The Christchurch City Council's scheme to obtain power from the Waimakariri River, near Pattersons Creek
The Christchurch City Council's scheme to obtain power from the Waimakariri River, near Pattersons Creek
[1923]
The proposed dam site was one mile from Otarama Station, about ten miles above the Gorge bridge. It was to be 140 ft high and 370 ft long, built of reinforced concrete. A possible site for the powerhouse was selected, a quarter of a mile below the dam. A pontoon was anchored in the river from which water and shingle flows were measured and the bed rock drilled to determine its suitability to carry the weight of the dam. The scheme was abandoned when the government of the day opposed independent power generation
An engineer, Thomas David Williams, shown working at the proposed dam site. The drill head in his hand contained the diamonds which cost about £400. In this type of rock the head would last for only about ten feet of rock at which time the diamonds would be left bare. It was then the work of the operator to cut out the diamonds and reset them in the new head Pattersons Creek was later renamed Pattersons Stream
File Reference CCL-KPCD09-IMG0068
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