PROPOSED CHANNEL TO TAKAPUNA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7785, 3 November 1886, Page 3

PROPOSED CHANNEL TO TAKAPUNA.

DREDGING SHOAL BAY. At the meeting of the Harbour Board yesterday a report from the Engineer was submitted re the practicability of dredging a channel through Shoal Bay. It was as follows— Auckland, November 2. 1886.—The Chairman Auokland Harbour Board, —Sir : I have the honour to report that in accordance with resolution No. 7, forwarded to me in the secretary's memo, of the 20th instant, I have inspected that portion of Shoal Bay on the north side of the harbour, through which a ohannel could be dredged leading up to Barry's Wharf, and have laid down on the accompanying chart the position and direction of a navigable channel suitable for steamers of light draught. There is no engineering difficulty to be met with on the line laid down, and the direction is all that could be desired for navigation purposes. From a series of borings taken along the proposed line of ohannel I find the mud is soft below a thin crust of compact sand, would be easily dredged, and varies from 20 feet at the mouth of the channel to 12 feet at Barry's Wharf, the present top surface of the mud being 14 feet below datum highwater line at the mouth and 4 feet 6 inches at the terminus. Therefore, in order to get a channel having a permanent depth of say 5 feet below datum low water line, 3 feet of mud would require to be dredged from the mouth and 12 feet 6 inches at the terminus, or a mean depth of 7 feet 6 inches over 10,830 feet. For a ferry service worked by the same type of steamers now running to the North Shore, a ohannel 50 feet wide at the bottom and not less than 5 feet deep at low water line should be the minimum dimensions on cross sections, and these dimensions allowing for such flat slopes on eaoh side as would be necessary in cutting through soft mud, the total quantity of excavation would be about 225,000 oubio yards. A narrow channel as above described would require guide piles driven at eaoh side on the top edge of the banks at distances of about 500 feet apart, for the purpose of steering the steamers straight in the channel, and at the terminus on the north side a suitable wharf would require to be constructed for passenger and goods traffic I estimate the cost of dredging channel, driving guide piles and constructing new wharf at Barry Point at tiie lump sum of £12,000. Having arrived at an approrimate estimate of the cost, and put the question of practicability of cutting the ohannel and afterwards permanently maintaining it beyond doubt, the.next questions that suggest themselves to me are—l. Is the channel required at the present time as a highway for traffic between Auckland and Lake Takapuna district? 2. If it is expedient, who should undertake the work, provide the funds, and levy tolls on the traffic and rates on the land if necessary to pay interest on the capital expended ? If the first question oan be answered in the affirmative, either of the following corporate bodies might undertake the work: (o) Waitemata County Council; (6) Auckland Harbour Board; (c) Joint Stock Company, consisting of land owners and others directly or indirectly benefited. I presume Parliamentary powers woul d require to be granted to the constructors, whoever they might be, authorising them to raise the necessary capital, with power to levy tolls on goods and passengers, and also a special rate, if necessary, over a defined area of land direotly benefited, for the purpose of making up any deficiency of interest if the traffic was not sufficient to pay interest on the oapital expended. In my opinion it is a special work, and no doubt a very desirable one too, for developing Lake Takapuna district, and seems to me to partake of the same character as a main road or railway, and now that I have shown its practicability and cost, the aotual construction of this proposed highway should be promoted by the lendowners and others who would derive an immediate benefit from the direct communication between Auckland and Lake Takapuna district. The distance from new ferry jetty at No. 1 buttress, Quay-street, to Barry's Wharf, via proposed channel, is only about three miles, and could be run in 20 minutes by some of the present ferry steamers, but if steaming at the rats of 12 miles an hour it could be done in 15 minutes from wharf to wharf. The Harbour Board being to a certain extent interested in encouraging water traffic and in possession of dredging plant, might oontraot with the promoters to cut the channel and construct a new wharf at Barry's Point for a definite sum of money, and might use all the silt ia reclaiming the western side of Shoal Bay, in accordance with the plan I submitted to the Board in March last. It cannot reasonably be expected, however, that the Harbour Board should expend £12,000 to bring Lake Takapuna district within 15 or 20 minutes' reaoh of Auckland without some financial assistance from those who would derive nearly all the benefit from suoh an important work.— have, etc., John McGregor. As will be seen from our report of the Harbour Board proceedings, no action was taken on the report further than to order that a copy should be sent to the Waitemata County Council and the Takapuna Highway Board.