WATER FAILS AT A FIRE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 66, 8 September 1911, Page 3

WATER FAILS AT A FIRE

TIIK EXPLANATION OF Til 10 KN- <; IN KF.ll. I In reference to the failure of the water supply at .\les>is So'.e 1 >ro-.' boilingdown works on the morning of the 20th August, the borough engineer has reported to the Council as follows: —"T visited the abattoirs on the morning of the 29th August, and found the static pressure normal, but by using a nozzle with a %in aperture a jet of water could he. thrown only about, (hrec feet vertically, thus proving conclusively that there was an obstruction in the water main, which prevented the. water front following up the pressure. 1 then advised the turncock to cut the watermain at the junction of the 4in and 3in pipes, as that was the most likely place for the obstruction, which would travel along the 4in pipe and get jambtfd in the inlet to the 3in. When the. pipe wis out live stones were found, one of which was about S'/jin by S'/iin by l%in. After relpaeiiig the pi pen we again tried the same sized nozzle and found that we could throw a jet 45ft vertically. I have been out and inspected the intake and outlet of the water tunnel, the filters, and inlet and outlet lo the reservoir. and find it i|iiite impossible for the stones to have got in at any of these places, so 1 therefore feel certain that they were accidentally left in the pipes when the mains were being laid down.'' The borough Works Committee passed a resolution on Wednesday night, recommending that the Fitzrov fire brigade be instructed to test occasionally all the water-plugs in the Fitzrov town district.