THE RIVER ENTRANCE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11864, 31 May 1909, Page 5

THE RIVER ENTRANCE.

PROMPT ACTION CALLED FOR,

Some inipprtfl.rit^c<m^uinjica!"cions were made to the Harbor .Board .to-day concerning the ra*nge at.- the entrance 'to the river. . - The overseer (Mi; D: A. McLeod), m the course of his report, stated that it would be necessary to. provide 200 . feet fri shelter at' tlie end .of the breakwater to prevent damage by the range. By using rubble stone m, place of concrete for filling an iron hulk and* driving 'the balance of the turpentine piles, ten on either side, bound with tie rods, a. saving of £1500 oould be effected upon his estimate of May, 1906. ' Mir J. W. J. Preston, manager of the Oisborne blanch of the Union, S;S. Com. pany, wrote ■—'•River entrance: As notice of. motion has been given to deaf with this question on Monday next, 1 vyis-H ..to submit our views ,011 the subject. This is a matter that calls for serious consideration and prompt action, . m order that the possibility of any dims. trops catastrophe, may be obviated. 1 regret, to say that since the Board last met the weather experienced at the port lia.-i beep very bad .indeed, add as a result thb, condition of the river entrance has caused- much anxiety to those responsible for the navigation of such. The causes, both scientific and otherwise, for the effect produced at the mouth of the river are so obvious that it is unnecessary to. deal with them m j this letter. The matter that concerns us is the importance of the trouble being rectified at tlie earliest possible moment. You will readily appreciate our anxiety m this connection when, m addition to; 'a valuable passenger tender, we. • have j also a large number of lives under our care. The contemplation of these phases m the event of any mishap at the entrance during bad 'weather is sufficient warrant for urgent steps being taken to remove what is a 'veritable death trap.' Frequently tendering operations m the roadstead can be managed with eorapairative ease, whilst the negotiation of the ■.river mouth has been a menace and source, of anxiety as well as. serious delay. Our regular steamer Squall has also on many occasions been unable to enter or leave the port owing to the dangerous entrance, notwithstanding that sufficient wetter "jor her draught has actually been available. This,^ of course, has 'meant serious inconvenience to consignees aiid shippers, as well as additiona l- . expense [to the owners/ With reference to the i suggested remedies, I have discussed !' these witli Captain iHawkes, who has-, a' lengthy practical experience jn navigating the river and roadstead! in* all weathers. He strongly condemns the proposal with regard to wave-traps, as such would only be an* additional menace to vessel-, ,/, The negotiable , portion '. . of the river is none too wfi'deY and the serious range m southerly weather wolilc! probably; cause a vessel to become en-. j tangled, 'with disastrous results. The proposition of the harbormaster to place piles m rubble at the end of the breakwater -id vjewed by him f favorably, as such a w*ork is calculated to have a good effect. Tliese wou.lcf break up. the; -force of the sea, and as tlie piles are available, lying idle near the groyne, the cost would 'be comparatively small. In addition to these considerations, the time occupied m erection would not be long, which is a valuable desideratum. The chimerical suggestion 'pf yoiir labor' .overseer with regard, to extending the breakwater, m addition, to being a long and expensive undertaking, does not commend itself to those concerned- witli the navigation* of tlie river. As urgency is a vital consideration, it is sincerely hoped that wsomethinff dehnite and effective will be' don- immediately." Mr W. F. Ce-lerwall, manager of Gisborne Sheepfarmers* Frozen Meat Company, wrote stating that the range at the entrance to the river had given his company very much anxiety, and the experience of the summer's wm'king made it plain that unless some remedy was soon applied them would be a serious accident tq property and life. At their .request, their marine superintendent had given them a report, which was worthy of the Board's consideration.

Captain SewelPs report, which, was attached, stated that the extension of tlie groyne to the southward of the end of the breakwater liad formed a trap for ocean rollers, sweeping m towards the shore with increasing velocity ,- which were deflected transversely across to ttie' breakwater and btick, causing a turmoil and cross action that was absolutely dangerous to a vessel inward-bound, m tlie channel. An increased depth, m his, opinion, would npfc. minimise, but j athei* increase the danger, as there would be a greater body pf -water m motion. The blasting off of tive top of tlie groyne to low water would be highly dangerous. This Would mean a sunken danger and a menace to navigation, and would not reduce tlie range. Some months ago* the Tawera,. towing out tlie T'ui, met with a mishap, causing tier '<to stop and -bring up against the groyne. Had this not been above water, both vessels would have been cast on top ' of it and completely smashed. As to the best means of improving th© river entrance, Captain Sawell reconnmended the extension of tlie breakwater hy some means as the only remedy, m his opinion,. that would*,overcome .what was at present courting disaster. To da this effectively and cheaply, t-he Board should utilise the hardwood piles lying on the, groyne, driving ttvem v/L' lin© with the breakwater, every 6ft, with two rows on the seaward and river .aides. Two additional rows should also be driven to admit of solid bracing, and to prievent the rubble from escaping. ,- The centre, should be filled up with heavy rubble to the height of half flood, and the whole carried out toi or exceededl by 18ft pf tlie length of the preeent groyne. Suitable rubble Could be procured from Kaiti beach by Jlaunch anil surf boat. The principal of the theory... was. that of a sieve, and would stop lit least two-thirds : of the commo-tion-at the entrance at present existing, making the negotiation of the entrance ■comparatively safe _tnd .keeping .vessels under command. On no account must the commotion be stopped altogether, as it would v lead, to a recurrence of the bar formation; the slightest commotion peeping the sand at the entrance moving, and the ebb tide and natural current taking jt out clear of tlie river.