A SECOND SLIP

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 16, 21 July 1921, Page 8

A SECOND SLIP

NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION

SHIP REPAIR WORK AT EVANS BAY.

At last, after many years' delay, the long-promised second slip at Evans Bay is being constructed by the Patent Slip Company. -When completed ship repair work in Wellington will be greatly facilitated and will certainly increase in volume, because, owing to lack of accommodation in the past. many, small vessels have been sent elsewhere for their annual overhaul. The new slip is being constructed alongside the present cradle, and has^ been designed to take small vessels. The actual work in connection with the new undertaking commenced some time ago, and considerable progress has been made with the preliminary work. .The Harbour Board's Priestman dredge has already graded the sea bottom. The ways will run out under water a distance of 500 ft, and over 600 yards of sand and blue clay were taken out to secure a grade of lin 20. The cradle will run 60ft into the hill-side, necessitating the excavation of about 8000 yards of rock. The spoil is being used to extend the reclamation at the Kilbirnie Reserve. The total length of the ways will be 741 feet. The cradle, to be built of West Australian ironbark, will be 150 ft long, with a breadth of 35ft, . and will be capable of taking vessels up to 500 tons. It will be of special design, with bilge arms and keel blocks readily removable, thus facilitating repair work. About ICO,COOft of hardwood timber will be used.' and a largo portion of it has already arrived. Huge planks and piles of ironbark and jarrah are now on the site, receiving the necessary attention. When each section of the ways has been finished, it will be lowered bodily into the water. The hauling plant is under construction by Messrs. Day an.d Summers,, Southampton, England, and will weigh over 50 tons. Wire rope, with a safe working load of 35 tons, will be used for hauling. The necessary, rail." arrived at Wellington recently from the Litheow Steel Works. It is anticipated that the new slip will be completed in a little over a, year. Mr. ■J. ' Patterson, of the Patent Slip Company, is in charge, of operations, and Mr. Fulton is the constructing engineer. THE PRESENT SLIP. The present slip was built by Kinnaird Bros., of Liverpool, and was completed over forty-eight years ago, the 'first vessel to be taken up being the barque Cyrus, on the 3rd May, 1873. Since that time, the slip has been in constant use, a total of 4040 vessels, well over a million and a-half tons register, having been slipped for painting and repairs. In the early days, sailing vessels made full use of the slip. Each year, at the beginning of the wool season, several of the old clippers, such as the Weathersfield, Halcione, Auckland, and Wellington, were slipped and painted, . and "then given ;i coat of tallow for the race Home to. catch the opening of the wool sales. Sailing vessels are now rare, and sometimes a year goes by without one of them going on the slip. The barque Rona, which recently ran on Steeple Rocks, is at present on the cradle receiving repairs.to her hull. The smallest vessel taken on was a yacht of four tons register, and the largest was the fourmasted barque John Ena* of 2883 tons. The John "Ena, which was taken: lip' 1 ih July, 1917, was 63ft. longer than the cradle, and required a great deal of special provision to accommodate her. Owing, to .her great length,' 'a traffic bridge had to be built over the water to allow vehicles to pass round astern. The repair work on this vessel cost over £12,000. The largest ship using the slip at present is the Union. Company's steamer Komata.