RESERVOIR BURSTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 4 March 1929, Page 5

RESERVOIR BURSTS

IN MT. EDEN DISTRICT SENSATIONAL EXPERIENCE (By Telegraph—Press Association) AUCKLAND, This Day. Residents in the locality of Mount Eden had a sensational experience at 5.30 this morning when a reservoir supplying a large portion of the city and suburbs burst with a roar heard half a mile away. The reservoir is situated on the city side of the mountain and contained a million and a quarter gallons, which rushed down the mountain side, taking a course mainly along what is known as The Drive. The greater part went into a disused quarry, but a huge stream swept down the hillside on to the main road, gradually getting away over the sloping land on either side. The road this morning was impassable for traffic. The train service was held up and a temporary service was provided by ’buses. Debris covered the road for about half a mile. There .was little damage to property. In some E laces water covered lawns a foot deep, ut apparently did no other damage. Fortunately nobody was about at this early hour. The rush of water lasted half an hour, and the whole of one side of the square reservoir was carried away. The cause of the disaster was apparently excavation work for extension of the reservoir. „ AUCKLAND, This Day. It is impossible to estimate the damage caused by the bursting of the Mt. Eden reservoir. Mr Roger!), engineer for Mt. Eden Borough Council, says the damage is so extensive that it is impossible at present to give any estimate. The damage to streets will amount to some thousands of pounds. The dam had a capacity of a million and a half gallons, but at the time of the burst contained only 800,000 gallons. A very large area of the city and suburban water supply is affected. Temporary arrangements have been made to tide over the period until the normal supply is again assured. WORKMEN’S NARROW ESCAPE (By Telegraph—Special to “The Mail”) AUCKLAND, This Day. Had the Mt. Eden dam burst half an hour later thirty men would have been working, on the new reservoir and nothing could have saved them, they would have been caught like rats in a trap. One slab of the concrete wall weighing 32 tons was carried eighty feet by the force of the water.