UNFATHOMABLE MUD

Taranaki Daily News, 16 May 1930, Page 5

UNFATHOMABLE MUD

BUILDERS’ DISCOVERY.

IS IT EARTHQUAKE FAULT?

When the foundations for the' first part of the Majestic Hotel at Wellington were being probed for under the dust of the old: Albert Hotel it was discovered that in some , spots there was'no solid bottom to be got, and only a thick o-luti ms blue-grey mud met the efforts of the excavators along the Willis Street line of the building. After going down for over twenty feet, and then probing, there was still no indication of solid earth, in which ■ case, says the Dominion, the builders had to resort to. the driving of many piles, and to the sinking of great blocks of concrete deep in the ground, relying for their stability in the earth on their area, and the “cling” of the surrounding mud. I L , was anticipated then that such conditions would be found to exist on the corner of Willis Street and Boiilcott Street, where a part of the old building was left up till a week ago for. use as a oar. This has proved to be the case. While in some of the excavations made on.y a few yards back from Willis Street the ground has been found to consist of solid clay, the deep trenches made along the Willis Street frontage have revealed nothing but fathomless blue mud. The level of this deposit of mud is now about six feet, from the surface, but its depth is unknown. The great edifice which is to crown this site will therefore have to depend on “cling” or floating foundations; Some of the blocks of concrete are 10ft. by 6ft., and othexs Oft. square, along the Willis Street edge, but of course the greater part of the structure will be upon the solid, and, as the whole is knitted together with steel, no fears are entertained of any structural trouble in the future.. The interesting feature of the dis-, closure lies in the fact that it is a rediscovery of what has always been regarded as the line of Wellington’s earthquake fault, for it is on record that at the time of the great earthquake in 1855 a crack developed in Willis Street, between the Albert and Duke of Edinburgh Hotels, which spewed up a certain amount of b|ue mud, but ultimately p closed again. It seems most probable that this same vein or seam of blue mud is part of the old fault, which is believed to have extended in an oblique line nortlbeast to and under the waters of Iba harbour. . .... .... • . ; ....... .. . ■ ■ ■ . ' ' • ' 1