CORRESPONDENCE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1128, 21 August 1882, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

[IFk do not hold ourselve. responsible for opinions expressed by our correepondenle.J TO THU BDITOB. Bib,—ln the “ Herald" of Saturday evening there is a suggestion which should not be lost sight of at present. A gentleman “ great at figures, &c.," and who evidently understands what he is talking about, informs the editor that one-sixth of the rain which has fallen in Gisborne during ths last three weeks would be sufficient to supply every man, woman, and child in Gisborne for the next twelve months, evan if another shadow did not fall during the whole of that : period, that is of course If conserved. Tho I imformation is valuable, both as an addition ta our stock of scisntifio knowledge and for the important practical benefits which are likely to be derived from It. And here I may remark that it would bo well if other intelligent observers would in like manner place the results of their observations on record. Much reliable information would be acquired—for instance a friend of mine made an observation lately which is, perhaps, of more practical Importance than the above and which, but for the present opportunity, would be lost the public. It was that during the late thunder storm a quantity of electricity sufficient to supply Gisborne with the electric light for the next twelve months, and to leave a margin for the Ormond Telephone, was allowed to run to waste, and still we crawl round in the dark or bog the loan of a lantern, or resort to the clumsy expedient of shading our caudle in a trumcated bottle, but ot course wu are a peculiar people. It is to bp regretted that the “ Herald's" informant flid not follow up his information by koine proposal for the conserving, in the absence of any such you might allow me to offer a suggestion or two by way of tupplemeat, I would propose then that one-sixth of the Borough be roofed in with corrugated iron (G.O. brand), this roof should be in proper compartments, communicating with suitable gutters, which latter would conduct the water to the proposed cisterns, If ob< jectious bo entertained to the roofing on account of its opacity, suitable openings to Iw < covered with glass might be left at such plac®j as the rtiqnli'wnentn of the Cabbage end other plants would render necessary. Another, emi a plan whielt 1 believe WMtfd t

recommend itself to the “ Herald’s” informant, would be to lay down a six-foot layer of sponge (Spongus Bunkumi—twig !) This could be squeezed into the tanks at proper intervals. A thick layer of blotting-pabjr also suggests itself as a suitable conserving medium, but difficulties might arise on the question of supply unless the Marine Store Department in New Zealand assume more important dimensions. Permit me yet a moment to consider the estimate of the cost of the tanks required to hold a 1,000,000 gallons of water. A slight computation based on the fact that a cubic foot of water contains six-and-a-quarter gallons would seem to show that the dimensions required for holding a hundred thousand gallons would be 25 x 25 x 26, or 25ft. square by 26ft. deep. Now a brick and cement tank of these dimensions would cost, unless the Gisborne contractors and bricklayers are humbugs, somewhere in the neighborhood of £BOO, and ten of them to hold a million gallons would cost £BOOO or thereabouts. You might as I am not quite certain of the.data, make enquiries with a view to verifying this statement. Mr Finneran and Mr Berry are both courteous gentleman and have the reputation of sometimes giving reliable estimates, I feel certain either of them would give you a rough idea, in the interests of science.

Is it possible that this gentlemen well up in figures could have dropped an 0. It is a pity that this discrepancy should have crept in to mar what would otherwise be an excellent and economical scheme for a source of water supply.—l am, &c., D.R.F.