AT SOLOMON'S KNOB.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 521, 31 May 1909, Page 9

AT SOLOMON'S KNOB.

, . .... ..9 ,■■■' PROGRESS OF THE NEW WAINUI DAM. •. ".'■'for. six months past,'Me'ssrsi siiartin, Huirell;Yand;;:Snaddon/.:,tto;'; contractors for the''auxiliary;..; : !!dam;. 1 Wainui-o-mata—% stand-by water supply for ; 'been busily engaged. Tho dam will be. of ferro-concrete, and of a new stylo, consisting' of the face walls,-3ft,. 1 in; thickness,; lessehing -to 2ft. . I'heso. are to . slope upstream at an angle of 45 degrees, , and will be' supported upright walls, also . bt;-' ferroconcrete;';-12ft.;; : 'apart.'.- .Vl'ho total length;,of !the .damVwillVbe.!:s4oft..;.ip'7n;.. «,f- , ■^hiqh'- v will'\-brQVi ( ; J _byriy'ashiv'ono-tTiird" ; ..of the '. way.;aorosstVo.'extreme,height of ,the struq- ; ture',will;,be.'47lt:, : but', the concrete will also : be - embeddeill; 12ft.' in i.'the. earth t0.,, secure • ;a.! firrii;foundation; !■! The ; maximum depth of ; cwator--'when ;the; darn is filled will be 50ft., . ;aiita''.;;th6' ; aito;v.corered;:will! bo a littlo.over. • 26. acres. ! The [capacity of. !tho new dam will ba about ;14p t 000;000;gallons. k :. ' 'The.'.contractors have found the. prelimin- . '.ary.iwbrk yery 'heavy / indeed. - First; of all, tho bush had to bo felled; and two.'streams' to .be' diverted, astheir original!courses 'Were.over 1 the;lino;which- the wall will.take, arid :Would therefore have,'iriterfered!witli"the laying- of. tho concrete. ... .. -; ,v \ ;■.; i.vAt 'either!,end \bf '!the : intended -wall,. .the hill-sides'ihavo ibeen cut' away, and high . "benches," 'as they aro called, have been .prepared:, .Between; these is connected the wire rope (650 ft. long) for a "flying fox" over the gully, CO or 70 feet; below, for the purposo; of ■: lifting: stone- for;' the .cement crusher,' and. .putting the /concrete in i; post. !tion. : V .By!; ineans,,; of : trollies ',on. 1 rails, '.- the contrivance ; will .nioye; sideways, -thus - allowing materials to be: lifted and dropped over a fairly! wide area on and . around- the con-; creto wall. . , ,i Sorile delay, was caused by ' the recent fresh in. Ithe'Wainui .stream, when; .pa!vt, ,of tbol temporary., dam, arid about 120 ft. of; flu.ming (oyer which-the stream'was diverted) were carried .''away. V This lias beenrbmedicd,. arid tho'men are rio.w employed 'at'excavation' ; work :'iii; preparation'' for laying the,concrete." . !Th'o'"llbor" .excavation" Has'been eoinpletfed, and 'in!-!i''few; weeks ,tho. actual concreting should bo commenced. ~ The trench, itojconvey tho niains from' the new. dam to a . point where they will connect : <vith . the present .' pipe., line, -. just; below tho ■ existing;reservoir,', hasvbeen completed, arid the pipes .are to be $ufc down shortly. : The progress, to be will depend; entirely on ,the. wealthef., It is expected that.' iin .a' mohthfß time,.' a trans- , formation v/ill vb'b in . tho ;;aspect of . the picturesque valley. : . ' -' , -,'1 , ViThe. number! of men engaged on lithe* work, ; which should be completed ini twelvev.mdnths or so, is\about forty. . '! j : ,