Town Board obtained a boring plant, and arranged to let it out on easy terms to the public, so as to encourage well-sinking in the city. The Board also sought professional advice about the probable extent of the water table, and Dr. Haast, in his report (July 19, 1863), took Mount Herbert as the centre of the volcanic area of Banks Peninsula, and estimated the average slope therefrom which would gradually decrease as the distance from the centre increased. From these premises, he estimated that at the Market Place, Christchurch, the volcanic rock and lava would be about 500 feet below the surface, which would leave ample room for a good artesian supply before that depth was reached.
The first artesian well in Christchurch was at the corner of Tuam Street and Ferry Road, and on the petition of certain citizens, the Town Board in March, 1864, marked the spot by building the concrete tank which still stands there.
Mr. W. B. Bray was appointed by the Town Board to lay out plans for surface drainage. The general plan adopted (June, 1862) was to keep the level of the streets below that of the adjoining sections, so that the surplus artesian water and the surface drainage could be run down the side channels—a marked feature in the city of to-day. Another feature of the city owes its origin ta the first session of the Town Board. On August 18, 1862, a by-law was passed allowing verandahs to be placed over footpaths in the city. Lighting was a serious matter, and, at a meeting, July 6, Mr. Wilson, a member of the Town Board, was responsible for an ambitious suggestion to light the city with twenty lamps. By the following October, kerosene lamps had been introduced, and the City Surveyor was already hinting that a Gas Company would pay good dividends. The hint was taken, and on May 5, 1863, the Christchurch Gas Company was formed. It was then anticipated that the Company would be able to supply gas at 20/- per 1,000
