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The Nelson Photo News

 

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Water Supply Scheme Progresses

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Since the city council announced that the cost of the dam at the head of the Maitai river had been underestimated by about £200,000, little has been heard of the scheme's progress. But although the scheme has received a setback, work is far from being at a standstill, as we discovered when we took a look up-river recently. The big concrete pipes which are to carry the water around the hillside to Nelson, have been laid over most of the track, the Tantaragee tunnel has been all-but completed and already one of the three big syphons which carry the water across the river has been erected.
Here we print a pic of the first completed syphon, erected about a mile upstream of Smith's Ford. This huge steel snakelike pipe was swung into position in one piece. Men can be seen working on the steel pipeline which will take the water up the other side of the river and into the concrete pipes.

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Looking down on the syphon from the site of the concrete pipeline, and the steel pipeline which brings the weter down frost the plpes to be laid on the track at the top of the pic. The hiliside where this big steel pipe was laid is precipitous.

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Getting round the hillside pipelines in the slush demands concentration and good nerves on the part of the driver.

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Working at the top of the hill we found Bob Beattie, Matthew McKay and Kevin Newport,

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Working on the syphon: Joe Wilson (Ireland), Max Powdrill (Auckland), John Doyle (Auckland), Ken Drew (Auckland) and Ted Gilbert (Nelson)

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The pipeline snakes around the hills and cornea to an end at far left where' it is to link up with the second syphon (this is a little way past the Maitai motor camp).