THE HARBOUR BOARD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 6863, 14 February 1884, Page 3

THE HARBOUR BOARD.

The "following reports have been prepared for presentation at to-day's meeting :— harbourmaster's report. The Harbourmaster reports :— I hive the honour to fumieh for the information of tho Uatbsur Board the raontuly report as fo'lows: - On-the Bth ir.st. took soundings on the liar, and found the least depth at low wat=r in tho line of leading bcaconi to bo 17ft ; beacons elifhtly open to the westward, ISft; and 400 ft west of beacons, 18ft. The .above soumlingd are reduced to zero in tho tiiie-xaiiL-e lixed at thti i-amlspit. Tho lighthouse at Do* ling Bay had the founda-ion washed away du'inf; the last high tides, and I have sinco enu'td it to be placed on tougtr piles. The a.s. Plucky has had her bottom cleaned and painted, engine and boiler thoroughly overhiulid and repaired, and to-day haa taken"the place of tho p. 9. Koputai. The latter bi at will require to have her boiler ru-tubed at once, as the present tubes are very much crowded, sevoral of them having burst during the short time she has been running in the placo of tho Plucky. The Eio schooner, the master in charge "rounded on the eastern sido of the Victoria Channel, just below tho fourth pile from Dunodin, and lay for 2( lioum. Tho Kofutai failed to pet her off the iirst tide owing to the darkness of the night, but woe successful the following morning. The vessel sustained no injury. The (shipping returns for tho moulli of January aro: —Arrivals: Forcien vessels, cisrh*, of GOOH tons : iniorcolunial, nine, of 89GB tons ; coasting, 00, of 13.02S torn. Departures : Three foreign vessels, of 3500 tons; 11 intercolonial, of Iv.US tonal 55 oosistiag, of 15.0U1 tons. KXCI.VKKIi'S lIEI'OKX. The Engineer reports :—

I have tho honour to forward alouj; with this the report of tho Inspector of Works, ami tabulated statement showing tho work dono dm in;,- the month of J.vmiry. A very lartro portion of tho monlh Ins been occupied in an overhaul and repair of tho plant, which is now generally in EUch a atate of rejuir as will ena'jlo tho work to bo carried on with clisct and expedition. A very satisfactory (tain haa been achieved in both tho Vulcan and Now

Era droiiges by alterations which will allow (he former to dti'dro t) from 2ili to 23ft, nnd the latter to 21ft. Tho Vulcan, sinco t!.o completion of her over-ha-.il, has been working along Ulo George street Pier, Port Cha'.mors. Tho New Km hai heeu engaged in tho atea.rr.crV basin. The dredge 222 has been cmI loved on the bar v,hen the weather was favourable, and other timo3 at fort Chalmers. Only four days of January could be got on tho bar Tho rocky walling his Ken tnodo up and extended at both its southern and its r.orthorn extremity with rock derivul frcm L:«an Point quarry. It wdl bs advisable to continue

the Vulcan at Port Chainiere until about tho end cf thij month, to deepen alongside of both tho George strentand B-wcn Wharves. I would now submit the following re commendations to you: — Timber lining at tho b.v.-k of Kattray B'rect Wharf. —Ab has boon previously reported, tho rocky material at the luck of tho Kattray street Whir! at its outer extremity slip's down into the l:oitha alongside, and v thin a constant saurcs of aiiiiovanio asil cvcii ritV: to vessels which may be l.yii-.ir tho-e. To prevent this, I would recommend that tho luck portion, whern no short piling has been executed, should be lined with timber down to low-water level, at a cost ef about £-139. This should bo done by contract. Goarfor Drcdj;e222.—An examination cf the opavo pear on hand Icr drcd(.-e 222 jliow.h that there is enough of tho workin;' \mU, with tho exception of the- nuckot-hiicks already reported upon, ta roplacn any breakages likoly to occur wltn v tho next, 12 mpntrw - that la, that Ihoia parts will not bo vequired in wcrklns! position until that date, and others to replace them again will not lie required for some time after that. After fully considering tho circumilaccci cf the LiKktl-lm'ks along with Mc-eis Dnriins; and Wales, it wMi'tl appear tbat the best c-ju;io"'td nurane in Bocudntf new ones would be to Miamisiiow" lit L'adby to cMc aui tc«ft tcuders

for new castings In Biitnin of a, pattern slightly di(fevon', from tlio pro-:ent, ones, but fctill of a foim to anit the present fronts. Tho cost, o! tay 15, vould bo nhout iOOO landed hero. A complete bucket ohould bo sent Home at ciuo :w a p-ilterii I Carpenter for lir dgo Hi. 'I'hn present carpenter fit dn-dj-o 222 liiis uivmi no'mo lint lie ili*tros to Icuve tin: umjloy nt iliu end of ho pr: soul; month- I w.-u:d now ucoimi end l.lict Mr S ismor, uf I.it Oaiir.rn*, 1m nppniulcd to the position at tho present salary of jCU p-r month. YICTOKIA CHANNEL!.. The Engineer forwarded two sheets of drawings showing tho present condition of tho Aletoria Channel, and reported :—

Looked at in a ccr.onil manner tlio chances in the channel nro very hopeful, and on the whole are of a va'urc to give confidence in its futuro. There are two placed, however, where tho difficulties inherent to a iiewanddrcdij'id channel liavo not jot been wholly overcome, theso being between Duncdin and Ravensbourne, anil near IJurkcs. These, however are not of a serious mituio, though it will he noceEsary to w.ileh them carefully until the training-walls have boon so fi'.r constructed as to fully control tl'.e currcnt-i. In my report of 13th September last upon the capacities of the channel I pointed out that it was then cqi.ul to the pa«sago to Dunrdin of vessels chawing 10ft to 17ft Tliia baa been veiilied by tho ar iv.il nt Dunrdin wli.nf of the Te Anau, tlio Manspniui, the llunso, and the Jfataura drawing from 16ft to 17ft 2in. TUB WOKKS AT TIIU HEADS.

_ Tho following special report will also bo considered :—

\our (.•ommittec, in pursuance of a nsilution of the Heard pns«e I om. the 31s', ult., I'.nvi! tin- honour to roport that thr.y via ted the cite of the proposed wirks, acoompaned by Ilin lioa-d's engineer," mid examined tile quarried where the btono for the senwall is to bo procured, aiul the route over which the tramway i, proposed to he constructed to convey the material to the Works. Your Committee, after 1. That (ho Hoard's engineer ho in tmctcd f.o prepare plans and specilraions fur the tramway to submit to tho Hoard, and to make immediate pupiratiou f.,r p:oiceJiri(r with that work so soon as the Hoard shall sanction tho san*.

2. That so much of tha oi>"Jncorin" plant bolonainir to tho Uoard aa can bi made available, and, if ncccf-sn-y, tl-e locomotive cngino, with as many cf tho wagKOiw, rails, tltepera, Sii. as may ho required, ho exiled in from those on loin (uuleix other satisfactory anaiiKHiicnts can ba maile), an'1, if found insulliuiuut that tenders bo called for ailditiona! plant. 3. Th.it, tho whole of tho plant 1.0 couvojed by ono or other of t .c t.u-boits to tho rite e.f the worka.

i. You. Committee alsi recommend that a request bo nwJo to tho GoviTnmuit for prison labour to oxOeutK thld woik, and that co soon as the preliminary arr^lu'cmeilis can be male and the dates for commenelnir the woika fixed, tenders be called for tho execution of such pirts of the w>. rk as cannot conveniently be carried out by piison labour. 6.^ Your Coinmittoe further reemunei;d tbat tho < nginccr ho instriuted to call for separate tenders for the supply of timber and ironwork (so soon M the diawiiiKa have been approved) fur the first BoOft of staving.

Andrew Thomson*.' Kohert A. E. tuoiT.