GERALDINE COUNTY WATERSUPPLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1978, 5 December 1889, Page 4

GERALDINE COUNTY WATERSUPPLY.

This Orabi-Waihi Faces. The water-snpp ! y system of the Geraldine County is daily becoming more complete, the latest w ork undertaken by ihe council —the Orari-Waiiii race—being now practically finished. The inauguration of this syslem of water-supply has been attended with most beneficial results, and settlers in districts where the creeks are unevenly distributed, and water hard to procure, are now by no means slow to avail themselves of the opportunities afforded by the Counties Act of obtaining for their lauds a plentiful supply of that necessary element for successful farming. The district, watered by the Orari-Waihi race lies between the above-mentioned rivers, and to a great extent consists of

light and stony land. Here and there are patches of rich alluvial soil, but the character of the land as a whole is second class. The few water-courses that intersect this plain are of an ephemeral character, and are so frequently dry as to be practically valueless, and the settlers have accordingly bad recourse to wells and oven in some cases to carting water considerable distances from the Orari river. This entails both toil and expense, and where labor is not easily procurable the stock have often bad to suffer. Seeing the advantages enjoyed by the residents in the Rangitata and Seadown districts, the settlers took the necessary steps and invited (tie County Council to proclaim their district for a prescribed boundary

a water-supply district, and expressed wish that the work of constructing water-races might be at once proceeded ■.villi. Some slight delay atose through a difficulty as to the site of the head works, which had to be procured from Mr Tripp. He, however, h*s always been an advocate for water-races —in fact, has really through the firm stand he took in Ibo matter of the adoption of the Counties Act been the menus of giving the council the power to carry out these works—and the conditions he attached to the gift of the site were found to be by no means insuperable. In due course the preliminaries were adjustfid, and, tenders being invited for the work, that of Mr \Y. Fletcher—who successfully carried out similar contrac's

at Woodbury and Seadown—was accepted. THE HEADWRKS are situated under a steep terrace of the Orari River bank, some half-mile above what is known as Tripp’s Cutting. The river here has never been known to go dry, and, the filter-box being carried well out into mid channel, there is a moral certainty of a sufficient head of water being constantly maintained. At present not a third of the available quantity is utilised. The filter-box is constructed of heart of totara, tongued with galvanised hoop-iron, with Uin. spaces and bored holes for the admission of the water. It is firmly secured in the riverbed with 12 steel rails, driven to a depth of 10ft., and is further protected with heavy timber struts, A bed of boulders closely bound together with a heavy mesh work of galvanised wire covers the box to a depth of Bft. From the filter-box the intake culvert opens. This is also constructed of heart of totara, of 3iu. thickness at the sides and 2in. on the top and bottom, closely boarded. Together with the filter-box it measures about 90ft. The supply of water to the race is regulated by a SLUICE SATE of simple construction. It consists of a strong gate, raised or lowered by a 2in.

screw cut with V thread. The gate fits closelv into grooves in a concrete frame-work-in. in thickness, and is about as simple, as well as powerful, a contrivance as can be imagined. When opened to its fullest extent it leaves a passage of 2ft. x 18iu. The head of the race is shut off from the open riverbed by a most substantial fence, which not only serves to stop sheep or cattle from trespassing, but will also in time form a most efficient protective work in case there should he an abnormal flood in the river. This tence continues for 200 ft., and is constructed of 18ft aud 20ft steel rails 10ft. apart, and well driven. To each rail a strong post is bolted, and through these are strained 12 wires of galvanised strand. A top rail of manuka gives additional stability to the fence, and it is well stayed from the inside by stout willow posts set at angle and well secured. All of these willows have takes root, and are growing luxuriantly, as are numerous smaller pieces and cuttings of the silver poplar, which have been put in with the view of giving additional protection. A fence of strong willow stakes and ten wires is continued from the main fence to a gontle rise, where a substantial standard and wire fence forms protection to the BLOCK GUTTING,

which is a decided feature of the work, and its most troublesome and costly item. The cutting commences about 25 chains from the regulating gate of the intake culvert, the water up to this point having been carried along in an open race. A sluice gate in this race assists to regulate the wa'er supply. The cutting must have been a somewhat arduous undertaking, as the nature of the ground is decidedly unfavorable. It consists of shingle and immense boulders firmly bedded in day almost as hard as cement. For 16 chains the cutting averages 12ft. d «> about sft, wide at the bottom. The surface thehah a general fall for a distance of 12 chains. A 1 the soil from lire cutting had to bn ti led into drays and carted over Hr river terrace. This, as may bo imagined, was an awkward job, as there was little or no room for the manipulation of drays in such a narrow place. However, the work has been faithfully carded out, and reflects much credit upon the contractor. The

MAIN RACE is, in aM, three miles in length, sf*. wide at the top and 3ft. in the bottom. A' five places it p isses through culverts of 35in. pipo, with concrete-f-ce walls, and such a supply as will pass through pipes of this dimension represents the fullest pressure of a a Ur. There is, therefore, no danger whatever of undue quantity making its way in the races, and cursing damage. The main race terminates at Mr Tr ppV boundary. The cutting, as already mentioned, is fencc-d on both rides, and the remainder of the mce, in accordance w th a condition made by Mr Tripp, is fenced on the. west side with a substantial standard nod w're fence, with intermediate posts every half chain, with six plain stool wires and one barb wire. Towards Ihe cost of this fence Mr Tripp contributed. All (ho banks have been sown down with cocksfoot grass. *

THE DISTRIBUTING RACES, which ate lain, in the boltoir;, anil extend | in oil some 16 or 18 miles, commence at Mr Tripp’s boundary. The first branch flows through the properties of Messrs Thatcher, Buber, Cordy, Gould, irviue, Pischoy, Lawlor, ScuHy, Hewson, Helein, Brown, and McDonald, passing in its way through one section of Crown land and she Orari School grounds. At Mr McDonald’s the race divides, one email branch supplying Mr O’Nei I’s property, the other continuing to Dobis’s Creek* where Mr Postlethwaite, at bis own cost, has carried it on some 60 chains. The second diversion supplies the propeities of Messrs

Fiefisld, Cook, Taylor and Flatmao, Zulkovski, A. McLean, Collier, Metcalf, and Hewson. It terminates in a creek on the Geraldine Road, whence it reaches the Orari. A further diversion in Messrs Taylor and Flatraau’s property follows rougher country, passing through Messrs Brown, Irvine, McLean, and Pestlethwaito’s sections as far as the Geraldine-

Orari Road. Several residents have availed themselves of the race to obtain water-supply for their gardens, and a noticeable fact is that in nearly every case the races have been cut at a distance of quite a chain from the fences, a very desirable thing, as by this arrangement they are less ikely to become choked up with gorse trimmings, etc., and there is less land wasted in ploughing. The race in two places intersects creeks, and has to be carried over by timber flumes. One of these, in Mr Uewson’s section, is 66ft. long, 12in, wide, and 10m. deep, in the clear. It is supported by steel rails, and has concrete abutments and boulder

banks. A larger flume spans Finlayson’s Creek in M'ssrs Taylor and Flaiman’s properties. This is similarly constructed, but is 24ft. long, 2ft. wide, and 12in. deep, grooved with galvanised hoop iron, and perfectly watertight. The planking at the bottom is 2in. thick, and at the sides 4in. The abutments are concrete. Where (he race crosses roads fords have been constructed in preference to culverts, and these seem to answer the purpose jevy well, although at present they are not all complexly shingled, Mr Trifp has been supplied from the head-race with a 4tn. water-supply, and this continued, at his private cost, in a devious course (for the f„ll is of the slightest), connects with one of his private races, several of which, with characteristic enterprise, he had constructed some eight years ago. He ;has now a very complete servica of his own. Small iron sluice gates, which can be locked at any given point, regulate this

supply. Considered as a whole, the race just constructed is a most satisfactory one. Its cost is something like -£BOO, and anyone with a slight knowledge of such works can see that the engineers, Messrs Meason and Merchant, have carefully studied to carry out the scheme in an economical and

efficient manner. The constructive works are simple, durable, and effective, and display at the same time much ingenuity. Every advantage has been taken of natural resources, and the interests and conveniences of (he settlors in thedistrlct c»refully studied. Mr Fietcher has carefully carried out his contract, and bis previous experiences at Woodbury and Seadown have doubtless availed him much. Mr Radford has acted as clerk of the works, a responsibility which bis long experience well fits him for.