DAMAGED WATER-RACE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13648, 16 July 1908, Page 2

DAMAGED WATER-RACE.

TKMI'OKAKY AND j'KII.MANKNT KEl'All^. 'l'll.- Mayor J>=i-i»-l a vis>it- to i lie Imaka«av in "the water-race near Wards /.igzii;:. haw.eti L'ooimor and JJracunstielii vesterday motning, goiiig ""'• " ilh ,M ' "\ialerworki> iiiLpeclor on an cApm-s loaded wiih 12 inch drain pipes- A "Werald reporter was given t lie oppon unity to go our, and see wiiat. damage had been dune, and how tin: break hao b-eti l< mporaiily patched up- The situation of the breakaway is a. place where the race had to be made ov< r it very awkward bit of steep sidling. The rock showed in the face ah it so often docs in steep gtdly sidet, and (.he. levels required the race to be curried along the face of the rock. This was done in a wooden running, until the earih slope covering the rock was reached, and the earth being too narrow and thin to bear an open ditch race, a concrete trough was made for some distance from the end of the wooden iluming. The ground l>etit:ath the trough is steep, and consists of black soil, full of boulders from the. rock, resting upon a steep slope of led gravel. How the damage originated was nob clear, but about 25 feet of the concrete trough -was tarried away together with the soil it. rested on. 'lhc break of course let out the water in Ihe race, from both sidts, mid Ihe result of iu escape was a powerful sluicing of the steep slope below. The water evidtntly got unuer Hits' loose soil and large spaces of it .slid down the slope. A belt of plantation decorates this section of the race, and some large trees were carried by the slip not only down the Urrace but across a, creek at the foot of if. After thj slip the escaping waters sluiced the whole area clean and cut away a good deal of the red shingle. It "as probably a good sight to witness if anyone had been th-re. The first if the race-keepers to discover the damage turned off the water at a by-wash escape a few chains higlu r up and' then hurried away to notify thj town office.

Two attempts have been made flo effect temporary repairs. First a. largj number of sacks were filled with clay from the bank above the race, and built up to form a wall from solid ground in the shingle below, with the idea of Iwining a puddled clay trough on top of the wall. The -wall was built anil the trough made, but (he device did not answer, and the wall rank a. little, let out the water, and half the wall was sluiced away. The second attempt proved more successful. Poles were cut from the plantation, and a rough and ready sort of scaffolding constructed against the face of the bank, the upper ends of the poles tied back to the bank above with wire, and on this scaffolding 12 inch drain pipes were laid, and covered with clay to keep them steady. Yesterday morning, when the Mayor visited the scene the pipes were doing their dutyvery well, passing a full bore of watir from the wooden flumiug to the undisturbed concrete trough below the break. The connection between flumiug and pipe is not too secure, a careful watch has. to be kept upon it; and the load of pipes taken out is intended to restore the arrangement should the pipes now in use be washed out.

For the permanent restoration of (lie race Mr Beswick intends to make a. narrow cub into the rock, and build up a concrete trough on the shelf so mad<-, and that should certainly inake a, permanent job. As the break happened on a projecting elbo\r, the new cut will .straighten the race. It will be a ticklish job to cut away hard rock close beside lhe temporary pipe-line without disturbing the latter; but it will have to be done. Fortunately there is no heavy demand on the water supply at this season, and the pipes can be relieved of rhe weight of water in them, for the greater part of the day. Recalling some of his earlier experiences with the water-race, Mr Beswick t>ays this is a trifle. About 20 years iiiro the top of the dam was carried away, the iroit filter box thrown down, and tile race damaged seriously at quite a. number of points. Yet the supply ("• the town was not stopped. The i;*ktvoir was run very low, nearly empty in fact, but while taking risks at the town end hard work at the other end and along the race secured the restoration of the flow before the reservoir was run dry. The minor slips into the race of Alt. Horrible are still being shovelled away, four men being engaged on this job. In iho early days there were several places where slips were liable to occur on the lower side and beneath the race in this quarter; but Mr Beswick is confident that by drainage, willow planting, and here and there the building of stone walls, the risk of damage, of that nature has been entirely removed.