THE RAILWAY WHARF.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 174, 23 July 1907, Page 4

THE RAILWAY WHARF.

SIAXKMEKT BY MX HAiIEK.

In -conversation with a representative of the "Auckland Star" this .morning, Mr Hamer, engineer to iiie Harbour Boatd, stated that the railway wharf was not injured in any way by the recent storm. He had espected to see a whole lot of the timber false -work carried away, but instead of that -the structure had outridden the gale in a most astonishing manner. The damage merely consisted of something coming into collision -with the unsupported piles at the north-eastern corner, -where the work is now "being carried on, and pushing them over, as has occurred during previous gales. 'When it is remembered that these piles are as long as the harbour buildings are high, it will W realised that there would he an enormous leverage for any power striking them at the top, when in an unsupported condition. The stability of them had not been interfered "with in the slightest degree, while the damage to the tide deflector or curtain undsr the wharf would be easily adjiisted. ~Mx Hainer explained that the curtain had nothing Tsrhatever to do with tue strength of the wharf, and the damage to it consisted of some piles having also been pushed over, possibly by the force of what was driven against them. These piles only need to be raised, but, owing to the deck work, the Tepaars would be tedious. As to "daylight being seen glimmering between the piles in several places towards the end of the wharf,*' Mr Hamer said: "We always intended that daylight should he scan between them. The piles were left open for the purpose of breaking up ±he tide."

At the meeting of the Harbour Board this afternoon, the following report by Mt Hamer was read, as to the damage done T>y the north-east gale on the 20th and 21st of July:—

"During the storm, Jogs from the booms upon the eastern foreshore I'roke adrift, and carried away the wooden piles of two timber wharves, two boatbuilding sheds, and some skide on the King's Drive frontage. These properties are not the Board's.

"It is alleged that the logs came into collision with the newly-driven unsupported work at.the end of the railway wharf, and displaced a number of the piles by pushing them out of positionThese were only driven last week, and, as no bracing work had been done, tjieee columns, of '50ft. in height, were quite unsupported. Similar displacement of new work has occurred by storm and collision previously. These will he readily readjusted. The same storm also drove over a length of the curtain of sheet piling under the wharf where the work was uncompleted. This is no part of the structure of the wharf, and does not affect its stability in any way. The wharf itself is undamaged. Neither the light nor heavy timbering for false work was even disturbed. Tie contractor has commenced readjustment."