Water Supply – To the Editor
Sir – As an old miner allow me to endorse Mr Travers’s plan of a flume from the river to the pipes, and to protest against the delay which has taken place in carrying it out. If the contractor will not allow the flume to be constructed unless he obtains some unfair advantage, there is an end of the matter. If this is not the case, then our Mayor and Councillors are much to blame. It is of course very awkward to go against the Engineer, who advises a two-foot flume. But I fancy he never saw a flume in his life. I do not know what the grade of the flume would be, but a 10 or 12 inch flume would deliver at least 300 cubic inches of water per second, perhaps more. I will not go into the calculation of the volume in gallons this would supply in 24 hours, as a trifling error would of course upset the argument, but it would be ample to give us a constant supply. The objections to a 2ft flume are many. The bottom must be of two boards, and would require pitching or caulking, or both, whereas 12-inch boards are plentiful and require no pitching. A 2ft flume would require trestle-work quite double the strength, and would be longer building. I am, &c., Another Sufferer. 23rd April.
Tags: Newspaper Waterworks
