QUEENSTOWN WATERWORKS.

Inangahua Times, Volume IX, Issue 1478, 3 December 1884, Page 2

QUEENSTOWN WATERWORKS.

Elections, holidays, festivities, and Heaths have made the past week a very remarkable one; but prominent amongst these events is the opening of the Qneenstown Waterworks. An account of the inauguration fete has j already Wn forwarded to yon by telegraph, hat a description of the wo/rks may prove interesting;. The supply*- .if. taken from the One Mile Creek (whioh expresses its distance from Queens-town >. The creek has a nevevfailing supply of between two and three Government heads of water (72in per head) and, easy facililies exist for making an immense artificial reservoir. The supply is taken from a point 397 ft above the lowar street of Qiieenstown ; bnt as this pressure would require very expensive, pipes to withstand, a relieving tank of solid masonry has been constructed at a level of 246 ft above the town, giving a maximum pressure of nearly HOJb per square inch ; or, 'making allowances for friction, &«., the available pressure may be estimated at between 801 b and 93! b ncr squire. inch. The supply. >s equal to 50 gallons per head per day— a very -high average. The water is of singular pn ity, as proved hv analysis, and the surrounding of the creek show that it is mainly 'supplied by springs : wiling out of the .oountain sides whMi enclose it, their heinsr almost a total absence of swamps. The mains taper from 6in to Sin, while the distributing pines measure 4inand Sin in diameter. The total length of mains in three and three quarter miles. Fireplugs are provider! at 100' yards distances, and less in the more populous parts of th« town. Messrs Anderson and Morrison, of Dunediu, were the contractors, and the. price was €841 T. The supply and the works connected with it show i spirit of thoronajhgoingness in the townspeople ot Queenstown that cannot .be., too highly commended. Every thing in connection with the works has* leen carried out io a spirit ol coro^eW* '

ness and efficiency, and nothing is i«arriecl Uy false economy. An abundant supply of ljose is provided, so that tlirepj streams may We turned on at j the one poi it. At the trial mad* l>y the Fire Brigade two hoses with lin nozzles were screwed on, and the wjit^r hr >wn to the distince of 12oft. All this contrasts favourably w.th another town in this neighbourhood, also biassed (?) with a water supply Whew the water was required-" im a re ( -ent case of fire it was found that there was no one in the place w.io could .screw on th« hydrant, and although within a few yards of^-a tire*. pill:; the Uurninjj liouse was r«iluo>-ii to ashes, and hul actually sat 0.1. fire . the adjoining town hall, while Tom, Dick, and Harry were experimenting for nearly half an h;inrwitU the lose. L\ another case the solitary hose, 90;t long, did not reach the fire, the water falling son<e 20ft short of the flames ; and in still another instance the prwi'i'-e was relii-e!so lo v t.iat Uie fi.c cnuld not lie nppioacht'd near ••non^h with the nozzle for the heat? All these mishaps display a deplorable spirit of iiij^:u-<Uii>*-s3, want of foresight, and stupidity.