OUR WATER SUPPLY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 43, 10 June 1876, Page 2

OUR WATER SUPPLY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE EVENING MAIL. Sir, —Presuming that it was with the intention,of giving ratepayers an opportunity of expressing an. opinion that the Municipal Council inserted an advertisement, inviting an inspection of Mr. M'Leod's proposed route for water supply, by op'en race, if you kindly allow me space in your columns, I beg leave to make a few remarks relative to Mr. M'Leod's proposed schemes. Yesterday being wet, I devoted the whole day to carefully reading the competitive plans and Mr. M'Leod's report thereon. I have also carefully examined Mr. M'Leod's proposed scheme. The result is, that. I am forcibly put in mind of a story that I heard about a Tasmanian ticket-of-leave man, who was shepherding on a station in Victoria. This worthy managed to get a a chance*to ;rob his employer'* JGBit-detection! would surely follow hjs-wearing or selling the clothing ; h'e hit on'the novel undoing the seams, and after slightly altering the shape, he made up the clothing again, but put the former inside out. Now, I am strongly*s>f opinion that Mr. M*Leod is trying something of this kind in his present proposal. A month or two ago a pipe and steam pumping scheme was recommended by Mn MfLeodj said scheme [to cost £52,128, he unhesitatingly passing over an open race arid water-power pumping scheme,-estimated to 'cost £35,362 155., but which Mr. M'Leod in some veryvinysterious. maimer, raised to £46,892,' and .afterwards to £66,892; and, further, he warned.the Council of the danger of having anything to do with such a plan "without having the most reliable data as to the certainty of success on all its bearings" laid before them. This could only be arrived at by a very careful survey and -direct experiment, involving great expense." Mr. M'Leod further adds in his report: — " Ani here, I may be allowed to remark that the bringing in of a large race of this kind • into Oamaru would savour more of a com-" mercial speculation than a municipal question, a teu or twelve inch iron pipe coming more within the scope of what would be required for all municipal purposes whatsoever, including the free use of water power for "drivingmachinery of all kinds."—(See report, page 19.) Lees and Moore's proposed race was only to be fourteen miles long, and the proposed route is over almost a level plain. Mr. M'Leod-estimated that the excavation and fencing of this race would cost, £12,462. Now Mr. M'Leod propdses to- construct a race over forty miles long—the proposed route being over shingle-beds, river-courses, rough gullies, and rough sidlings, and his race must be about as large as Lees and Moore's in cross-section area. Well, according to Mr. M'Leod's estimate, a forty-two-mfle race, over a level plain, would cost in excavation and fencing alone, £37,386. Supposing that Mr. M'Leod's estimate is a correct one, his proposed race, reservoir, and gathering-chambers must cost as follows : Excavating and fencing of races ... £37,386 Jujgftat Waitaki £2,000 FluxßHkg, stone-work, and contract, £4,000 of reservoir ... ... £I,OOO

Total - £50,386 To the above must be added over £30,000 for culverts, valve tower, bye->washes, gates, fencing of reservoir, storm and concrete of reservoir, and storm channels for saving the race during the time of floods ; the total will then stand £80,386. Now add reticulation of streets to begin with, £7,000, and the total will stand, £87,386. I think that it can be safely calculated that Mr. M'Leod's proposed, scheme cannot be accomplished under the country through which he proposes to bring his race is very rough indeed nearly the whole way, and the race must be very strongly banked, or else it will be continually breaking away. Again, the purchase of land must cost much more than what I estimated. Lees and Moore's scheme, estimated to cost less than £34,000, was scouted, although it is a well-known fact that Philadelphia and Richmond, in the United States, and Toulouse in France, are supplied with water in a similar manner to that proposed by those gentlemen, undershot wheels being used. The Fairmount waterworks, Philadelphia, supplies 10,000,000 gallons per day, with a dead lift of ninetytwo feet, through iron pipes sixteen inches in diameter. Eight wheels and eight pumps are used. The wheels are sixteen feet diameter, fifteen feet on the base,-with a fall of _seven.and .a-half feet. At Richmond there are two wheels eighteen feet diameter, ten feet on the base, with a ten-foot fall, working the pumps, and raising 800,000 gallpns into reservoirs situated at a height of 160 feet above the low water. At -TouJdise-- thg'wfaeels-' are iourtefcr feet five inches aiameter/Sfive feet on the base, with a fall of seven feefc six They are two in number, and raise 896,000 gaDpqs.per day, to a height of sixty-seven, feet above the water m the well

I am very M'Leod .■jC|sH»ani is. saddkd; with 1 a'"Sinbaa" that ?.cannof bo got -rid of bankrujptcyj-sHall drive him away. Anyone at. all acquainted with 'two *outes j*ppoied""for tW-water-races will agree with me^when l the fourteen-mile race wiH/nol cost one-tenth of what, the other will .cost, and then it must be remembered-vthat owing to the long route and the roughness of the ground, it will always require a gang of men attending to it.—l am, &c, Ratepayer. Bth June, 1876. '