State of the River.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 331, 30 July 1889, Page 2

State of the River.

Ag gome people think it hardly poaaible that the mouth of the river can bo in as bad a state as wag indicated in our article of Saturday, a representative of eur staff interviewed Captains Kennedy and Pago on the subject. A CHAT WITH CAPTAIN KENNEDY. Captain Kennedy said he had been asked to contradict the statements made, but had replied that he could not do so. Ho himself could not state precisely, from the chart, where the Waiwora grounded, but she was drawing less than sft Bin. On being interrogated in regard to the proposed training wall he said he considered It would have a temporary effect, but that only, and if the construction of the pier is continued he is positive that not only will the groin from Grey street be required but that the stone work will have to be continued 200 or 800 feet beyond it. The pier would break the force of the sea, and the waves would strike off in an oblique direction. Before the pier was constructed the action of the sea os a rule kept the mouth of the river clear, but now the waves wash right along the beach and sweep the sand into the river. Anyone can convince himself on thia point by taking a walk on the Waikauoe beach and noting the quantity of sand that has been carried away by the flood tides. That sand was carried into the river. Things have now got so bad, Captain Kennedy said, that it is absolutely necessary that something should be done. The lighters had been out in the bay since Saturday. He had with difficulty managed to get one in that morning; " but,” said the Captain, “ we found it was too much for us to get in’the Good Templar; there she is, you can see for yourself, stuck hard and fast, though she is only drawing sft 8ln." It is much harder to bring a vessel in than to take one out,

WHAT CAPTAIN PAOB HAS TO SAT. Captain Page, master of tho topsail schooner Awaroa, said that what appeared in tho Stawdaud with regard to his vessel was perfectly correct. The schooner was being towed into the river; she grounded when abreast of the outer end of the pier, and was dragged through tho sand until the water guage on the pier was reached, and at that spot there wag no moving her. He had then to discharge tho deck load of timber, and he afterwards managed to heave tho vessel as far as tho buoy in the rivor, whore she floated. It it was only a scour that was required, ha believed the beat thing to do would be to clear the rooks out of tho rivor, THE BNAHS AND THE niVEn. On Saturday afternoon a Standabd reporter went out in the launch Snark, which draws about 8 feet. It was then about three-quarter tide. Tho launch only dragged lightly on going out, but on returning the little vessel had to plough through in a very laborious way. Captain Neil and Mr Johnaon say that the reports placed before the Harbor Board give a very inaccurate idea of the true state of things. Their opinion on tho work itself is of conrso, as it always has been, a very poor one. An attempt was made last night to bring tho Waiapu in, but she had to bo left on the sandbed, at any rate until the next tide.