The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-17 00:00:00

IRELAND,

DUBLIN, Aug. 16.
Yesterday, the Corporation of Dublin, with a
number of invited guests, in all about 200, paid
their annual visit to the Dublin Waterworks, at the
river Vartry. As these works are now approaching
completion, and are, indeed, in some important
parts quite complete, a description of their promi-
nent features may not prove devoid of interest,
especially as the construction of works of similar
nature is now looked on as among the great projects
of the age. The main reservoir is situated about 17
miles south of Dublin, and is gained by 12 miles of
railway; and the remainder by road travelling,
Bray being the intermediate point where the rail-
way journey ends and that by carriage begins.
The road from Bray to the works passes through
one of the most picturesque districts of Wicklow,
and at the village of Newtown Mount Kennedy
rises at a sharp ascent of about two miles from the
cultivated lowlands, up a steep hillside to the great'
catchment plain of the river Vartry. This plain,
in great part a wild moor, is in extent about 20
square miles, and from its westward side rises the
long and graceful ridge of the Wicklow mountains.
At the base of one of these, the Djonce mountain,
also at the side of the greater Sugarloaf mountain
to the northward, rise two tiny streams, so small
that the passing sportsman can scarcely obtain
sufficient water wherewith to fill his drinking flask.
These are the sources of the Vartry, and after
winding their respective ways for some ten miles
through the bog lands they combine, and being
directed by engineering skill, form the main source
of supply for the reservoir at Roundwood, the chief
one of the works. This reservoir is formed out of
a natural hollow in the land, and is some 400 acres
in extent. It may be briefly described as of a
horshoe shape, a line at the narrowed end repre-
senting the great embankment. With the excep-
tion of this embankment this storage reservoir is
simply surrounded with a wall, intended more as
a boundary line and fence than as an enclosing
dam. The embankment is the great feature of
the works. It is 1,600 ft. in length, 30ft. wide
at the summit and 70ft. at the base. The greatest
body of water it is intended to confine is
about 60ft. in depth, and this water is about
1,000 feet above the level of the highest houses iu
Dublin, go that a very high pressure indeed is an-
ticipated. The public road is carried along the
ridge of the embankment, and affords a very com-
prehensive view of the whole. Inside the embank-
ment a high water tower has been constructed, with
receiving troughs at various levels, and outside, the
filtering beds, laid out tastefully in circular ponds,
interspersed with gravelled walks and well-grassed
banks, present themselves to view. The embank-
ment is " pitched" with granite on the water side,
the centre being composed of concrete "puddling,"
thus forming a wall of material impervious to water,
and so far as already tested by confining the Vartry
supply till it reached some depth has been deemed
satisfactory. A handsomely arched " overflow duct"
passesNittielhviyereorwtu,gh the embankment at its eastern end,
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intended to convey the water out of the great reser-
voir for some three miles, till it is directed into a
line of 33in. diameter metal piping, now completely
laid down between this point and the reservoirs at
Stillorgan. In formation this tunnel has necessi-
tated the sinking of some 20 shafts, and the
stone cut through, while admitting' quantities of
water on the workmen, is found to be of a nature
tedious and difficult in working. The estimates
for this work have been far exceeded, and its com-
pletion will defer the water supply of the Irish me-
tropolis till next spring or summer at the earliest,
the cost of the entire works at that time being pro-
bably not far under three quarters of a million.
It is estimated that the main reservoir here
described will hold in store 2,000,000,000 gallons
of water, or a 200 days' supply at the rate of
12,000,000 gallons daily. That such a storage will
be needed is manifest to those who know the
aVtafrttsry's widcesatpapbairlti,titehs
therein
issusmemarecre,lywihveanterofetneont,igehveinn
its bed to cool the feet of a traveller's horse. How-
ever, should all go well, the promised supply will
have been procured at a much cheaper rate than a
proportionate supply from the waterworks at Liver- I
pool or Glasgow for those respective cities. From