WEALTH UNDER THE WATER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14143, 19 August 1909, Page 6

WEALTH UNDER THE WATER.

SALVING LOGS AT KAIPARA

[from our own correspondent.]

Dargaville, Wednesday. During the present year considerable employment has been given to the Wairoa rafting fleet in the raising of sunken logs. During the past 50 years millions of logs have been rafted down to the various mills, and since the inception of the whit© pine trade it has been common knowledge that many hundreds of kahikatea logs have disappeared to the river bed. In places, these derelicts proved objectionable, and even dangerous, to shipping, and at the instance of the Marine Department millowners organised steps for the recovery and removal of the obstructions. When buoyed up they were conveyed to the mills, when it was found that their submersion had not in the slightest degree militated against soundness, the only drawback being a, more or less discolouration of the wood. The salvage of this hitherto deemed lost property was then pushed on apace, with the, result that no far over 500 white pine and lotara logs have been converted into commercial lumber.

But the work brought to light a feature totally unexpected. During the many great freshes which have occurred in the iroa, logs were swept down into tlio ocean basin of the Kaipara estuary, and in many cases out to sea., and only rare instances occurred of non flotablo blackhearted kauris. Whilst engaged in lifting the white pine sinkers in tile various booms, rafters were surprised to discover a wealth of kauri logs more or less submerged in the thick, sticky mud, which is such a pronounced eyesore between tidal rise and fall. A continuation of the work has resulted in over 500 fine, sound kauri barrels being recovered. Some of them, according to their brands, which are distinctly decipherable, were rafted some 40 years ago, and are in a perfect state of preservation. The branding hammers in those days must have been mammoth affairs, for in letters an inch long are set forth the full titles of the mills, with their locations, even to the details that they are situated in Kaipara, New Zealand. The success attained in salvaging these 'ogs has led to a vigorous prosecution of the work, and ere the year lias ended the Wairoa River will have been robbed of much more of her water-hidden wealth.