A BIG EXPLOSION

Waipa Post, Volume 32, Issue 1787, 27 July 1926, Page 4

A BIG EXPLOSION

DIVERTING WAIKATO BIVEIR AT ARAPUNI. SUCCESSFULLY ACCOMPLISHED. In the presence of several hundred keenly-interested spectator's, -including some score or so of important officials, the second explosion to divert the waters of the Waikato River into the huge tunnel at Arapuni occurred soon after 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon. Though rain had fallen continuously for hours, the preparatory work had been carried on, and when the signal was given for- explosion a tremendous volume of Water,.rock, and debris wa!s hurled about 300 feat into the air—far above the ground level—quite filling for a few seconds the whole width of the chasm through which the Waikato had poured ceaselessly for ages. The was to remove part of an artificial 'dumpling" -of rock in front of the tunnel inlet, and a great part of the; river bed, so as to allow a free- flow of water into the tunnel. Immediately the explosion was over there was a hurried examination to see if the water had been completely, diverted. As. the smoke cleared away a good view wate obtained, and it seemed that the tunnel was almost full of rushing water, the carefully-iplanned explosion seemingly being quite .successful. Although there wa s still a huge, volume of water flowing down the channel, it was apparent that the task of building the huge concrete dam across the old stream would be lightened as a result of the diversion. Strange to say, the rocky walls of the river were not apparently, disturbed by the explosion -<-so far as one could judge in. a cursory examination, no great buflks of rock had fallen into the river bedbut one untoward accident was the collapse of the huge derrick of a ten-ton crane on the top of the cliff. Part of it fell right into the rusting stream - } below. .... Five minutes after the explosion it was estimated that the tunnel was carrying 4000 euseds, or nearly half of the flow of the river. For a little this wa's greater, some of the dislodged material having -formed a bank in the river; 'but this was iqulckjly swept away. . ~ ' The outlet end of the tunnel showed the result more (plainly than the intake . There the water rushed with great velocity, while the river itself between the two ends became a slowflowing " boiling " stream. It still had volume, but all the "sting" was out of it, which is precisely what is de'sired. The gabion dam will do the .Every hour for days the tunnel flow is likely to increase, as the loose rocks are shifted by the current, but the job wa s really accomplished yesterday afternoon. ■