PORT CHALMERS NEWS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21266, 21 February 1931, Page 22

PORT CHALMERS NEWS.

BUILDING UP THE MOLE. WORK PROGRESSING SATISFACTORILY. A visit to the Spit discloses the fact that it is a busy place. Extensive construction work is being carried out, the operations being confined to the removal of stone from the Harbour Board’s new quarry and building up the mole at the entrance to the harbour. The work is being carried out by the Harbour Board, and about 23 men are employed. The face of the clilf where the last big blast was made has been exposed for a considerable distance. The shot resulted in a fine face of hard stone being exposed. A steam shovel is employed in lifting the stone on to the trucks. When a rake of trucks is filled the steam locomotive removes it to the mole, where the rock is dumped and then built up to strengthen the breakwater. It is a big undertaking, and some thousands of tons of rock have already been removed from the present quarry and also from two other quarries near the Spit. All the available stone has been removed from the face Of the high cliffs at the old quarries, and small hills of loose earth and debris mark the place of past activities. Several large pieces of rock of a very hard nature appear on the face of the.cliff at the new quarry. These were loosened by the last explosion, and some weigh from 25 to 40 tons. Preparations were made on Monday to break one or two of the large rocks up, and on Tuesday morning one explosion was fired. The rock, weighing fully 30 tons, was broken into several pieces, and these were then lifted by the steam shovel and later placed in position at the mole. In order to provide a breakwater that will withstand the force of a heavy sea, it is necessary to build the mole with heavy blocks of the best rock obtainable.

None of the stone deposited on the original mole weighed 10 tons, and as the present plant is capable of lifting stone weighing as much as 12 tons, it was anticipated that the lifting gear would be sufficient to cope with rock of a reasonable size and weight. In the new quarry, however, stone weighing from 15 to 20 tons is in evidence. To obviate blasting these into smaller blocks, more powerful cranes will have to be brought into operation, and it is understood that the Harbour Board intends to purchase a crane capable of lifting stone weighing 20 tons, and also two larger trucks. The trucks at present in use are somewhat on the small side, and are inclined to be top-heavy when carrying a particularly large piece of rock. Mr Lomas said that the men had maintained a good output since the quarry was opened, the average being 1000 ft a week. He had some of the best men on the undertaking who had ever worked under him. They were steady, honest workers, and could always be relied upon to do a good day’s work. When the men reached a solid stone face on the cliffs sufficient stone would be brought down to keep the locomotive, cranes, and trucks fully employed for about six months. When a shot was fired on a low face of the cliff it only loosened a small quantity of stone, and this was quickly disposed of. Sixteen tunnel shots had been fired in the three quarries since Mr Lomas was appointed to the position of overseer on November 19, 1927. The first shot fired under bis direction in the old quarry consisted of five tons of explosives. The firing of this brought down 70,000 yards of rock and debris. Between two and two and a-half tons of explosives were used when some of the other shots were fired.

The new quarry was opened on October 5, 1930, when a start was made to remove the stone. The quarry has been operating for over 12 weeks, and during that period more than 4060 yards of stone have been removed to strengthen the mole. The weekly output was as follows:—First week, 310 yards; second, 420 yards; third, 260 yards; fourth, 250 yards; fifth, 140 yards; sixth, 220 yards; seventh, 440 yards; eighth, 330 yards; ninth, 400 yards: tenth, 80 yards; eleventh, 415 yards; and twelfth, 795 yards.

A visit was later paid to the Spit. This place is well populated in the morning and evening, as most of the men employed at the quarry and on the Mole reside there. Substantial quarters have been provided by the Harbour Board. The buildings are constructed in the form of a compound* and are complete in every detail. There is a very comfortable dining room which can accommodate about 40 men, and a well-kept kitchen is in charge of a permanent cook. A constant supply of fresh water, piped from a small reservoir on the hills, enable the-men to wash themselves and their clothes at all hours. Wash basins are provided in the eastern corner >-of the building, and there is a drying room nearby. The building, which has the appearance of a military barracks, was constructed from timber and other material secured by the Harbour Board after the Exhibition buildings at Logan Park had been demolished. The work at the quarry is under the charge of Mr 6. Lomas, who has had considerable experience in such work. Horses and drays are employed to remove loose earth and debris which the steam shovel lifts before depositing the blocks of rock in the trucks. In another part of the quarry a steam crane is employed lifting trays filled with smaller rocks to the trucks. The steam shovel and crane are of the caterpillar design, and can be removed by their own power to any part of the quarry. The full length of the mole is 4080 feet. It is divided into bays, there being a span of 24 feet uetweeu each set of piles. . The face of the old quarry is 800 feet high, while the present face at the new quarry is only 70 feet high, but this height will be gradually increased as the stone is removed. When dia top of the cliffs is reached the face will be about 150 feet high. , It speaks well for the supervision ot the quarry work that no accidents have occurred, beyond one or two men receiving ’ cut and bruised fingers. Mr G. Lomas’s experience in harbour construction work extends over a period of 21 years. During that time he has had charge of some extensive works. He was stationed at Lyttelton for 10 years, and supervised the construction of a rock wall in the inner harbour. He then went to New Plymouth to take charge of the extension ot the breakwater work at that port. Five years were spent at New Plymouth, and after the completion ot the work Mr Lomas went to Gisborne, where he supervised the harbour improvement work, which extended over a period of three years. All these big harbour works were carried out v ithout any man receiving serious injury. When working certain quarries the men had to deal with broken rock, whicn was full of fissures, and, consequently, the work was, somewhat dangerous. There had been heavy falls of rock and earth from die face of the cliffs at times, but most ot these falls had occurred during the night, and lives were not endangered. THE GASWORKS PLANT. Owing to a breakdown in the boosting plant at the Port Chalmers gasworks yesterday housewives wove inconvenienced until the machine was temporarily repaired and the usual gas pressure restored in the afternoon A recentlyinstalled bed of retorts commenced supplying the gasometer y-sterday. THE WATERFRONT. A busy week on tin; waterfront at Port Chalmers was concluded last night Of the three oversea steamers i port yesterday, two sailed foi northern ports, and last night the Surreys loading was also finished. This morning sM will sail for Bluff.