REPAIRING MILL CHIMNEY

Hokitika Guardian, 6 March 1926, Page 1

REPAIRING MILL CHIMNEY

DANG ERO U S i' XD EI IT A N ING. .../ri.MAR E. March l._ _ Having u iHiSiood-' the -e!enini-X lotover thirty years, flic big chimney at the Timani Milling Company’s Hour mill Dll’ the" w-.'itcrlT(Oil ' is at last in need of repairs, and this work was of. rather ...a dangerous .nature, .and gvas i-endered’more dangerous In- reason of the fact that near the area where the :op portion of the chimney was to fall was 11 to boiler-house’’oT' the'mill. Ihe roof of the litiiler-kou-’e was thickly guarded, however, in case ot accident. To -lengthen the chimney, the total heigh! of which was 1-10 loot, two hands had been placed, the top one at about twenty feet from ihe top ol tho chimney. It was the portion above I his baud that the steeplejack yesterday brought down'.

The method adopted was similar: to that employed in England. Near the band a. number of bricks were taken ■mi on each side, and as each brick was removed, a block of wood salti-

rated with petrnl was placed in to take the weight'. FiU ks, ’'also saturated with petrol, were then tied round, and were set on tire. Brier' to this’ lection.

a, steel rope was tied round Ihe top of the chimney, and a sleady strain kept in the direction it. -was-intended, that lie i-liimnev should la!!. .. . .

: |! is, eii-i:n:ii;H,V jot; chimney.-; to Ed! in one piece and crumble when strik-u-r terra (irnia, in this case the , v ., s j 1; .such' had stale"' of , v i1,.,| j.he nmaienl "the top part !,, fall it ■ermuhlcd. and the bricks fell straight down alongside the hi iier-hou--. rt uualelv not a single Mere of damage was done. When the blocks had hum." C , -mb ihe. eh iniu(‘\ r two a warn in;*; < i'uc!>:. unrf hirtnor strain was phtectl on the su-yl wire. This qi'AK could ;he heard for'h dreah distance round, and ilie ~ i-ra-li nr (In!.ricks alira' t- l 'ting alten!i-n of a

large number ol ’ pe'iipfe. 1 tho actual weighi of ihe portioi taken of!’ was 50 inns, hut in the Ld it developed a capacity M mvl •’*' tons. . - ■ -