HARBOUR BOARD WORKS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 125, 29 May 1925, Page 5

HARBOUR BOARD WORKS.

VISIT OF INSPECTION. WESTERN" WHARF DEBRIS. Members of the Auckland Harbour Board to-day made a tour of inspection of the Board's works, journeying from point to point on the fine launch Waite-, mata. Owing to ihe heavy easterly I weather the tour had to be circmn-1 scribed, but several interesting activities were inspected. The lirst cull was made at the Boards, shipway at Freeman's Buy, where the I steamer Tiroa was undergoing overhaul, i This slip can accommodate a vessel of J up to 000 tons, or ran take two smaller vessels at the one lime. The slip is worked by :i powerful electric which, | capable of. hauling up a COD ton vessel at tho rate of 10ft a minute. On aj smaller shipway in the Board's private, road, pontoons and launches wore undergoing repairs, and it. was pointed out hy ] Mr. °11. K. Mackenzie, chairman of tho Harbour Board, that the Board now pursues the practice of building its ov.-n launches here. In the workshops at the rear of the slip a small boat, nnds>r construction, was inspected. Tile small timber mill on the city side of the slip was visited. Here, timber from the Board's forest at Orcre, in the Thames district, is cut and trimmed for local works. A number of old wooden piles furnished an interesting exhibit. It was pointed out that nothing in the way of timber is wasted, and that whatever sound portions remain in an old pili , , for instance, are cut out and used for other purposes. It may be mentioned that the owners of yachts are permitted to use the Board'a'small slip for overhauling their craft at the reasonable charge of £1 for the first flay iin.l 5/ per day thereafter. From the slipway, the party walked (o the Western wharf and witnessed tiie interesting procedure of raising the debris of the portion of the structure that was wrecked ill the memorable collapse. A pile, broken in several fragments, but hanging together by its steel reinforcements, was being lifted and proved a striking illustration of the effects of Ihe disaster. Rapid progress is being made with the removal of the debris. The Board's giant floating crane, recently lifted one "fragment" which weighed 30 tons. Work on the re-conditioning of tile standing portion of the wharf can only 'be carried out at low tide, hut it is hoped to have the job completed within I three months. ' The party experienced a pretty rough run to Devonport, where the Calliope Dock Works were inspected, and a, heavy sea was encountered running b.irk across the harbour to the Eastern tide deflector. After viewing dredging operations at the Eastern reclamation, and the weather continuing heavy, h return was made to the city, where members had a look over Prince's wharf.