Untitled

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 55, 29 November 1926, Page 9

As a precaution against the hillside becoming saturated with water, and possibly causing slips, steps are now being taken, by the Public Works Department to minimise the leakage of water from the new tunnel for the Lake Coleridge hydro-electric scheme (states an exchange). Since the tunnel was completed a number of small cracks have developed, which are sufficient to allow a certain amount of leakage into the hillside. This in itself is not a serious matter, and will not affect the power plant at all, but as an absolute precaution against slips occurring it has been decided to grout. the cracks with fine concrete, with the 4 object .of preventing the leakage as far as possible. This' work is now in hand, and will be completed by about the middle of December, the men working three shifts daily. A whirlwind, or some other unusual visitation, occurred at Te Awamutu during a rain storm (states an exchange). Settlers heard a very loud noise, and > before they realised the cause branches of trees were wrenched off and were scattered about a path several chains away. The whirlwind appeared to» travel due southward, just missing a cowshed, crossing Frontier Road to another farm, where a cowshed was completely demolished, and part of the milking plant twisted. Then the pine trees on a third farm were split and topped, and boards and sheets of corrugated iron in front of a big shed were strewn about The path of the storm ’ was onlv about a chain wide, and travelled over a mile before being spent in the direction of the Te Mawhai railway station.