ROUGH SEAS CONTINUE

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 August 1946, Page 6

ROUGH SEAS CONTINUE

PORT REMAINED CLOSED TO-DAY THREE SHIPS DIVERTED There was no improvement overnight in the sea conditions at the fiarbour entrance and the port of Greymouth remained closed to-day. Prospects of an early re-opening are not bright, and no shipping movements are expected to be possible before high tide to-morrow night. The Poolta and Holmlea have completed almost a week of idleness at the port, having been waiting during that time for bar conditions to moderate. The Gabriella with 500 tons-of cargo, was still in the 'roadstead this afternoon, but there is a possibility that she will have to be temporarily diverted to Westport to replenish her bunkers. The Storm was also diverted to Westport, bringing the total diversions to three. Crew trouble has held the Kaimai at Wellington, otherwise this vessel would also have been off the harbour to-day, and the Omana due from Auckland, is at North Cape sheltering from the rough weather experienced along the whole coast. The major portion of the coal output of Grey district mines this week is going either overland or direct into the bins at various collieries. All of the Strongman mine output is being railed overland to Christchurch and Dunedin, while most of the Liverpool production is also being railed eastward, the remainder being binned. At the Dobson mine the whole of the output is being stored fin the bins, and Wallsend colliery is also storing a considerable quantity the remainder being dispatched overland or being delivered to the Greymouth locomotive depot. Though barometric pressure was higher this morning than during the last week, the reading, 999, was still below normal. Over five inches of rain has been recorded in a week, and as a result, for the second day a fourknot fresh was running in the Grey 1 river this morning’. This is expected to keep the bar scoured and thus offset the effects of the rough seas.