REPORT BY MESSRS. BAIRD & WARD
The report of Messrs. Baird and Ward has been circulated. After dealing briefly with the reports of Mr. Marchant, Mr. Higginson, and Mr. Stewart, Messrs. Baird and Ward refer to the proposal of the present City Surveyor to do away with the well and race and substitute cast iron pipes at an estimated cost of £7,000, a proposal which they object to for the following reasons:
1st. That the storage would be at the most 10 days.
2nd. That the water being drawn off from near the bottom would, in times of flood, be very muddy and unfit to drink, and the inlet liable to be choked with stones or debris, and so cut off the supply at any moment; that no settling pond would be provided, and filter beds would have to be constructed.
3rd. That when the race can be repaired for a small sum of money in the way proposed by Mr. Higginson, or, as an alternative, by lining the sides and bottom with T. & G. totara timber, which, even if the race were entirely rotten from one end to the other (“leaking like a sieve,” as some have described it), would cost a small fraction of £7,000.
Messrs. Baird and Ward consider that Mr. Higginson generally endorses the suitability of the present water-supply scheme as a whole. They deny any connection with the report that there is water equal to 1,000 horse-power for sale by the Council, and they then go on to say:
“There is no doubt that the high levels can be supplied entirely from Karori, which can easily be done by direct connection with the main along the Terrace and adjacent high streets to the west of Lambton Quay, and the high levels at Newtown from a supplementary reservoir, which was also recommended to be done by Mr. Clark and forms part and parcel of the Wainuiomata scheme. Consequently, less head of pressure can be reserved in the Wainui mains, and more available for sale for trade purposes.
We entirely agree with Mr. Higginson’s remark as to the value of this supply for fire purposes, and his recommendation that telephonic communication be established with the reservoir.”
Referring to Mr. Higginson’s report on the concrete race, Messrs. Baird and Ward say:
“Mr. Higginson’s opinion of the probable reason for the race leaking is very probable; all that Mr. Baird can say to this is that he took every possible precaution to avoid scamping the work. Two competent inspectors were constantly on the job, one of them, Mr. Kerslake, the present overseer of the Corporation, who was removed before the whole job was completed, but another one took his place, and the other a man at that time employed in the Corporation yard, who thoroughly understood concrete work, and who has since been employed by the Manawatu Railway Company as Inspector for the last few years, and who has, we believe, given every satisfaction.
As far as Mr. Baird is concerned, he is confident of their capacity, honesty, and integrity of purpose, that he would be glad if opportunity offered to employ them again in a similar capacity. Constant complaints were made by the contractor, Mr. W. P. Oakes, that he was watched as if he were a pickpocket. The greater portion of concrete was mixed in a concrete mixer at the end of the work and run into the work at once, and no mixing was allowed to go in without the inspectors having passed it.
Mr. Baird’s views upon concrete work were well known to former City Councillors; he always impressed upon them the advisability of it being done by day labour, where the men employed were not interested in slumming the work, and as Mr. Higginson well remarks, it is impossible to supervise every shovelful of concrete put into work. As far as we are aware, the old layers of concrete were thoroughly cleaned before new work was put on; strict orders to that effect were given to the inspectors.”
They express the opinion that if the race had been properly tested and examined when the water was turned on, the cracks could have been easily repaired in their incipient stage. They say they believe that the manhole covers were never removed for the purpose of examination until a few days ago, and that if the custodian had looked into this from time to time, the repairs would have been very slight indeed.
Speaking of the question of the thickness of the 24-inch mains, Messrs. Baird & Ward say:
“By adopting the lowest thickness given in practice, viz., ⅝ of an inch, which experience, in the case of the Wainuiomata, has proved sufficient, Mr. Baird justly claims to have made a considerable saving to the Corporation. The difference in weight between a ⅝ in. thickness of a 24 in. pipe and 1 in. is closely 1 ton per chain, or 80 tons per mile, or a total of 800 tons for 10 miles. This, at £1 14s per ton, which was the price paid in Wellington, gives a total saving of £6,160.
If the pipes were made still another 1/16th in thickness, this would be again increased, so as to probably make the total saving nearly £10,000.”
Messrs. Baird and Ward state that they have not been over the work since its completion, but are of the opinion that the repairs are not of such an extensive character as to require the expenditure of £7,000 in laying cast iron pipes from the well to the dam.
Tags: Newspaper Water Race Waterworks
