H.—7.

36

314. What was the length of that soft ground ?—lt was just about what is shown there. I could not just say from memory. I plotted it at the time myself, and that is correct. 315. Something under 20ft. ?—Yes, about that. 316. And was that all the bad ground?— Yes, that was all the bad ground. We could not form correct conclusions, because we were not deep enough. 317. With reference to the next drain, No. 2, how was that constructed ?—That is a drive nearly all the way. Here is where the drive begins. 318. Nearly all the way, for about 5£ chains ?—All the way round, yes. 319. And were shafts put in as shown upon the drawing ? —Shafts were put in exactly as shown on the drawing. 320. Were two shafts put in the airing-court? —There were two shafts in the airing-court and one a little outside, at the north-west corner of the building. 321. Then, what about No. 3 drain, or the top gallery of No. 2 ? Was that also put in in the same way?— That was put in as shown, only we did not put in the slanting drain. 322. Did you put it in plumb ?—lt is put in plumb. 323. Did you put in a plumb drain instead of the slanting one ? —Yes, a plumb one ; not the slanting. 324. What was the reason you did not put it in on the slant ? —Because we would have had a large trench to open, and I thought it better to put it down plumb and to connect it with the drive from below. I regarded that as an improvement. 325. Do you think that these drains have cut the water wherever the drains have gone through?— Without a doubt they took all the water that there was. 326. Do you think they have cut the drainage of the airing-court?—As deep as they went they cut everything that could be cut, and have collected everything there was to collect. 327. You found evidence of a small slip in No. 1 drain, you said, behind the airing-court ?— Yes. 328. Between pegs 2 and 3 ?—Yes. 329. Did you find any corresponding bad ground in drain No. 2 ?—No. 330. Opposite that?— No. 331. You did not —did you—find anything corresponding to it in the top gallery of drain No. 2? —No. 332. Nothing whatever?— No. 333. No appearance of it ?—No appearance of it. 334. Can you produce the strata there ? —Yes; this is it here, as near as these things can be shown. 335. Tha Chairman.] That is a longitudinal section? —Yes. [Longitudinal section of strata, bottom drain No. 2, put in, and marked " 10."] 336. Mr. Blair.] That is the strata of drain No. 2 ?—Yes. 337. The Chairman.] Which portion of drain No. 2 ?—The whole of it. 338. There are two drains No. 2 : this is the bottom drain ?—Yes. The strata of the upper gallery is not shown except as far as it may be shown in the strata above the lower drain. 339. Mr. Skinner.] That goes to the back of the airing-court ?—No ; to the back of the building through the airing-court. 340. Mr. Blair.] No. 1 drain went behind the airing-court ?—Yes. 340 a. And No. 2 behind the building?— Yes. 341. Mr. Mountfort.] The bottom of the upper gallery seems 12ft., scale, from the bottom of the lower gallery ? —Yes. 342. Mr. Blair.] Would you please describe generally the construction of that drain, Mr. Hunter—how the stones were put in ? —Well, I can describe it. I drew out a rough sketch, and I was present when much of it was made. The ground generally was not very soft, and the stones were placed along the bottom in the shape of a rough drain. The stones were specially selected, and put with their points down, placed so as to leave a triangular opening between them. Then, above that there was another row of stones similarly placed, and above that smaller stones laid some inches apart, with a flat stone covering them. Then, above that the stones were hand-laid so as to lay them as open as possible, without building them, laying them in so as to make the best of every stone that we laid, not throwing them in at random—hand-laid in a way. Above that came the scrub. The stones were laid as shown on sketch of transverse section. We were always careful to set the stones hard up against the side of the drive, so that there could be no chance of anything coming in from any cause whatever; and where the drain proved the least soft on the bottom, which was very seldom or hardly ever—but there were one or two places—flat stones were sunk in the bottom of the drive, and pointed ones put on them instead of on the ground as before described. This rough sketch is a correct description as nearly as these things can be described. 343. The Chairman.] Did you tell us the size of the drain ?—lt is about 2|ft. wide at the bottom, and about 3-ift. high to where we turn in behind the building. After that it is about 4-Jft. high. It jumps up here, if you observe. Of course you know in these things you cannot go to inches. It might go a little more or a little less, as we might meet a boulder in the top of the drive or otherwise. The drain-stones were made smaller as they got towards the top, so that if the scrub should ever rot away there would be the means of preventing any earth getting down into the large openings. Every care was taken that any one could almost think of, according to my knowledge. 344. Mr. Blair.] Have you made any calculation as to how much that drain would carry —how much the openings in it are as compared with a tile-drain —what size tile-drain would carry as much ?—I do not know of any tile-drains that are made that would carry as much water. The biggest tile I have seen in this country is 4in., and I am sure it would carry more than an Sin. 345. Was there anything in the strata that led you to think that this drain would silt up readily?—l had not the most remote idea that such a thing was possible.