CRUDE OIL ESCAPES.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 11, 14 January 1929, Page 3

CRUDE OIL ESCAPES.

BLACK MASS ON HARBOUR. LAUNCHES WELL SMUDGED. NO APPLk ATIOX FKOM OWXEK. "Found, two hirieU nf nude oil. <,-, the w«terfron?: owner apply Auckland Harbour I'.nard."*

It is not likely, howexer. that micli an adxcrli»ement will aji]icar. an<l it is extremely !«.,» likely that th.-rc would Kany answer if ii did. Since tl-- adven* of oil-bin nm;: vosels The o]»] adaptabout pourins nil *>n tronliW walor--hould lie rc\i«-»l; thi« i« n<,: tlu- fu-i oicasiim upon wliich ilic effect lias been to <-;»u~e B*riff mxl nut pca«y. Karlv fhi< morning tho lauTicli-tnrn who tie tip t<» iho broastwork I»e1wo<-ii tin- iVirv wha!\«« and Piimx's Wharf >a\v a black ma>< on the io\\ of Hiwater, and tli<» l«»t of it wa* not mnp}»ci] ii|» until *diiie thin- after miil-i'-v. .\: rirst it was so thick that one of the men •=aye he dipped np a lui.ketful. 1 h<inetho<l oi it off the wat<-i was rather in;jenioim. men werinut on liy the Hailonr Board to do thr job. They put ofT in a launch. artm-<1 with liarrcU. l»m-ket« and many yard* of mtjui. The srriin was cut Up into convenient >i?es. and used l»y tinmen like a cook's mopping -up cloth. When thrown on the foj» of a jiatch <«f oil the e< rim alworbed a certain amount. and this was squeezed into bucket an.l barrel. Two lianvW were tilled and thai i-art of the harbour is again clear, but 'he launches in the vicinity hear evi•Vnce °f 'he incident their water lines, which are now a Wack-bronn sniudpe from Mem to stern.

There are three oil-burning vessel* in port—the Aorangi. which is in the haMii where tlic oil «»« f:wn«l. tlic Remucr;i «m tlic pastern side of Ihe (Queen's. and the Tamaroa at the <>Mrnl. The wind being northerly, th? stuff naturally baefced up in the basin ana p»it among '.he hire launches, instead of floating out into the harbour.

As most people are aware. ve«.*el« are not allowed to discharge crude oit or crude oil refuse within the three-mile limit. There have lieen several instances in Auckland where there has Keen a breach, but in each ca«e it va* shown to have l»ren purely accidents!. Tt will be remembered that the last occasion when oil caused trouble was when tlw Niagara lost a quajitity of residue—stuff like thick tar—which made a terrible mow of the beaches round Takapuna way. and c:ui~cd dcen iiripre<-aiion« Ironi the people who were unfortunate onoiurh to take a header without noticing tlie stuff. Tlie laun<l»-owner« were verv in<!iirnant this morning at the elate in whirii their craft were left. Some of (hem slated they saw a thick, black streak flowing from the side of one of the ve**el* in port. T"n to the time of pt>in<» to press tnp nii had not lv>en claimed.