PROVIDE FOR COAL STORAGE.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 5298, 19 September 1885, Page 2

PROVIDE FOR COAL STORAGE.

[to the editor.] Sir,— lt may be considered presumptuous on my part to hint to our railway authorities and Harbor Board what would meet the present difficulty of coal storage. As each month passes there is the same old cry — Coal waggons all full ; general stop to wharf business ; all miners idle ; and then only about 700 tons of coal in hand when all waggons are loaded. The first vessel in does not always get attended to. Now, what' is to remedy this state of things if the port of Greymouth is to be depended upon for anything like regular dispatch % Sir, the speediest and most ecomical suggestions I can put forward for consideration is to make immediate use of the lagoon entrance (eastward side) as far as the bridge, which would give ample accommodation for the berthing say of three to four good sized vessels; sheath piles from the lagoon- mouth to the bridge, deepen the frontage by dredging, and fill up the low land with the shingle, and upon the site erect coal paddocks to hold say 3000 tons. These bins could be sub-divided as to keep the various companies' coal separate. The distance would be sufficient to allow the railway lines to be constructed on a grade of say 1 in 50 for waggons to reach the top of the paddock. By the carrying out of this work ship owners and agents would know that the ovil complained of at this port by frequent and vexatious delays would be overcome. The miners could be kept constantly at work, the output at the port would, be vastly increased, and general satisfaction would result all round. The vesselß would lie clear of the river current} and the berthing accommodation

alongaide would not be likely to fill up once it was dredged deep enough, and it would always be clear of the river current. The only difficulty, sir, upon which I am not prepared to give an opinion is on the management of the vessels ; as to the mode of entrance and exit, and as to there being sufficient room to swing. But f com the known capabilities and. long experience of our Harbor-master,rl'fee]-con-fident that he could devise means to "overcome'that difficulty. "; Should you deem the suggestioh worthy . of consideration you might" publSfi tH3a : ~ letter, so that the public made be roused to agitate for the authorities .to--at-once^ - take steps to overcome the evil.— lam, &c, Edmund Wickbs. Greymouth, September 18;