A HARBOUR ACCIDENT,

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14292, 11 February 1910, Page 6

A HARBOUR ACCIDENT,

COLLAPSE OF A WALL. FORCED INTO THE SEA. A BIG WORK DELAYED. THE HARBOUR BOARD'S LOSS. ESTIMATED AT £20,000. A SKRiors accident in connection with the harbour works occurred at 1.30 a.m. yesterday, when some 437 ft of the north wall of the Freeman's Bay reclamation works gave way, and toppled into the water. The Freeman's Bay reclamation is one of tho big undertakings launched by the Harbour Board in connection with its harbour improvement scheme. It involves the reclamation of 67 acres. The first port ion of the work, comprising the eastern wall, was completed by Mr. J. T. Julian, the well-known contractor, some considerable time ago. It is composed of solid, concrete, and runs out for a distance of 1400 ft. On. the completion of this contract the Harbour Board decided to carry out tho rest of the work by day labour, under the supervision of its own engineer. The erection of the north wall, having an approximate length of 1700 ft, was then. proceeded with, the estimated cost being sot down at £30,000. As it was intended to provide six berths there, .the wall-wharf principle j was adopted, the wharf on the outside beitig erected in ferro-concrete, while ferroconcrete crescent-shaped slabs were . p' .tod behind it, forming the wall. The work, with the exception of fitting railway lines into the decking, was completed some months ago, and the suction dredger, being brought into requisition, started pumping silt into the north-eastern portion of the enclosure^ ( HOW THE MISHAP OCCURRED. All went well until the 3rd inst. Then the first fear arose. It was noticed that, the sflt being pumped in by the suction dredger was mounting higher than required, and orders were given for the discharge pipes to be moved further westward. For some unexplained reason, however, this was not done. On Wednesday morning more emphatic instructions were given, and the work of removal was commenced in the afternoon. As events proved, however, this precaution was too late. At 1.30 a.m. 'yesterday, with an ebb tide, the pressure on the eastern portion of the north wall became so great that the ferro-concrete structure could not resist it, and was sent over into the water. It was a clean sweep. As subsequent < examination proved, not a single pile or slab was left standing for the whole stretch of 437 ft. For this distance there was a complete gap, and all that was left to tell of the regrettable occurrence was a row of capsized - concrete slabs, which, appeared only a few inches above water. - Besides . the 437 ft pushed into the water, another 60ft of the wall has been badly damaged, being cracked right through in several places, arid otherwise more or less disturbed.

Naturally many theories are being advanced as to the cause of the accident, but so far no authoritative statement on the subject has been made, and the chairman of the Harbour Board (Mr. A. J. Entrican) and harbour engineer (Mr. W. H. Hamer) when asked to assign a cause for the collapse of the wall preferred to maintain a reticent attitude. Mr. Hamer has officially reported the mishap to the Harbour Board, and his report will be considered at next' meeting of the Boarfi. THE ESTIMATED DAMAGE. The replacing of the wall itself.will be a comparatively small-matter so far as expense is - concerned,'- but the difficulty and cost entailed will be in connection with the removal of the debris prior to Rebuilding the breastwork. This debris comprises not only the concrete but the many tons of steel used in the, construction. A jumbled mass and confusion of steel rods and piles, very awkward to be handled,- will have to be cleared away. The width of the reclamation : wall was 40ft (two bays). A serious loss is inevitable. In the first place the Harbour Board will have" to find another place to deposit its silt, besides which there is loss of time in completion of the work, and loss of revenue which would have accrued from the reclamation, to be considered. As to what it will cost to remove the debris and replace the wall it is somewhat early to form."an accurate idea, but those who profess to be able to judge think that it will hot be far short of £20,000. /WATCHMAN AND CARETAKER. When news of the disaster spread through life city yesterday morning it was generally ■; reported that the Harbour Board's watchman had been drowned." This rumour had gained currency from the, circumstance that a abed was carried away together with the 437 ft of the Wall * and was left projecting but; of the water. The watchman, however, was fortunately not in the shed at the critical ; moment-. • The . custodian on the suction dredger, which was. anchored about 25 yards away, was differently placed. He was awakened from his sleep by a tremendous roar, and a moment later found the dredger rocking to and fro on a highly confused sea. Fortunately the dredger held her anchors and tho custodian was none tho worse for his experience. COST OF THE RECLAMATION. With the. eastern wall the cost of the reclamation, apart from the extra expenditure necessitated by yesterday's mishap, will run into fully £100,000. The estimated cost of : the north. wall, as already stated, was £30,000. That-for the western wall and for boatbuilders* slips, is £10,000, while for reclaiming the 67 acres it is estimated that fully £43,000 will be involved.