AT SOLOMON'S KNOB.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 429, 11 February 1909, Page 8

AT SOLOMON'S KNOB.

v;. TOLLINGTON'S. NEW RESERVOIR. ;;,-;:-v progress -op-the work: 'v ; ■'■ -For.;' nearly'three Months. past; Messrs.: Martin/.Hurrell.'and Shaddon, the contrac'tors, for-; the ' auxiliary .dam at-.-Soloraon's jKnob, ,Wainui-o-niata—-a stand-by '. water, sup,ply, for'':.WeUingtoh.;..City—have .been, busily, .engaged.;-. Already they have greatly trains-'.-jformedthe, primitive'aspect of bush, hill, andriver,-,; arid--all;around is heard 1 :the sound of moir.S ■':;»• '■,-,..■•'.-...'"..;'; ; . ..-.■.'..",'■•.- ~,... ..The.dam.wiU;.be''of. : ferro-concreto,:and;of: a."new.stylo; consisting of the face, walls, 3ft.:in'. thickness,', lessening to 2ft.: These .'are to slope' upstream; at .an: angle, of 45 degrees, and ..will: -bo., supported; by upright- walls, 'also,of ferro'-concrete, 12ft. apart. '; The: total, length of the dam, will be 540 ft.,.. 107 ft.. of. which-.will bo a by-wash,- 6ne' T third;' of ■the-, way 'across; the,."extreme height, of the; structure-will be 47ft., : but the concrete will, also be embedded i;l2ft;;in the .earth•'.to, secure, a firm; foundation; .The maximum depth of, water.when the dam is filled will ;be 50ft., arid the. areayepvered .will be. a■:little over -26 acres. <The.capacity of,the new,dam will be .about-; 140,000,0001 gallons.'.;.,-,: '.■•&■ visit, to the' scene, .was paid yesterday - by a- Dominion representative, who; was shown 'round',hy Mr. .HurreU,;tbe.partner, superin.tending;'the: contract. ; .:- ,:,:..-.:.■• V Of course, no advanced.'stage has yet been .reached in. the job, but much, more:than the preliminary' work has been; done, y, The. only >piece of concrete work in sight at present is. a bridge..bver the ,river to: convey the pipes ■from:'the'-'rieirV' dam 'to appoint'.where' they will connect-fwith'-the'p'rese'nf pipe-line,, just below-the:-existing reservoir/ and for ' this ■purpose--the.trenches being dug; The : first' steps:.tho:contractors had to;,take were the' .felling.of; the.;bush (about', one-third -of this' has ;been,-done.;alfeady),; clearing the cumber--some, 1 fern;- arid : making,; preparations- fordiverting the-Wainui: Stream. '■■'>; The'-.-'-latter' step:.was by,the' fact that the original bourse; of, the stream -was."over -the line,which the wall will take,:and;'would thus interfere: with the 'laying of;' the concrete:' Men/have -been; working for sonie :■ time, and on; Tuesday : afterrioori .the -; course ■ of, i the'stream;wasysuccessfully diverted(through a: flume about 600 ft. in-length,' at the end of which': it :resumed its ordinary flow. There is a - river confluence-just-i at the extreme end, of. :the. dam area,, and -the .tributary, George's • Creek; will -also have: to be diverted for about ,200 or'3oo*,yards: Due'preparations have, been: made., for.-.;this ' diversion, ■: and. it will probably .ibe done : this week. ■. All - that' is neededtto'.effect' the-.change.now--is toi cut an artificial stop, jiut in a.dam of a few feet only, aridi' the 'thing, isi done: ,:'A road arid' tramway; for .the conveyance, of material, :have:beeri- laid down.;: The. only, buildings 'so far: ereoted are i a: ; few, sheds for the - workmen, : Hnd-for- the Storage of 1 -cement >arid -vftp.y i '''''"•-■.;■ ;.;, ; ':--.-- ; ::";P-'P

■ ..At Neither'/end'of the : mtended'.walli the hill-sides''have.'been' .'cut away,': and 'high "benches;" as they are called; have been pre-pared.l;-Between these will be connected the wire rope; (650 ft:-, long) .for a.< "flying- fox'.' .over the gully,'6o "or 70 feot below, for the .purpose', of stone for /'.the cement crusher, and putting-the concrete' in position/ ; By. :means of: trollies oh. >raUs, the contrivance, will- move :sideways, thus allowing/materials'' to' be lifted and .dropped over a.: fairly; wide/ area on .'and ; around -the concrete wall.; '-'//.;' j '/:'/ :.■....':•■;

//..The- crushing vplant.and steel' reinforcement for the;-concrete have to 'come out from' England,' and they should arrive in a -/or'so.;; Mr.'.'Hun-ell \ expects to, b(? -able/to/'make''a start'.with the'-:actual';con-; bi;ete';waU''ih:'six;or/bight, weeks.; The con-j tractors are.'fortunate in that' the bed. -of the river,' and most of the /adjacent • land, contains; very large, supplies of'gravel and boulders-for; concrete" making. : The sand will -also'.be.crushed on'", the: job,' and: thus thej expense/and inconvenience; ■' of carting it is avoided. _ The v transportation of' material ;.and.;supplies for so great, a .distance is no j light -matter, but the contractors have settledit'by arrangement with Messrs. Keii and;Ub/' ; .--../' ' •'-■ .;' : \- '■ ' ;,\ : : The number of .men employed on the job at present is 48, and, roughly speaking, this number has been kept going during thb. past two months. ; -Tor some time the, number required, will remain, about the:same. The men are accommodated; in tents and whares, just below-, the/present reservoir, and from all appearance, they are well, looked after; /..When finished, the dam will be used as a: storage/reservoir only, although the neces-. sary connections "will be provided to. the city mains direct.;/;: ■ . ; /■.:/.' The/contract, time was eighteen months. Three'have elapsed, : and'Mr. Hurrell anticj-.i pates.' completion within- the ' next' .fifteen months.- ' ~■--[ The; Mayor' and City . Councillors pay a visit.of inspection l to the works on' Friday, 'February';: 26. ;' ./...."' '"':'''■'■.: