SERIOUS LANDSLIDE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 28 April 1928, Page 5

SERIOUS LANDSLIDE.

AT NEW PLYMOUTH HYDRO WORKS. TOWN’S POWER SUPPLY CURTAILED. With alarming snanenness. yesterday morning a disaster occurred at the high lead of the New Plymouth hydro-electric works, when a whole hillside in the Mangorei Valley, just at the south end of the syplion pipe which carries the water across-the valley, sliDped into the river, car lying with it about 100 feet of the water race connecting with the high lead. The scene of the disaster is a mile and a half above the Meeting of the Waters. The bulk of the generating clan t in the power-house ait Mangoi-ei is now idle, and permanent repairs will cost several thousands of pounds to effect. The position is so serious that some days must elapse before even some' temporary expediency is effected to carry the water to the canal on the other side of the valley, and thus through No. 2 tunnel to the surge chamber above the power-house. Just after the 'occurrence the water poured from the race, which was running to capacity owing to a flood in the Waiwakai'ho, down through the gap, where it gouged out the soft clay to a depth of 40 or 50 feet.

After viewing the scene of the. disaster, a “Taranaki Herald” represenative stated that it was- hard to believe that so much damage could be done in so brief a spell. The race which carried the water several chains from the small storage lake that was fed directly' from the Waiwakaiho stream through No. I tunnel, instead _of emptying itself into the- syphon pipe, ended abruptly in mid air. Forty or fifty feet below were great turbulent masses of clay mingled with masses of broken concrete and huge rounded lumps of clay that had been too hard and too large for the water to carry away. The floor of the. valley- was flooded by the waters of the Mangaliamoe and the surplus that had been diverted from the upper entrance to the race into the. Mangamahoe Stream. Across the chasm that bad been chiselled out a small remnant of the end of the. race joined to the syphon pipe was precariously perched on the crumbling hillside. vSEEN BY CUSTODIAN. While on his .rounds in the morning the council’s custodian suddenly observed the hillside bulge outward, as though pushed by some giant and unseen hand from behind. Following the great mass of land that slid down into the stream below came the water from the severed race, and it quickly began to gouge out the loose earth. He immediately went to the storage lake from which the water was drawn, and opened the overflow into the Mangamahoe Stream, thus diverting the water from the race. Even in the short time the water was running immense scouring occurred, and, hut for the fact that somebody was handy to act as the caretaker did, the consequences might have been even more serious. A small crack had developed in the race just previously, and steps were being taken to have it repaired. One explanation given was that the dry spell had opened up many fissures in the hill, and the leakage-, combined with the heavy- rain, seeped through, arising the hill to slip away. EMERGENCY MEASURES Immediately on receipt of news, of the disaster an emergency meeting of the Borough Council was held, and the mgineer aud chairman of the electric light committee inspected the locality. Workmen were at once detailed to do repairs preliminary to the big job being iii derta ken.

The power supply to. the town was icing partial’,ly maintained by the plant working on the lew head which, obtaining its. water from the Mangnmahoo stream at a point nearer the power house, was not affected. This plant was capable of generating only ibout 700 h.,p., and other -assistance i.s icing received from the Fertiliser Works vnd Ta.riki. The latter scheme, how-3-ver, can supply only about 500 h.p., iwing to the fact that tlie lines are uni.ble to carry a. higher load. Thus the mtpuit for the town is at present about L3!!0 h.p.. but the voltage is only about lalf what it should be. Unfortunate',y a seized piston a, few •lays ago put the new Diesel engine temporarily out of com,mission. Had ;-h,is not occurred the repairs might have -been executed at the crack in the ram immediately, but the engine’s assistance would be very welcome at the present crisis. MEETING OF COUNCIL* A council meeting held during the day authorised the engineer to at oncp bake nil steps, necessary to restore the lower at the earliest possible moment. In order to assist in the work, it was resolved to altogether suspend the tram

services between II o’clock and noon 3very da-v and from 6 to 6.30 p.mv until uirther notice, the corporation ’buses filling the gap as far as possible. _ No restrictions have been placed on lighting and cooking. Further assistance will be sought from Opunake Board, by getting it, if possible, to supply the. -Oka-t© district. In his report to the- council yesterday, the engineer recommended- it to build a new intake to tlira syphon pipe on the sound ground above- the-break. His intention was. he sai.d. to connect the syphon pipe with this by means of one or two fines of pipes—according to the sizes available. The. total capacity of the new line would be similar to the existing main fine, and it would run, round the eastern side of the spur. The broken part of the rape was on the western side. Here it would rest on a, sound foundation and would join the race about one chain above the break. The present- pipps have a diameter of 60 inches, but as the matter'' is, so urgent he woul d consider putting, in two connecting lines of 36in and 34in pipes respectively. He knows lie. can obtain these- quickly, hat there is a possibility that 60in pipes may be available. If they are they will he used in a -single line. Satisfactory arrangements have already been made to obtain mat?,rial, and a start was made, with the deyiation work this morning.