WAVERLEY WATERWORKS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 297, 19 May 1914, Page 8

WAVERLEY WATERWORKS

DESTROYED 1)Y GALE. HEAVY LOSS. Says the Patea Press: —The heavy rain which fell at intervals on Friday culminated in a terrible downpour on Saturday afternoon ami continued throughout the night. ' This exceptional downpour caused the waterworks dam to overflow. Although the concrete retaining wall was finished, the filling up was not yet completed, the whole work being in an unfinished state. The heavy rainfall caused an extraordinary amount of water to come down the creek, with the result that the outlets provided' were not able to cope with it, and the dam rapidly filled up until the water overflowod on to the roadway. Fortunately the southern side is somewhat lower than the rest of the roadway, and a certain amount of tne water wag able to get away for nuwie time without the whole strain being taken by the wall. It was at once seen that something wou'.d have to he done to relieve the pressure of water on the dam, and so the outlet was opened to its fullest capacity. This outlet, which was formed of the old flume ti'-ed in connection with the old Hour mill, was not eijual to the strain imposed upon it, and it broke ofl' on the upper :<!e of the concrete wall. As a eonscijiience, the water scoured away most of the filling, and at about a o'clock the whole wall gave way in the centre, with sundry cracks along e:u!i , U id although still standing, thanks to the reinforcing iron bands, it is now twisted about and leaning in a very insecure manner. All through the day a gam: of men were busy opening up a cliumiei to carry away the water that was miming over the rotul and under the old Hour miii, which thr&itcm-J ,!o collapse, as it i* standing light on the edge of the rxraral i< iw which were made fur the j"\vcr h' ■ i:so. ,Si> serious did matters ioek at one time that the question was seriouslv toteidcrrd ol burning the building down. ns it was thought the foundation would give and the whole building wou'.d be. buried over oil to the power-house some Sil or ! ! 0 feat below. Later on. however, a ditch was dug and the water carried past the building, thus saving the situation and preventing the complete wrecking of both, tho mill and the power-house. When the wall gave way the large flume that oarrics the water down* to the turbines broke aguin about Bitft above Ihe power-house, and all day long .1 great To'.v.ine of water poured down on lo the papa rock wit.'i :i thunderous roar. This and two other overflows made .1 tine sight, which was witnessed by a large number of people who had come to view the spectacle. The wall ww completed lust February, and the contractor has heen paid in full for the work, so that the post of repairing the dam will fail tearily en the Board.