HARBOR BOARD.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2439, 2 March 1909, Page 6

HARBOR BOARD.

THE OUTER HARBOR SHELVED RIVER TO BE DEEPENED AND . IMPROVED. A meeting of the. Gisborne. Harbo; Board, in committee of the Avhole. was held at 2 o’clock yesterday afternoon to consider the future policy ol the Board. There {iwere present: Messrs .J. ToAvnley (chairman), W. iSievwright, J. B. Kells, J. Clark, G. •MattheAVSon, and the Hen. Captain Tucker. An apology ay ns received from the Mayor (Mr. W. D. Lysnar). The Chairman stated that the meet ing had been called, in terms of a re solution to consider the future policy of the Board in connection Avith ini ..provements to (lie river and wharl accommodation. Mr. Clark was of opinion that the object- of the meeting Avas to deter mine the policy of the Avhole Board in relation to the outer harbor scheme. He Avanted to know aa'liether their policy would to provide for the present trade of the port or whether they '\vere going in for an outer harbor' It Avas the duty of the Board to formulate a policy and follow it. Mr. Siowifight said he avouUl he in favor of an outer harbor whcii it was needed. He considered their first duty Avas to provide roads and bridges, and concentrate the trade of the <Tistrict on Gisborne, To his minct, they had not the best design or site for an outer harbor in Mr. March tint s scheme. The cost of such a huge undertaking avas at present beyond their means. They should secure a larger plant, and keep the river open, as at present they Avere only pottering. He considered Mr. McLeod’s suggestion to run a viaduct out into deep water, as Avas done in Patagonia and other places, Avorthy of consideration. The Hon. Captain Tucker said that if they decided that day to adopt one of the many schemes for an outer harbor before them; it ivould take seven or eight vears before the Avork would he completed. What was to become of the trade of the port in the meantime ? He considered they could vastly improve the shipping facilities of the port by expending a sum of money sufficient to proeuire >a bucket and ladder dredge. . The improvement of the river would not arrest the procuring of information, or even the commence- • meut of work upon an outer harbor.. Before ‘rushing into such a big scheme they wanted to -know if the larger vessels' would use an outer harbor i, it were constructed. In the meantime they should not rest on their oars. Harbor or no harbor, the present requirements would always exist. In the meantime he considered they should at onco procure a bucket and ladder dredge. Mr. Ivells asked if they had a record of Avhat the dredge had lifted la;t year. He Avas of opinion that the present dredge Avas not taking out the amount it should, and was also too expensive to work. They should ge% -a report from an. engineer as to what class of dredge would best suit t-liis ■harbor, and the cheapest rate at which material could be removed. The Chairman stated that the bottom of the channel was of papa formation, and the rock AA-ould have to be broken before a bucket dreclge con’d lilt it. He explained the working ok the ' 'Lobnitz’ ; patent rock-crusher, which Avas doing most effective work" for the Bluff Harbor Board. Bor £14,000 they could obtain a bucketdredge Avhich would-dig out all the material- except the rock, and the latter could be removed to 14ft, the depth AA-hich existed at the mouth of the breakwater. The conditions ai Irmar-ii and Gisborne were entire!adifferent. Even the most ardent sup porters of an outer harbor scheme must admit that the river must bf improved, otherwise they would drivel ■trade aAvay from the port. They shone! get to work at once and deepen the: river.

Mr. Sievwright suggested that tliev should get information as to the utility of steam-diggers such as we; o being used in the construction of the; Panama Canal, Avhicli Avere capable ol expeditiously shifting rock. The Chairman : They would be torexpensive for Gisborne. Mr. Harris: Nothing is too expensive for this harbor. The Secretary read a letter received by the chairman from Mr. W. P. Gardner, C.E., of Kaiti, in which the writer suggested tlie employment of a bucket dredge and barges, and that the John Toivniey should he employed for towing purposes. The writer, in the course of .a. lengthy communication, gave his experience gained during many years’ connection with dredging on the West Coast of the South Island, and made, suggestions which in his opinion would -.improve local conditions. OVERSEER’S REPORT.

Mr. D. McLeod, the overseer of works, who was in attendance, forwarded the following report, which was read by the chairman: The Chairman Works Committee, Sir, —As the matter of wharfage and shed accommodation which your committee is called upon to consider, is likely to raise the question of future improvements in the river, I deem it to be my duty to lay before you such facts and suggestions as your committee may deem to be of use. I may say to begin with, that at one time, I 'advocated an inner harbor, and with that in view desired a ferroconcrete wharf with up-to-date shed accommodation between the present wharf and the slip; but since then 1 have fully realised the very grave importance of the Waimata Tiiver as a silt carrying factor.. . -A" proof of the* is the fact that the small fresh we had on the 13th of July last left more, deposit in the river than we. . have been able to shift with our dredging plant in seven months, so that the success of dealing with the very largely increased shipping trade -in the river during the last four months is due in a great measure to the favorable conditions of weather that have prevailed during the last seven months. .This being so, I would not. non' recommend a work of such mogni tilde between the wharf arid the slip, as to t accommodate the class of- vessels that now* enter the river; oan extension oi the present wharf similarly constructed. is all that, would be necessary. If this wharf ..were'extended to the slip the space between it and the ranway could be filled in with the sand pump; a very large amount of deposit . is left by every fresh along .this line: between the present wharf and the top end of the western groyne, am; the material so deposited being quite free from gravel or anything, of a

gritty nature would thus be a very, suitable material for the sand pump to leaf Avith; , I consider that the amount of silt that would be deposited'here, wild along the Kaiti and toivri wharvis y freshes, Avould be a good deal more .ban our plant would be able to cope with, and that would mean that some .tiier means would have to be devised ta keep the channel clear, and such a means could I believe, be. found by Hushing -the river out at loav water >y means of a lock across the mouth of the Taruheru River. I ©ay the Taruheru, because of the .many difficulties that would arise in putting a lock below the junction ot the two rivers; first, to get a suitable foundation on which to construct, -a look at a reasonable cost, that would bear- the great strain of a heavy flood in the \Vaimata river, it Avould be necessary bo go down stream 200 feet past the Bridge, but as this would mean a loss of 400 feet of berthage, it would, I thnik, put this site out of the question. Then .to construct a lock on the bridge site, say in conjunction Avit-li t new bridge, or betAveen that and the' junction of the tAvo rivers, would be a very costly undertaking, on account of the depth to which it would be necessary to go to get a foundation, and also the cost of other protection works such as a concrete apron on the down stream side of the locks. No doubt this would in a measure apply to the site at the mouth of the Taruheru, except, of course, that it would not he so extensive, nor would it have tc withstand the heavy pressure of the Waimata floods. The question might arise as to whether the Taruheru would contain sufficient Avater for' flushing purposes. My opinion is that .t would, if the flushing kero. don. during a loav water spring tide, that is to say, by closing the gate at the top of a high spring tide and openijig it -a little before dead low aa aier. Some idea of the .amount of water in the Taruheru may be gained when Ave take into consd.de ratiaon that'the tide fIpAA-s up 4| miles from its mouth, and that its wvidtli would average a chain and a half throughout with a spring tide depth of about six feet. !i the system of flushing as applied to our river possesses any Aveak - po;nt, that point will,-I think, be found between the lower Beacon and tiie end of the breakwater, Avhere the chaniel opens out to a width of 2-50 feet. This may be an opportune time to mention another matter, to which I have given a good deal of thought, aud that is a Avliarf out in the Bay, where the Union boats sometimes an.hor, connected with the shore by a viaduct. It might avcll he said that aefore going in for an outer harbor, we should first avail ourselves of the adA r antage that nature has given us in having a Bay that is sheltered from all AA'inds except that betAveen south-south-east to east-north-east; as our prevailing winds are from the Avest and aorth-Avest, I believe that vessels could he- at this wharf over four days in the week on an average all the year round; this would relieve the congested state that this river must inevitably get into in the near future by die rapidly increasing trade of this port. The viaduct connecting the wharf with the shore would start seavaids from the Waikanae beach in line ith Custom house Street, running nearly parallel with the AA-estcrn groyne till reaching a point about five chains seaward' of the end of the groyne. It would then curve to the east until arriving ak a point marked on the chart as the five' fathom line a distance of about half-a-mile. The wharf AA-ould continue in the same line a distance of five chains in length and one chain in width; both the wharf and viaduct AA-ould be four feet higher than the present breakAvater, so that the seas during rough Aveathcr would pass underneath A\-ithout injury to the structure. The cargo from the ship’s side Avould he conveyed to a receiving shed at the foot 'of Customhouse Street by a tram line. The position of tins wharf .and viaduct AA-ould not interfere Avith the navagation of the river, nor with the outer harbor, AA-hether constructed at Pah Hill or at Young Nick’s Head. The cost of this Avliarf and viaduct I avoulc! estimate to be under £35,000.-1 am, Sir, Your obedient servant, D. McLeod. Mr. Clark stated that the Board had minuted a resolution stopping further blasting of the rock in the river. He Avished to know whether it Avould be necessary to rescind, that resolution before they could get to work and deepen the channel, and he wished to see them at once"'.securo the necessary appliances and do that. If this were done, he would go as heartily into the question of .an outer harbor as any member on the Board. THE BOARD’S RESOLUTION. Mr. Sievwright moved—“ That consideration of continuation of an outer ■harbor be postponed .at present, and that the efforts of the Board be directed to the removal of rock and silt, and that full information be obtained as to appliances and cost.” The motion' Avas seconded by Mr. Clark.

Mr. Harris said the chairman had twitted him with being a timid member, hut it was not because of timidity that he protested against large sums of money being thrown into the river. He asked what engineer had advised they could maintain a river channel of 14ft. The shed accommodation was altogether inadequate, while the Board had been tinkering with the work of rock blasting for years. He was in favor of hold schemes, and was out and out opposed to further waste of money in the river. Mr. Matthewson characterised the motion .as reactionary. They had gone to. great expense in getting an Enabling Bill passed authorising the building of a harbor, and that was all to be thrown away. The maximum depth any engineer had advised them they could obtain was 14ft. -They could not keep hack the question of an outer harbor. The district was growing, and progressive men would, come along and force them to go in for a harbor that would meet the increasing demands of the port. They would only be throwing away money by tiddly-winking with the river, and were only digging a- ditch that would he filled up by silt. It only meant more expense, and he would vote against it. The Chairman said they were not the only Harbor Board, as Mr; Matthewson • had stated, that had g-hic in for plenty of engineering. Mr. Napier Bell had shown ill Iris report that they conkl get 12ft at low water; He was only aiming at two feet more, hut by shutting down on the blasting the Board had,stopped them from effecting this 1 purpose. The, sehstyled gentlemen of progress wanted to sit still and do nothing because they had a little silt to shift. Had

those gentlemen been on the Tintaru Harbor Board they '■•would not, liayo had a- deep-water harbor there yei. If they would not join in 'with tljo other*'members of the Board'tliis time, they would accomplish the work without them. They had plenty of wharf accommodation at present, but required appliances to shift the mud,, j Mr. Clark said no. one suggested they could get .a .deop inner harbor, j hut they could make a: useful one. While they were squabbling over the outer harbor, they were-leaving the river to look after itself. Mr. MattheAvson: You have spent £45,000 'on the river, are you satisfied with AvhaUyou have to slaoav for it? _ Mr. Clark: You were one of those responsible. Mr. Kells supported the motion in .accordance with his election pledges. Mr. Sievwright: It would be madness for the Board to enter upon an outer harbor scheme when the engineers Avere so much at variance. After further discussion, the 'resolution was put aiid carried, Messrs Harris and Matthcwson voting against it. "On the motion of the Chairman, he matter Avas referred to .a commitr tee, consisting of Messrs Sievwright, Kells, Hon. Captain. Tucker, and the Chairman, to report to the next meet'ng of the Board. The special committee met immediately after the committee meeting and •vent into the subject of finance. The ecretary was instructed to apply for information in regard to tho “Lobiiitz” patent rock-crusher to the Bluff ( Harbor Board. The meeting was ad- ’ journed until Monday, March 15th.