THE HARBOR BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 6394, 13 September 1883, Page 3

THE HARBOR BOARD.

its ordinary meeting of the Harbor Boarij *as held (this afternoon, and was attended by ffeasM Bias (chairman), Thomson! (Mayor), Mill, Patifson, On-htla, and D. FuM O^BJIsrOSDKNOK. A letter was received from Memi | Haggitt aid Brent on behalf of W Jenkins, who applied for a reduction of the rent of one of the Board’s leases -The Board decided they had to power to grant the reque. t ... A letter from the Town Clerk, with ref- rer.ee to coUnfeotipa; the gasworks with the jaily, was referred to the Works Oommitti i\ ThS M wice Department intima Irg that in future vessels would be reported from Dapb Satinders bV telbplione Captain M Fauahe Accepted Ills appointingtt hkil Arbor-master. Letters were received from the Marino department asking that a return should be prepared of the Board’s eudowmente, and suggesting that the pd<'t boat should be jroViaed w.th life-befi b , -i ... BEFOULS. • The Works Co'Pru’ttee repcrtecl on rs mits as Mbits I—' Mr D. M'lntyre’s letter re reclamation contract: The Chairman and Engineer have been instructed to inquire further into the matter; in the meantime the contractor is to continue work.—Air Kerens 8 request reuse of Owake powder to be complied with; prices and quality of powder being equal with imported article. The Corporation’s letter re Jetty street formation has been referred to the Engineer to ajfain form the street j rjhi the Corporation to be informed through the secretary when such is done. —Measures for supplj mg water to Ravensbourno derrick, repairs to Rattray street wharf, and additional beacons in A ictoria channel have been authorised. —The tenders for strengthening Jetty street wharf being largely m excess of the Engineer’s estimate, he proposes a different mode of carrying out tho_ work. Tenders will be again called for. —The Koputai has been chartered for live weeks ceitain, and longer if required, at a satisfactory rate, the Insurance policy has been extended to cover her at Lyttelton.—The" following tenders had been accepted I— Repairs to Dredge 222, Mr Imrie ; piles, Mr James AAriyiit; but finding that the size he had weto Mot'large ehough, he has withdrawn! from his contract. The Chairman having draw n the attention of the dotUtriiltee to the Met that the Vulcan has on some days not been kept working more than half her time, there being some want of management in keeping up a supply of punts, the matter has been referred to him for inquiry and report. The Harbor-matter forwarded a sketch showing soundings ■ taken on the bar on the lOthlnat, by Coxswain. Milne, which showed .ft good Hue across the bar with not less than 24ft ftt high water, although the tide was » poor one. He was glad that he was “ coiling his official ropes up ” with the bar better than he found it in September, 1855, when he first entered the port. The improvement effected was altogether the outcome of dredging and other harbor works; but at the same time, in his opinion, nothing short of striking at the cause of the bar (whatever that might be) would give a permaaent depth of water across it. As ho had suggested before, prison libor shout! be granted for the work, as it was one of greater magnitude than the Board, in the present state of their finances, could grapple with. If a colonial central prison could not be established at the Heads a provincial district one should. During twenty-eight years no shallowing in mid channel from the Heads to Dunedin Bay had taken place-quite the contrary ; and the Board were aware that Nature bad cleared away the inner bar abreast of the Maori Kaik from 15$ ft to 27ft. The depth at low water of the Victoria channel varied from 12ft to 19ft, The s.s. Te Anau, drawing arrived yesterday in good time of tide, and Would have proceeded direct to Dunedin if a’l arrangements for Working her cargo had been completed. The railway authorities fchould take steps to signal to the steamboat masftr what berth the vessel he is bringing in is to occupy. In concluding his report. Captain Thomson said .—“During my connection with this department, now close cu twenty - four years, I have watched its progress with very deep.interest, and have done what I could to assist in it. My actions, however, may not always have met with general approval, but this could not in the nature of things be expected. At the tame time I can humbly say that whatever I balieve to be for the good of the harbor I have done, and should i be spared to see the improvements now going on in the Upper and Lower Harbors completed, it will give me the liveliest satisfaction. And now, in bidding adieu to the members and officers of the Board, I cannot refrain from expressing the debt of gratitude under which you have all placed me for your assistance and sympathy in carrying out the dutiei cf my office, I trust that my successor will be enabled to render the Board far more and better service in his day than I have done in mine”, —The report was adopted. The Engineer, reporting on the Victoria channel, stated that 13ft at low water had been adopted as the standard depth to gauge the dredged portion of the channel, even though the average was not less than 14ft, because that might be considered the ruling depth in the hndredged parti Where no training walls had been erected, and therefore where it Would be imprudent to do any dredging at present. This might teem to be a small depth to take as the limit where the least was iSJffc and the least average 15 8 10ft; bub it was done on account of the fact that, owing to the winding character of the deep water, it Would bo necessary for a long vessel occasionally to cross a point with not over 13f bon it. He might also remark that in the undredged portions it would be advisable to depart from the previous course and to take a line nearer to the bank on the south-east side of the channel opposite St. Leonards. The p'ling of this bank was included in the contract, tenders for which were due that day. The last portion of the cut through the banks of the victoria channel bad been completed in May of last year; and f otn then to Oct bet of that year, no further d edgirg had been done in the channel. In the latfer month the Priestman crane did a little to the shoal opposite Eavensbourne, caused by the current coming round the uncompleted training w>ll. The wall was now being extended, and the hurtful current diverted. From December, 1882, to June, 1883, the Vulcan and New Era dredged from the ohanel 122,500 cubic yards, at a cost of L 7.147. Naturally the cost of tke first year’s maintenance would be much greater than would be the case iu succeeding years, because the training walls were not yet completed, the currents were not thoroughly controlled, •nd the slopes were being flattened down to something like a stable slope. They would observe from the statement (attached) that the inclination of the tide slopes was now very favorable to stability; but he would also say that in the future, until the channel was widened and the whole of the training walls constructed, there would still be some maintenance dredging required. Of the above dredging 51000 cubic yards had been used in the reclamation of theßoard’sendowment a L .Ravi nsbourne and Dunedin, which at an average depth of Oft would cover about four acres brought into a marketab’e condition The depths given were all at low water of spring tide, and would show 6ft 6in more at high water. They might, i herefore, calculate that the channel was now equal to passage of a vessel drawing IGt to 17ft with esse, and even greater than that at favorable tides. As the condition was favorable lo the passage to Dunedin cf vessels of a larger draught than had hitherto been cus’omary. he would recommend the early provision of suitable berthage. He had already pointed out that an extension of the Rattny street wharf in_ a direction parallel to the present reclamation would be the best site for these vessels, —The report was adopted.

THE PRESENT LOAN. On the motion of Mr Paterson, seconded by Mr Mill, it was resolved That the treasurer furnish a statement of moneys paid on account of the Upper and Lower Harbors of the present loan and showing the balance in hand at date on both accounts.” WHARFAGE. It was decided to Instruct the Engineer to prepare plans and specifications for additional wharfage.