THE WAIMAKARIRI.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXV, Issue 1589, 16 January 1866, Page 2

THE WAIMAKARIRI.

TO THB EDITOR OT THE LTTTKLTON TIMJM. Sib,—The estimate of the damage done by the floods at Kaiapoi, as given in your paper, has, I find, misled many people. Will you, therefore, kindly allow me to call attention to the fact that your estimate of £2000 is for the damage done to the town alone, and does not include any of the agricultural district. Not having heard of any steps being taken by the Government, or any one else, to ascertain the gross amount of damage done, I have gone over the district myself, and made what I believe to be a fair, though rough estimate, and I cannot make the amount less than seventy thousand pounds (7o,000). Large a* this amount appears, I believe it would b« considerably increased if a more thorough inquiry was to be made, and it is a trifle compared with the destruction which will ensue if the river i« left uncontrolled. Mr. Hall stated in the Provincial Council on Wednesday, that the views of Messrs. Dobson and Doyne, vithat the Kaiapoi Island must be left to destruction, were concurred in by the whole engineering talent of the province, except Mr. Wylde. This is a sweeping assertion not in accordance with fact; but even were it the case, it should in all fairness be recollected that no other engineer has had the same opportunity of studying the river that I have had. An occasional hurried ride up to and glance at the river cannot surely qualify any one to form an opinion so well as a residence of 13 years in the immediate neighbourhood, with a direct personal interest in the matter leading me to make it my especial study. It is true that one thorough engineering survey might instruct more than any amount of ordinary observation, but this has never been made. The expensive survey made under Mr. Doyne's direction (not by himself), although very interesting as affording data on which to base theories of the origin of the plains, is almost worthless for any other purpose, as it carefully avoids the locality where the floods take place. As I am actuated by a sincere and earnest desire to see ray fellow settlers rescued from impending ruin, I will run the risk of encountering harsh criticism, and will give a description of the kind of work which I should recommend for closing the north branch of the river, and whieh would be equally applicable to the overflow channel leading to Christchurch. DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED EMBAKKMENT *OR CLOSING THE OVERFLOW CHANNELS OF THK WAIMAKARIRI. Posts should be provided, similar to tb« ordinary black-birch fencing posts supplied from Oxford bush. The longest length need not exceed 10 feet, and a Large proportion will be considerably shorter. These posts should be pointed and driven to a depth of four feet, along the line of intended embankment, and at a distance of four feet apart. The posts should be bored for wire at every eight inches from the top to the level of the ground, and ordinary fencing wire should be strained through them, so that the work, thus far, will resemble an ordinary close wire fence, with posts four feet apart. Let another precisely similar fence be erected;parallel with, and six feet distant from the first.

Let the intervening space be filled up with fascines, weighted with shingle ; the fascines should be made of manuka scrub, six feet long and twelve inches thick, tightly bound together; they should be placed in alternate layers along and across the line of embankment, and as each layer is put down it should be thoroughly filled up and weighted down with shingle. When the level of the top of the posts is reached, let rails be bolted to the posts across the top of the embankment, to serve both as struts and ties. To finish the work, let shingle be tipped over the embankment on each side until a slope is formed rising to within two feet of the top. Where the height of embankment is required to be more than six feet, first make a similar embankment, eighteen feet wide, and on the top of this build another, six feet wide, and tip shingle over all. Any height of embankment may thus be raised in steps, eich.step to be six feet wide on each side-, but ft should be reflected that the water overflows in a wide shallow stream, so that a single height of embankment will probably be sufficient at every point. I am confidei t that this would form an efficient and durable protection, at a cost quite within the means at the disposal of the Government. The position of the bank would of course be such as to avoid any great scour, and a deposit of silt would soon be formed on the outer slope sufficient to consolidate and strengthen the whole workBeing composed of materials readily procurable, and requiring only oruinary labour and the most simple tools, a large number of men could be put on the wo k at once, so as to complete it during the season when the river is free from flo--ds. If the position of these banks was determined, and lines of levels taken to show the length and height to which they would have to be carried, tenders might at once be called for, on the understanding that tt.ey will not be accepted unless tfiey fulfil certain conditions as to amount, &c.; such conditions to be determined beforehand by the Provinci il Council. Yours, &c., JAMES WYLDE. Egglesfield, Jan. 13,1866.