The Mourne Water Scheme. 25 



embankment — about the same depth as the deepest reservoir at 

 Woodburn. The embankment is five hundred yards long, and 

 the maximum depth of the reservoir would be eighty-five feet. 

 Its capacity would be something like two thousand million 

 gallons. This would represent about the total capacity of all 

 the Commissioners' reservoirs at Carrickfergus and Stoneyford. 

 The Commissioners had also the power to make a reservoir in 

 the Annalong valley, though they did not propose to do so just 

 now. The only condition by which the Commissioners were 

 bound in reference to water rights was to give a supply to the 

 village of Kilkeel — a condition which Lord Kilmorey, the 

 owner of the land, desired to have made. There were no mills 

 or farms to be supplied, and in fact there would be no waste or 

 alienation of any considerable part of the water. The Commis- 

 sioners had succeeded in doing what no other corporation in 

 England or Scotland had done — namely, to get the water 

 rights almost totally devoid of the usual obligations as to supply 

 to adjacent interests. With regard to the quality of the water, 

 most satisfactory reports upon analysis had been issued by Mr. 

 Robert Barklie and Professor Dewar. The latter eminent 

 authority — the most eminent probably on water questions — had 

 gone over the whole district and examined it thoroughly. He 

 described it as one of the most favourable districts for a water 

 supply he had ever seen. The lecturer then described the 

 method of construction of the conduit which is to bring the 

 water from the district to Belfast. The main conduit will be 

 1\\ miles in length, of which 165^ miles is what is technically 

 known as " cut and cover," 12 miles steel pipes and the balance 

 of 6^ miles is tunnel. The interior of the conduit in both 

 "cut and cover" and tunnel portions will be concrete. A 

 service reservoir will be constructed at the " Half-way House " 

 on the Ballynahinch Road, some three or four miles from 

 Belfast. It will have a capacity of some 70 million gallons, or 

 about a week's supply at the present rate. The Commissioners 

 have obtained powers to discharge water into all rivers along 

 their line so that there will be no difficulty with flooding, &c. 



