DIVER’S DIFFICULTIES

Taranaki Daily News, 5 August 1932, Page 7

DIVER’S DIFFICULTIES

HORIZONTAL IN THE CURRENT, AN UNDER-WATER CONVEYANCE. Arapun, Aug. 3. Peculiar difficulties are confronting the diver who jg endeavouring to find tjie ijitakq of the leak in the headrace at Arapuni, say? the New Zealand Herald. The current of water flowing in the channel is so powerful that it is impossible 'for hjiu to stand upright. As goon aa he climbs over the aide of thi? punt, which is moored by guy ropes in mid-stream, and his helmeted head disappears beneath the surface, lie is swept off his feet and observers peering into the dim depths can faintly make him out swinging with the current in almost a horiaonfal in spite of his heavily-leaded boots. A rope is lowered to him and by holding on to jt he i? able to crawl about the bed of the race, examining the floor for signs of a fissure. He employs no tools or instruments, merely watching the rocky floor for a disturbance of water or an actual opening. Although it is impossible to gee the bed of the race from the surface, the water being 10ft or 12ft deep and the floor dark in colour, the sunlight makes visibility easy for. the diver.

THE DIVER’S “CAR,” Yesterday the diver was engaged in Inspection of the “tiled bath,” as the special lining is familiarly known. This wfiß even more ticklish work, as the current in this part of the race is speeded on account of grade ami Um smooth surface of the concrete tiles. Every time he entered tjie water he was swept off his feet, his body being clearly visible in a horizontal position.

To get over the difficulty a motor-car chassis was lowered into the water and to this the diver held on by his hands, while the cradle on wheels was moved up and down the bed of the race by means of cables stretched to the shore. Conveyed by this contrivance with the greatest of case, the diver was able to make such a thorough examination that positive proof was obtained that the cause of the leak is not to. be found in the tiles or their bitumen blinding. TESTS BY PYE. The use of a green dye by the diver was an interesting feature of this afternoon’s operations. Going over the side of the ipunt, he was handed a bottle containing the dye and a spanner with which to break it in the water, He submerged, and it was possible to trace big movements 'by the released ail bubbles until 1 f arrived at the spot where his suspicions had been arouse by the black, peaty nature of the bed, A few moments ejapsed and then the water in the vicinity of the bubbles suddenly grew a vivid green. The bright coloured patch expanded and then flowed downstream until it was lost. to view. A few minutes later the diver emerged, and when his helmet was removed he ’reported he had smashed the bottle in what appeared to be a crevice in the middle of the peaty patch. The time when the bottle was broken was noted and observers ip the shaft in the race leading to the main drain which runs the length of the tiled portion commenced to take samples of the seepage water at intervals for a period of four hours, and these were carefully compared with samples taken before the dye was used, but the results were negative. Pye tests have been very successfully employed in locating leaks in the bed of Lake Waikai;emoana and have also been extensively used at Arapupi on many previous occasions,