NOTES FROM MANGAHAO.

Shannon News, 3 August 1923, Page 3

NOTES FROM MANGAHAO.

WORK AT THE BIG DAMS,

POWER IN TWELVE MONTHS.

Good progress (has. been made during the past few weeks with the hydro-electric works at Mangahao and Arapeti. At Mangahao the by-pass tunnel has now been completed, and the water is passing through from the diversion dam which has been built. The by-pass is for the purpose of diverting the river while the ground work of excavating the dam is in progress. A start has now been made with the driving of the steel sheet piling to enable the foundation of the main dam to be! excavated and concreted. During the construction of the by-pass a lot of trouble was caused by the river breaking through the fluming which protected it, thereby causing considerable delay with the work. The, by-pass is a tunnel eight feet in diameter and a chain long. The men at the Mangahao dam are now working day and night and the. work is deported to be well up to schedule time.

At Arapeti darn the work of excavating is now completed and preparations are being made to start concreting, when, the staff will be working thne'e shifts per day. Although the Mangahao d'am has given the most trouble, it will not he the largest, Arapeti being 100 feet deep from the -bled of the river and three chains wide in the centre and it is estimated it will take roughly between four and five thousand tons of cement for this concrete work. Since the bottom, has been found the work has been straight going. There is. much speculation as to which dam will bei completed first, the general impression to be gathered at the camps is that thei “juice” will be ready for tulming on within 12 months from now. A -tunnel about, three chains in length has been constructed just below the Arapeti dam for the purpose of getting stone. It had been difficult previously to procure suitable stone for the crusher, but it is now possible to get a plentiful supply. The No. 1 tunnel is almost completely concreted, while No. a is well on the way. It is now possible for one to walk conveniently through the tunnels from the surge chamber to the top-camp. A concrete culvert has been constructed under the road at the head of the Arapeti Valley to take the place of the old wooden bridge. In the winter months the getneral living conditions for those who work at the top-camp are not too bright, as the camp Which is situated in a valley is very eold and sunless. But thanks to Mr Johnson, the engineer-in-chargjel, much has heen done to make the, men, as comfortable as circumstances will permit. Owing to the heavy traffic over the road to the camps, during the recent lpng spell of wiet weather, the surface of the road is in a very bad state. The roads are all being metalled, sielveral gangs being engaged on this work.

The Public Works sawmill is now working at high, pressure, the works taking the timber as fast as it can be turned out.

There has been a lot of sickness in the camps lately, mostly mild influenza, the result being that Nurse Wright, has had a busy time. . Two concert parties have been formed at Arapeti. Thei popular Pierrot Troupe has been reorganised and Mr Hinton’s party. The latter has already given a concert at the top camp and at an early dalte intends visiting Shannon.

Pictures are now being shown three nights: a wieiek in the Y.M.G.A. social hut. a,t Arapeti. Last Thursday evening a concert oariy from Otaki, in charge of Mr D. Nicliolls, visited Arapeti camp and gave an (enjoyable entertainment, each ifeiml being Well received and encored. A supper and dance followed the concert, the Otaki party providing the music.

Mrs G. Diamond is at present an inmate of the Palmerston North hospital, where sbei is to undergo an operation. Mr Finlay son. olfflcpir-in-charge of the canteen at Arapeti, has again resumed duty- after his annual holiday. Mr Rogers, a. new foreman on the Arapeti dam, lias arrived from this South Island, and taken up bis duties.

The attendance at the Arapeti school is now 20. which is t-hei highest it has 'been. Som|e! of the children come from! the top-camp, a. good 'ihree miles away.