OLD GAOL REMOVAL

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 74, 28 March 1931, Page 11

OLD GAOL REMOVAL

MORE WEST WALL DOWN

The major part of tho western wall of the old gaol, though it dropped on its foundations 9ft when its foundations were blasted out on Thursday evening, still stood, and resisted another thirty sticks if explosive fired yesterday afternoon, which shook it up and made large cracks in it, but left it still standing. The south-wostoru end of the wall i had a distinct lean outwards. A slight lean, outwards was perceptible on the north-west end of . tho wall, but the inside the whole of this part of the j building had varied little from tho perpendicular, the give having been in its' interior. Like the giant in the fable which fought on upon its stumps after ita feet, had been hewn, off, the wall had stood a remarkable amount of blasting, but to-day most of it was unromantically pulled down by two big lorries laden "with bricks. Ropes were passed through, the upper window openings aud over the top; steel cables were pulled through after them, and the two lorries drove slowly away. Though tho wheels slipped a bit, and one lorry bucked a little, 1 "half of the wall first shook, then swayed, and finally came over with a, dull, boom, all but the commencement of the swing being obscured by a thick cloud of white dust. The remainder of tho western wall will present no difficulties. The eastern wall, on account of adjacent buildings, will havo to bo fallen to the west also, but it is not anticipated that there will be the same difficulty in bringing it down as with tho western wall, because the heavy cornice which projected at tho foot of the western wall will be pointing the other way on. the east sido of tho building. The whole of this side will bo "scarfed" by small shots, as a bushman "scarfs" a tree, and as it will have a preponderance of overhanging weight after this is dono' it should fall easily. It is probable that the rubble will be,cleared away to some extent beforo the second big fall is brought about. It is interesting to note that many of tho bricks have been specially moulded for their places, and not out to shapo as is generally dune nowadays. Thousands of good Ijricks are coming out of the building, but at all important points of stress they wore put together with content mortar of sui'h a quality that it is.tliß bricks that havo broken first in many cases. The quality of the brickword as a, wholo is wonderfully good, and evidently only tho best, tradesmen were employed in the actual bricklaying. .