PORT OF OTAGO

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10950, 12 July 1921, Page 2

PORT OF OTAGO

DEEP WATER CHANNEL. CARGO HANDLING RECORD. An interesting statement respecting the port of Otago, the improvements i winch are being made, and. the amount of cargo handled during the past six months, was presented by the chair- ! man (Mr T. Scollay) at a recent meetj ing of the Otago JtLorbour Board. This ! statement reads as follows: — | “Members would be pleased to read ! the exceptionally courteous and laudaj tory letter which Commodore Hotham (sent to our worthy Mayor. Thanks to I the ability of the staff under our harbour muster, H.M.S. Chatham (length of 460 ft) was safely berthed at the Rattray streWt wharf without the slightest difficulty or delay. It was a compliment to the port when the commodore decided to dispense with a pilot on the outward trip. Those who watched the departure of the man-o’-war were impressed by the apparent ease with which she navigated the Victoria Channel. When it is stated that nowhere on her trip to the heads had H.M.S. Chatham less than 6ft of water between her keel and the bottom of thei channel, and that the Victoria channel is as clearly defined to the nautical eye as if the sides were lined witli a post-and-rail fence, then it can be easily understood how those accustomed to the navigation of the harbour had no doubt® as to the success of the commodore's decision to dispense with pilotage on the outward trip. DEPTH OF THE CH ANNEL. “I want to take the opportunity of saying that the board has not been idle during the last few years, but has been steadily working with one object in view, that of providing a deep-water channel capable of accommodating the deepest draught vessel likely to visit the port of Otago. If we look back to 1914, we see that the limiting depth between the heads and Port Cnalmeire was 26ft at low water, or 32ft at high water, and in placed the width of the channel at this depth was restricted to 150 ft. A vessel drawing more than 4 27ft or 28ft, . therefore, could not be piloted at high water to Port Choi- ‘ mere. To-day the channel can be gazetted as having a least width of 300 ft, and a least low-water., depth of 30ft, or 36ft/at high water. A a tor a a th© depth of w&te% in the channel is concerned, the harbour master would have no hesitation in piloting a ship of 33ft draught as far ae Port Ojalmers, although at the present time there is only 30ft at the wharves, the greater berthage depth we shall in time secure. . “This improvement of 4ft in depth and some 150 ft in width is not due to dredging alone, a-s the construction works undertaken at the Kaik and at the Heads are wholly responsible for the fine deep-water channel at the entrance of the harbour. Tip to the present time, a vessel of 22ft 6in draught holds the record for the Victoria channel, and that the board are not over sanguine in their endeavours to provide a channel of 20ft at low water between Port Chalmers and Dunedin, suitable for vessels of 24ft draught on a 6ft tide, is instanced by the fact that 80 per cent, of the Victoria channel carries depths of 20ft <xr over, at the present time, whereas in 1914 only 64 per cent, of the channel reached this standard. This means that only 20 per cent, of the waterway requires deepening by an average or not more than 2ft before 90 per cent, of the/ . vessels trading to the •port could be accommodated at Dunedin. That such satisfactory progress should be .made during a period of national dlsorganisafcion augurs well for the fulfilment of the board's policy in .providing a water--way adequate to meet the ev er-ln creasing demands of a growing trade. INCREASED TRADE. "It will interest you, no doubt, toi know that, for the months ended May 31st, ye have put up a record for cargo handled at the port. The totals in and out for the period from January Ist to May 31 st are as foliow, going back 10 years r Tons. 1912 183,766 1913 185,790 1914 151,179 1915 193,203 1916 189,308 . 1917 165,089. - * 191 S 142,010 1919 137,232 ' 1920 151,580 IS2I 201,193 SAFETY OF THE HARBOUR“Another occurrence of importance during the month has been the berthing or the City of Winchester (a vessel of 8000 tons, length 458 ft) on a draught of 19ft 6m at the Birch street wharf, to load some 22,500 carcases .of frozen mutton, the first to be loaded direct from trucks at Dunedin, A difficulty in connection with frozen meat ships at Dunedin is the pollution of the cm-. cul%.ting water, but on this, the first occasion of such loading at the Birch street wharf, the official report in this respect is wholly satisfactory. Altogether, the development of the harbour has now reached a stage that, looked at from all points of view, cannot be regarded as otherwise than distinctly satisfactory. Hence Commodore Hotham’s reference (after navigating the harbour in H.M.S. Chatham), as to its safety is particularly inter- ( eating in that" it bears out similar ; statements made by masters of large oversea steamers trading to Otago harbour.” The reading of the report was received with expressions of satisfaction from members. i