HARBOR WORKS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXIV, Issue 11011, 26 January 1926, Page 3

HARBOR WORKS

PROGRESS OF PAST TWO MONTHS. CONSTRUCTION PROCEEDING APACE. REPORT BY ENGINEER. A review of operations on various sections of the new harbor works extending from December to January vp s contained in the monthly report submitted by the Engineer (Mr R. Campbell) to the Harbor Board last evening. The report stated: Dredging: No dredging has been carried out during this period, the dredger and tug being in Auckland undergoing overhaul. The extent of the overhaul demanded by the Government surveyors has far exceeded anticipations, and accordingly greatly delayed the return of these vessels. As this matter is to be the subject of a special inquiry, it is not proposed to comment on this subject in this report. During this period the hopper barges have been thoroughly cleaned and painted above water line and in the interior.

Training and Diversion AA\»lls: The training wall is completed to a point nearly abreast No. 1 shed. The breastwork to Read’s Quay, opposite the Sheepfarmers* wool store is well in hand, good progress having been made with pile driving. Two temporary stagings together with a gentry are in course of construction for the continuation of pile driving operations. The manufacture of various reinforced concrete units has been continued in the construction yard as required. New Slipway: The wall piling to both sides of the slipway is complete and the construction of the. longitucli.Q.il beams and land ties is now in hand. Excavation with manual labor within the extension of the coffer dam is proceeding as far as practicable, pending the installation of the crane operated gi\ib, the staging for which is now completed. Diversion Cut: Machine drilling on shore between high and low water has been suspended. The two machines being dismantled, and installed on the spud pontoon from which submarine drilling operations have been commerced. One of the machines operating the drills (hve each Gide of pontoon alternatively) the other machine driving tho pump which supplies the water pressure for the drills.

Railway Bridge: This contract is now complete with the exception of No. 2 span, which it is intended to complete at a !aer date; the object being to keen the wharf above the biidge available for berthage for the time being. The work under this contract l;is been carried out in accordance with the specifications and is satisfactory. ■>

Breakwater Construction.—Quarry: Tiie preliminary work at the quarry has continued. 'Three tunnels have been driven, totalling 170 feet, and {are now being charged in preparation for blasting. The magazines in cor.' • pliance with the Government regulations have been constructed The work on the accommodation for quarry employees ; s proceeding; tile manager’s residence, office, smithy, and nine dwelling huts are practically complete, and the mess room Vud galley are well advanced The sleepers for rail and crane tracks have been delivered on the site, together with rails and fastnings as required, and the formation of the railmay is in hand. Arrangements are in train for the provision of a suitable water supply for all purposes. As the Post and Telegraph Department will he unable to instal a direct telephone with the quarvv for some months, owing to shortage of supplies, a party line connection lias been established for temporary use oending the construction of tiie direct line. The hulk Mono_v. ai has been purchased from the U.S.S. Co., and advice lias been received that the company lias commenced stripping her. Blockyard —Ten ders have been invited for the supply of stone crushing arid concrete mixing plant for installation at the blockyard, and also for boiler, winches, timber, etc., for the construction of a Ccliath crane for use in block lifting. General. The quasi-arc electric welding plant lias been received and erected for use as required. The 25 h.p. electric motor for the new slipwuy is to hand. Two boilers have been examined during the month by the Inspector of Machinery, and a few minor repairs ordered, have been put in hand. Mr R. Newman, draftsman, has resigned to take up an appointment with the AVaikohu County Council. Mr A. F. Allan lias been appointed as engineering eadet.

A DVISORY COMMITTEE. RECOMMENDATIONS TO BOARD. Plant and materials urgently required in connection with the works were ordered by the Advisory Committee according to the following report : •‘The committee authorised acceptance of Messrs Stothert and Pitt’s offer at £3275 f.o.b. London for a 20ton crane; Messrs Huston and Hornsby’s offer ut £3615 f.o.b. London for a 1 i yard steam navvy on a caterpillar tread; and Messrs Stothert and Pitt's offer at £5053 f.o.b. London for a 20-ton Hercules block-setting crane.

A special meeting of the Board was c piled for December 7 to deal with tne above items, but a quorum not being present the Advisory Committee members in attendance agreed, owing to urgency, to deal with the business.

The committee authorised the following : Acceptance of the offer of the Government Railways Department to supply 1-6 pairs of wheels and axles for trucks for the > breakwater pnd the quarry for the sum of £IOO. Acceptance of the following tenders :

(a) Cave Bros., at £lB4 2s 10d to supply about 6851 sup. feet of hardwood required for making trucks. (b) Niven and Co., at £220 -15 s 4d to supply ironwork for trucks. ( c ) Wheeler'and Kiddcll, at £340d0 supply 25,000 super feet of white pine for concrete forms. (d) Public Works Department’s offer fcb 'sell one 8-ton travelling civnc for £6OO f.o.b. Greynmuth. The committee authorised the engineer to appoint Mr A. F. Allan as cadet in the drafting office at £1 per week and also fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr It. H. Newman. junior draughtsman. Authorisation was also given to the Government- Noxious Weeds Insoector, Mr Itoss, to experiment cn the Board’s \t liarenngaong.a property with a view to eradicating blackberry, subject to the B v.'d not being called upon to meet an excessive cost. The Engineer, ir. explaining the proposed layout of bloekvard at Kaiti stcd-xl that i twas now intended to make the blocks for the breakwater there instead of at WJuvreongonga, as originally proposed, as the layout of the blocks' would bo made there at a considerably lower cost, and it was proposed to obtain - a considerable amount of shingle from the Kaiti beach. The plant would be capable of turning out about 100 yards of concrete a. day. The layout and plant was estimated to cost about £12,000, which would be £SOOO less than it would be to construct the yard at Whareongonga, and it was anticipated that considerably over half of the shingle would be obtained from, the Kaiti beach. The Ohairman said that by gettirg the sand and shingle from 4 Kaiti £2OOO to £3OOO could he saved, and. in addition, better supervision could be cxerci-ed over the wflrk,- arid there would lie. nu labor V 4 TJie Kri gin ocr said"that• the-Bonrd .bod originally intended to layout a bloclcyard at Whareongonga to con-' 'struct’ the ■ 'concret e hron.kwnte* blocks, but tiio plan was not as conipact as the present scheme.

Mr Mirfield stated that, it would be a more profitable investment to set up a bloekyard here than at Whaioongoiiga. Even if the Kaiti shingle' did run short, it was probable that ample supplies would be again available in a day or so. The report was adopted. RECOMMENDATIONS. The committee also agreed to make the following recommendations to the Board: Acceptance of the Wilson Portland Cement Co’s offer to supply a further 5,000' tons of cement at 2s 6d per ton less than the present contract price —i.e., £5 10s Gd per ton. Approval of plan showing lay-out and the plvnt required for a blockyard at Kaiti. Acceptance of the following tenders : Richardson, McCabe and Co., at £455 c.i.f.e. to supply one No. 4 “Zenith” double-drum friction winch. - John Burns and Co., at £2lO e.i f.e. to supply a Huston Hornsby “Thermax” boiler. Samuel Brown and Co., at £ll3 14s c.i.f.e. to supply 400 fathoms of 3in wire rope for “Goliath” crane. C. Aickin and Sons at £398 ss, to supply 18,300' super feet of Oregon timber for “Goliath” crane.

B. Lowe, at £BO, to supply 20 timber piles for temporary work for Kaiti bloekyard.

Webb Bros., at £330, to supply 80 timber piles for temporary work for Kaiti bloekyard. v Cave Bros., at £4l 12s, to supply 13 14ft. logs for Whiareongaonga wharf.

C. Aickin and Sons, at £lOl 3s 3d to supply 3372 super feet of squared timber—hardwood or turpentine—for Whareongaonga wharf. The committee approved plan showing fresh proposals in connection with the protective works at Whnreongaonga in accord with amendments discussed by Mr Campbell and the Marine Department’s engineer and agreed to by the latter; and authorised the secretary to forward it for the Department’s formal approval.