or to the excavations for the new reservoir weakening the foundations. It would bo some time before lie could give an estimate of the damage. The waterworks superintendent, Mr. G. Can-, said tho instructions given by Mr. Bush to reduce the pressure were carried out, and at the time of tho break there could not havo been more than eight hundred thousand gallons of water in tho reservoir, about half of its capacity.