WORKS IN WAIPA COUNTY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1944, 20 December 1884, Page 2

WORKS IN WAIPA COUNTY.

The following repot t of the engineer to the Waipa County Council has been in type for some days, but has been crowdeil out :—: — Kihikihi, December flth, 1881. To ihk Chaikhvx Wacpv County Cocjxcir,. Sin,— ln accoidanee with instiuctions icceiwd at the last meeting of the council, I ha\e prepared plan-, and specifications for the election of a biick culveit to replace the present bridge at McNiolS, and advertised for tenders for the same. T estimate the cost of this work at £27.1 This bum is considerably in excess of the ainoun 1 ; I was qi yen to undeistand tlic \\ oik was estimated to cost by Mr Sander, and T hesitated to advertise the work before consulting with some of the member* of the board, who advised that tender should be called foi, and in the event of the cost of the works exceeding the money voted, it would .still be optional with the council to accept or leject the tender as they saw lit. The culveit as designed is substantial in e\eiy res pect. The foundation is <>f couctete, and as there is about seven feet of mud to be got through before a hard bottom is reached, a large portion of the coot is incuried on this part of the work. Thoinveit of the cuheit li.is been kept two feet below the present water level, in order to give settler-, on the upstieam side of the road an oppoitunity to deepen the outfall if at anytime they may desiie to do so. This entails no e\tra expense on the council as the evtra brickworks in the abutments is compensated for bv the reduction in the quantity of conciete in the foundations. Iwouldheie call the attention of the council to the necessity for ananging a moie satisfactory plan for the supei vision of works of tins class than can be got by the casual visits of the Engineer. T need haidly point out that unless a close inspection of the work as it pioceeeds beobseived the terms of the specilication aie not likely to be earned out. In .such situations as this wheie the foundations aie seven feet under w;>ter level the temptatieu to depait from the conditions is gi eater than the oidinary contiactor could bo expected to withstand, under these cncunistances T would recommend the council to appoint some trust worthy peison of oxpeiience as inspector over the works until at least the works have been got abo\e watei level. Close inspection is second in point of nnpoit.mco only to the oaiefnl piopaiation of the doMgn. Monavalo budtre. Since calling for tenders for this bridge the adjoining propiietor has deepened the diain between three and four feet. As this deepening will have a tendency to mcicase the slopes, I would recommend that what might becalled the land spans the b^o-im lasting on the mud sills should be increased in length. This of collide would bo an extra, but would not L think exceed the amount that lias been applied for. As tendets for this job will be opened to day, this is a question that can easily be settled. There is a cross drain some distance on the Kihikihi side of the Moiuivale biidge requiies lengthening, the surfaje water has cut a channel into the end of it, and is gradually cutting its way back into the load bed, tire diain is too shoit and ought to be lengthened G feet at each end. The pipes aie, large— two laid side by side — one is 2 ieet and the othei 12 inches in diameter. To furnish the extia pipes and fill in the diain will cost about £7 Poitions of this load lequiic surfaceing and gravelling, and a man ought to be employed for this pmposo <f«c u fo< taigiii arthiee week*. The handrail of the budge over the Mangahio cieek, at the foot of Giim'ths hill has completely given way, and as it was m a dangeums state I gave instructions to have a new one put up, and this is now being done. On the same road a little neaiei Kihikihi and where the road turns at a light angle, a deep ditch is cut across the road, this is crossed by means of a few shoit planks, leaving the remaining portion of the ditch across the road in an unprotected condition, in the daik this i.s a, most dangerous crossing. I would recommend that a I~> inch pipe should bo laid and the portion crossing the road filled in, the cost would bo £11 sterling. The loads fiom this crossing to the Mangahio Creek biidge is in a very bad condition, the least flood on the above stream sends the water over the load, to a depth of two and three feet. At such times it is impossible for a peclcstrain to pass without getting wet. The l.uns of last week have .slightly flooded the cieek, and the load is now in the condition stated above. This evil might be mitigated by foiming an embankment along the cdy;e of the cieek, high enough to confine the the flood watei to the bed of the stieam, and by laising the load aciovs the flat. The material for the foimation of the-,e woiks should be taken fioni tlio ciown of Giiihths Hill, or Cutting, as this poition of the roo/1 is so steep as to make it all but impassible for wheel tiafhc in wet weathei. Iha\enot had time to go into question of cost, but wish to biing the matter before the council, in older that they might give me such instiuctions as they think fit. I undei stand another plan has been suggested for di awing off the flood waters of the Mangaio, which if carried out would do away with the necessity of raising the roid acro-s the fl.it. The scheme proposed, is to cut a di<vin, staiting fiom a point somewhat above wheie the creek stiikcs the road, at such a level as would mteiccpt the flood water, partly in an open cut, and paitly down a natural swampy gully, till it strikes- the couisc of a small creek flowing into the Puniu. The drain would be cut through private pi operty, but the owners would, I believe, be glad to bear their propoition of the cost in the event of this plan being adopted.— The road from Kihikihi to the Mangahoi bridge requites attention in the way of filling up a number of bad holus which are breaking out. The services of a man for a week would ovei take the worst of these. — Tcndeis have been advertised for seveial small works wanted on the Tuhikaramea road .authorised at the last meeting of tho council. — Main road fiom Heather's cieek to Newcastle, The earthwork approaches to the bridge over the on the Alexandra side of l uvhata have subsided, and require making up. These should be made up at once. The cost would be £3 sterling, including some gravelling. — Near Mr Day's farm the drainage is in very bad condition, there being a considerable flow from the high side of the ivud, with veiy imperfect provision forcairyiug it oh\ This can be effected in two ways : Ist, through Mi Day's farm yard in pipes ; 2nd, by deepening the ditch already cut down the side of the road. Ido not think the first plan advisable, as pipes would have to be used through the yard and past the buildings. These would be apt to get choked ; besides, it is not always convenient to a man to have his place turned up whilst searching for a stopped up pipe. The cost also would be greater. T would recommend that the present side drain should be taken advantage of for this purpose. It should be deepened s»o jus to draw off the water from the lowest part of the road. This deepening would require to be about 300 yds. in length, where a good fall can be obtained by running the outfall into a natural gully. By the adoption of this plan the drainage at the road would be improved also. The embankment under which tie present pipe is laid requires to be widened, water _ tables trimmed up, and small c.oss drains from the water tables •pened. This work would cost about £18 sterling. The bridge over the Korowata creek requires repairing. One of the wings has given way, the soil from the back of a second ia washed, and there is a danger of the road sinking, whilst several other small matters require looking to. The cost of the3Q r.ep»irei estimate at:£s., .

The contract near Stone'w corner, lately completed, has been left in a very unfinished condition. All the embankments require wideuing, slopes di easing, and the water tables cut in such a manner that they shall discharge the water into the proper courses. At present the water mostly runs down the centre of the road and o\er the edge of the embankment*, cutting Luge holes downthesidesof the slopes. The slopes of the cuttings are in much the same condition. It r.iiued very hcavilv the day I went over tin-) road. This puncntcd me from making my notes as full .i~. T could li.no wished, but L louglily estimate the cost of the woik to be done •it, f i out £40 to £~>o. A good deal of noik lequiios to be dune on this section in tin* way of sin facing the load way up cuttings, where uumcious small channels ha\c been cut by the action of the sin face water. A eonsirlei able portion of this woik could be done by a good man with a wheel-bauow, as in many instances stuff suitable foi the purpose can be got from the slope of the adjoining cutting, the water tables and side chains also require attention, a man would be lequired for 3 weeks or a month to put sO'iie of the worst places in oidei. A hnyei post is much wanted on this mad at Hmdles corner. Whatawhata to Hamilton. 'Die fascines lately laid down on this load lequiie covering at the eailiest possible oppoitumty. They should receive a strong coat of clay or sttong sand, about 8 inches in thickness, the distance is about 50 chains, and I estimate the cost of the ivork at -£15. The main road fiom the junction of the Hamilton and Ohaupo loads, thiough Ohaupo, and on past Mr Hunter, junr., requires surfacing, the road being in many places very rough, in fact through some of the cuttings, .almost dangerous to buggy tiaffic, a couple of men could be profitably employed here for a foitnight. Some fresh gravel will also be required. Orakau Road. — This road has only iust been taken over by the county. The portion I inspected — about tlnee miles in length — has had little done to it. The woik first requiting attention is the di. linage and formation of the road wer the flats; these during the winter .season, I am informed by Mr Hutchinson, become all but impassable. Moncrieff and Ashbys Flats. -The water from the foimer can bo biought to the latter by means of sido chains, as there is a better outfall to be got at Ashby'sj. A loin, pipe would be lequiied to conduct the water acios^ the road. It will also be necess.u y to form a small embankment ovei the flat, about three chains long and about thiee teet deep. These, with the formation of about 20 chains of road, with the necessary ditching, would cost about £63. At Cockerline's cutting a low embankment will be needed, also a 15-in. pipe to cany the water under the road, with an outfall drain about 2 chains long. I estimate the cost of this at £20. A little further on there is a hollow which cannot be drained without involving considei.ole expenditure. The difficulty can bo got over by forming a short embankment about four chains in length and about 2ft. flin. deep. The cost would bo £10. Mr Hutchinson's Flat.— Here about 12 chains of the load lequiie foitning, with side diains. Al2 in. pipe undei the road, with an outfall about four chains long. The estimated cost of this work is £20. Kllis' Cornci. — A 12in. pipe will be wanted lieie, an outfall about 10 chains long, and a shallow embankment, costing m. Neai Mr Hutchinaon's a shoit flat occurs requiiing diaining. There is a pipe laid heie abeady, but it is too shoit. The embankment also lequiies widening, and a shoit outfall cutting, the cost of which would be £S. — I ha\e the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant, Alfa \Nm:it Aum-> thong, County Kngmecr.