HARBOR REPORT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 149, 8 May 1862, Page 4

HARBOR REPORT.

The following .official report has appeared in the Gazette :— Harbour Office, Port Chalmers, sth, April, 1862. Sir, —I have the honor to lay before you the following report relative to the requhements of the harbours, • rivers, and roadsteads in the Province of Otago. At Oamaru the moorings have not been completed for want of a proper iron buoy, which I have just iidw received from Melbourne. I will take the iirst opportunity to have it attached to the cable at pre- - gent Ivinff these, and as Onmaru is now a port of entry,"and is visited by vessels direct from (he neijrhIxiring colonies, I beg leave to suggest to your Honor that a Beach Master should be appointed, Who would also act as Piiot, and that a signal station should be established, of which he would have the charge

Moeraki. being the central ami the safest roadstead on our northern coast, and likely to become £!e port of the Manuherikihii and Shag Valley districts, I would humbly sugrest that a Jetty should be crested in the best boat harbor that would admit of the Geelong going alongside ; the destruction of property landing and shipping by boat is sp very considerable, that wherever it is practicable and there is traffic to warrant it which it does in this case), jetty accommodation should be afforded. At Waikouaiti the traffic is considerable and increasing ; having a river, it could be made available for small vessels, and possibly the Geelong, it instead of a jetty in the bay, which was at one time spoken of, the entrance of the river be narrowed by breakwaters ou either side, thereby throwing the whole force of tide into a narrow channel ol say (60) sixty feet, which would result in it being scoured to a depth that would admit of vessels drawing (0) six feet water, assuming that the rock on wlr.cn the present'bid of sand is deposited is not too near the surface. There »rr. several small rocks that he much in the wnvashort distance inside of theiiar ui\ at low water, that should be removed lor the safety of the small craft that at present enter the met, a small jetty in the river should also be erected to facilitate the landing- and shipping of cargo. . Coming to Otago Harbor, I earnestly trust t.iat your Honor will not allow another session of the Council to close without a sum bang placed on .the eVt mates for the erection of a proper, lighthouse on Sa'sHcad ; and that your Honor may be pleased to cause immediate steps to be taken for the works belli"' proceeded with. Seeing that the amount of shippin" now visiting our shores has greatly increased, further neglect in this matter would lay the Government open to severe censure, should some sad disaster occur during the night, which an efficient light would be the means ol avoidino- • and its the ocean and coasting steamers now enter the harbor during the night—there being great danger attending it, I would strongly recommend that (2) two small leading lights (same as the present lWit on the Heads would do) be erected on the inner Head, to mark the mid-channel course, the lights by night, and the buildings serving as beacons by day. Your Honor will at once'perceive that the necessity for all (3) three lights is urgent. ■ I would also humbly ask. permission from your Honor to establish small lights on Duncdin and 1 ort Chalmers jetties, and that your Honor may cause to be erected small houses at the end of the jetties for that purpose. Hitherto there has been a great risk, of one vessel running on the top ot otner vessels at anchor in Dunedin I3ay; masters have frequently complained to me of the danger, and the absence of any accommodation given to secure vessels against such risks ; and I have therefore placed the sum of £300 on the Estimates for mooring Dolphins, which I trust your Honor will be pleased to sanction; as also the appointment of a crew for the launch (for which purpose I have put down£2so) as the buoys and beacons require coustant looking after, and are at present neglected owing to pressure of other duties. I have also asked your Honor for the sum of £-100, to erect a larger class of buoys and'beacons, the present being only serviceable by day. I may mention to your Honor, that there is now a considerable amount of steam-boat traffic in this harbor during the night, thereby necessitating the_ aforementioned improvements fer their accommodation. •■ • At the Taieri River, the removal of the snags, and deepening of Ihe bar atr the Waihola Lake are being proceeded with, and as the settlers in that district would be much benefitted by steam communication, and that more particularly during, the winter months, when the roads are not likely to be so good as m summer, I wouldhumbly suggest that no tune should be lost in calling for tenders for the service on the river and lake. lam taking it for granted that the Go- j vernment has so far considered this matter as to sanction the payment of a subsidy for the said service, and I would, therefore, humbly-suggest that your Honor should cause to be placed on the Estimates, for tno above purpose, the sum of £500 for one year, as m my opinion no steamboat owner would undertake the service (there being an uncertainty of its being remunerative), without being secured against loss, and the above amount would meet the expenditure ot a steamer suitable for the work. At the Clutha Biver, in order to connect the various stations, and the large extent of valuable country that will be taken up.in this district, with the Port of Molyneux, it is necessary to establish steam communication. I- have reason to believe that it will be a much more remunerative service to the owners of a steamer than that "on th* Taieri Eiver, but it will require a more powerful boat, and consequently a heavier expenditure. I would therefore suggest that your Honor, to be prepared to meet Mr. E. Grant s, or any one else's offer, to place a suitable steamer on this river' and to fulfil terms that.would be required of them, should caiise £500 to he placed on the Estimates for that service. . ~.'■,, The fresh of last summer in the river would m all probability bring down several snags, and it will therefore be necessary that the sum of £300 should be provided for the removal of them. Owing to their sluft r iv" nature, it would be desirable that tbe~steam-boat contracting party should be paid for the removalof such, obstructions as they came in the way, first giving notice, that permission may be granted. I-have no request to make or improvement to suggest for'Catlin's and Waikawa rivers, nature having done so much to render the navigation comparatively safe, and the trade at present to these harborr not being sufficient to warrant any expenditure. Trusting that the suggestions offered and the requests made -will meet your Honor's views. I have, &c, • Wm. Thomson, * Harbor Master. To his Honor the Superintendent, Otago.