AUCKLAND'S HARBOUR FACILITIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11060, 11 May 1899, Page 5

AUCKLAND'S HARBOUR FACILITIES.

THE MAIL STEAMER DELAYED,

A NECESSITY FOR NEW CRANES. Considerable dissatisfaction was expressed in Auckland yesterday at the delay in the departure of the mail steamer Mariposa, caused by the inadequacy of the big crane on the Queen-street Wharf, 'Ike steamer arrived in Auckland on Tuesday evening, and was timed to leave at six a. m. yesterday. Some heavy machinery had, however, to be taken out of the hold, and as the crane could not lift, the heavy weights at high tide a considerable delay took place. The steamer left Auckland at half-past eleven a.m., but it should be noted that the whole delay was not on account of the want of facilities for discharging cargo, Had the lifting power of the crane been sufficient for the occasion Captain Hayward, of the Mariposa, assumes that lie would have been ready to sail at eight o'clock, and fixes the delay attributable to the inadequacy of the crane at three hours and a-lialf, while the harbourmaster in his report to the Harbour Board fixes the time at two hours. The facts are that two heavy pieces of machinery, each weighing 10 tons, had to be taken from tho bold of the Mariposa to the whan. At daylight, when in ordinary circumstances the work would have been taken in hand, it was found that the crane was not equal to the task. It was at the time high tide', and as tho jib of the crane was not high enough, in relation to the position of the steamer, there was nothing for it but to wait till the tide receded, and the steamer got far enough below the jib to allow the work to proceed. It may be stated that if the vessel had been taken'on arrival to the eastern tee immediately below the crane the heavy lifts might have been taken out before the tide rose, but it so happened that the Mariposa was berthed on Tuesday night at the western tee, and was taken below the crane yesterday morning at a time when, as misfortune would have it, the tide was full and the crane could not do what was required of it. Captain H. M. Hayward before his departure sent the following protest to the Harbour Board:—"I have to call your attention to the fact that the s.s. Mariposa was delayed three hours and a-lialf on this voyage to your port, because the crane on eastern pier was not high enough to take out two pieces of liiacliiuyy (weighing 10 tons each) at high-water. Could not some arrangement bo arrived at whereby ships with heavy Hoists for this port desiring to use the crane could get despatch at any state of the tide.'" The harbourmaster's report to the Board is as follows "I have to inform you that tho mail steamer Mariposa has been delayed two hours this morning owing to the crane being too small to take out heavy weights of about 10 tons each, at high water." In view of the importance of the question of adequate facilities for the discharging of cargo at our harbour, and of the possibility of yesterday's incident being used as an argument against Auckland being continued as the port of call for tho San Francisco mail service, a Herald reporter waited on the chairman of the Harbour Board (Mr. W. J. Napier), and asked him whether there was any likelihood of the mail steamers being at any future time delayed from a similar cause. Mr. Napier said the engineering department of the Harbour Board and the harbourmaster have been hard at work for the last two months preparing plans and reports, with the view of their adoption by the Harbour Board, for the purpose of increasing the number of bertlis for mail steamers and other trans-oceanic vessels, and of equipping such berths with the best cranes and appliances for giving speedy despatch to vessels. "Some of these plans," continued Mr. Napier, "are to be brought before the Harbour Board at next meeting. Copies are now being prepared to he sent to every member of the Board, along with reports 011 the various proposals, and I hopo that, after mature consideration, the Board will, within a few weeks, give the necessary authority to have the work proceeded with. Tho proposals to he placed before the Board will involve the supplying of at least three additional deep-water berths, with 30ft of water at low spring tides, and four otheir berths suitable for vessels of the intercolonial class, with additional shed accommodation, jiggers, and cranes. There is contemplated an extension of Hobsonstreet Wharf, a. new tee on the western side of the Queen-street Wharf, an extension of tho Railway Wharf eastward (with a largo shed on the Railway Wharf), the deepening of the outer berths at the Queen-street Wharf, the deepening of the berths at Quay-street Wharf Jetty No. 2, and the deepening of the approaches to Nos. 3 and 4 new jetties. A large steam crane is proposed capable of lifting heavy boilers of from 20 to 30 tons. Considering the great number of pressing harbour works for berthage accommodation and appliances, it is beyond the financial strength of the Board to provide a hydraulic installation foi cranes, which alone would cost £35.000. but with that exception we intend to make the port fully up to the bestequipped modern seaports. While in Wellington I spent a good deal of time with Mr. Ferguson, engineer to tho Wellington Harbour Hoard, who is one of the ablest harbour engineers in Australasia, and got much useful information and informal advice from him. One of the things I intend to suggest to the Harbour Board will be to get tho opinion of Mr. Napier Bell, C.E., or some oilier engineer of equal repute, with regard to future works and policy. At present the Board is carrying out works under the practical direction of Mr. Taylor, foreman of works, assisted by Mr. La Roche, who act in concert with Mr. Ashley Hunter when special works are. undertaken, it having been the practice of the Board for the last two years to consult Mr, Hunter with reference to special works. One of the principal difficulties that Auckland Harbour has to contend against is the natural difficulty of the rock coming so near to the surfaco of the water, and the trade of the port has so extended that it now becomes a question of either blasting the rock at enormous cost, or of using the portions of the foreshore where the mud extends to a greater depth. Tho dredging can be done at a nominal cost, whereas blasting costs no less than 10s 6d per yard. In my opinion, judged by present events, the policy of past Boards in not extending the reclamation out further, was a mistake. Had the reclamation gone out to the end of the rock, not only would the Board have obtained a large additional area of valuable land, but the cost of providing berthage for the future trade of the port would have been reduced to a minimum."