DAMAGE TO MOLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25801, 23 March 1945, Page 4

DAMAGE TO MOLE

INSPECTION CARRIED OUT VISIT BY BOARD MEMBERS “ The stability of the entrance to the, port depends on tidal scour, which has been concentrated by the raising of the mole and thus made to do its work more effectively, with the result that to-day we have a safe and direct sailing course,” said Mr R. S. Thompson, chairman of the Otago Harbour Board, in a statement following a visit of inspection to the mole and Aramoana yesterday by members of the board. The party included the consulting engineer (Mr J. McG. Wilkie), the resident engineer (Mr A. C. Swanson), the secretary of the board (Mr J. Renton), and representatives of the Importers and Shippers’ Association. Mr Thompson added that the minimum depth at low water at the latest sounding was 34i feet, and an improvement was still being made. Under favourable conditions, overseas vessels up to a draft of 32 feet could now enter or leave the port. En route to the mole, the party visited the board’s quarry, at which a modern and up-to-date plant is in operation, including a crane capable of lifting stone up to a weight of 15 tons. Excellent results are being obtained, the average output being from 2000 to 3000 yards a month. Some 25,000 yards of stone was produced by the most recent blast in September, and the larger rock will be used on the outer end of the mole after repairs have been effected to the staging washed away by the recent exceptionally heavy seas. It was at the outer end that most of the damage occurred. Some 270 feet of the 4000 feet of staging was washed away. The mole is being ’ built _to approximately six feet above high water mark, and the staging is 12 feet above that* mark. It is constructed in bays, each 22 feet long, and 13 of these bays were carried away. Some of the lighter timber has been washed up on the beach, and it is hoped to salvage some of the beams on the Hayward Point side. An inspection showed that when the piles ■ were broken off by the pounding they had received, the staging and the rails they carried for the conveyance of rock on trucks were taken with them. The building of the present staging was commenced in 1926. Five feet lower than the original staging, it is a simpler and stronger structure, more capable of withstanding heavy _ seas, but it was emphasised by the chairman that with a structure built into the open sea it was inevitable thpt damage would sometimes be caused heavy storm. This was probably the worst damage that had been experienced since the mole was built, but even then, he added, it was relatively small.