PROGRESS MADE AT AWAKINO POWER STATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18643, 21 December 1928, Page 6

PROGRESS MADE AT AWAKINO POWER STATION.

WILL LINK UP WITH COLERIDGE AND WAIPORI. (Written for the “ Star.”) High up in the foothills of the Southern Alps, by the swiftly-running waters of the there has sprung up. as if by magic, the township of Awakino, destined to become one of the most important sources of industrial energy in the Dominion. It is the scene of the new hydroelectric works which in the near future will be linked up in one huge generating unit with Coleridge and Waipori, and give to the farmer and town dweller that which the march of progress demands—electricity! At present the majority of the employees are engaged in road-making, erection of huts, construction of a light railway. Two hundred men are actively employed, and as the work progresses the number will increase. Two shifts are engaged in the construction of the upper bridge, which is expected to be completed this week. Work on the bridge has progressed at the rate of six spans a week, gangs working from both the Canterbury and Otago sides of the river. At the present time the only means of crossing is a punt attached to a cable, and work on the Canterbury side is hampered owing to the necessity of taking materials across the Ilakataramea Bridge, four miles below the works. Where the bridge is being erected the river is 600 feet wide, and when completed the structure will carry three sets of rails, one of standard size and the others of two-feet gauge. Connecting with the Kurow branch line, the light railway between Kurow and Awakino is now almost completed, and a public works locomotive for use 'On this'section was landed at Oamaru last week. When the actual erection of the dam commences, thousands of tons of cement will l>e required weekly. At present mjxing bins are being constructed on the south bank, and the heavy .-offer dam material is due to arrive this month. The employees are housed in tents and hutments, but as the ground now occupied will be inundated when the dam is completed, carpenters are erecting a permanent camp on what will eventually be the south bank of the lake. The hutments have been laid

out methodically and with electric light, medical service, and other amenities the little township should provide reasonable comfort. Built in a commanding position on a bluff overlooking the works is the Y.M.C.A. The building provides everything that could be expected for the comfort of the men, including billiard tables, picture entertainments twice a week, and facilities for card playing and reading. Concerts and meetings are held in the hall, which is capable of accommodating about 400 persons. The road to Omarama, which now runs through the lower camp, is being altered to pass along an adjoining hillside, which no doubt will be greatly* appreciated by tourists, as a comprehensive view of the works is obtainable. This road is a popular route to Mount Cook, via Omarama, and each week numbers of cars halt for the purpose of allowing passengers to view operations at the dam site. 9 Recently, Mr R. W. Holmes, writing to a newspaper, expressed the opinion that the damming of the Waitaki above Kurow would arrest three-quar-ters of the shingle brought to the sea coast. “ The beaches,” he predicted, “ would thus lose their protective covering and coastal erosion would gradually occur. The dam would gradually fill and as the shingle started to accumulate at the upper end of the lake formed by the dam, the bed of the river above the dam would be gradually built up, with the result that the river would overrun low-lying country. This view is not held by engineers. Tt is stated that the probability of such occurring is extremely remote, and even if shingle did accumulate, the process would be so slow that it would be many generations before any material damage was caused.