Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, SATURDAY, FEB. 7, 1914. THE PORT OF LONDON.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13299, 7 February 1914, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, SATURDAY, FEB. 7, 1914. THE PORT OF LONDON.

The visit of Mr J. R. Estill lias given interest to the subject of London dock facilities, and many people who watch the huge ocean liners loading m the roadstead will from now follow with closer knowledge any information that is given as to the conditions under which thoso steamers berth m the Thames and deliver the merchandise winch they have received at New Zealand ports. It is appropriate, therefore, and perhaps will not be found uninteresting, if we give some outline of what .the improvements now being effected by the Port of London Authority really are.. Mr Estill liaS told us that the Authority is spending five million pounds, and details of that expenditure are supplied m the Times Engineering Supplement' of December 26, which has: just reached us by mail. The Times . -shows lhat the problem which the Authority has had to face is, one vastly greater than the mere' making of provision for New • Zealand produce). "In the&ew yeai^ wliich have elapsed since the Port>'6f London 'Xet became effective," "states &at paper, "and -sinee jthe,,Port of.. London Authority took up'tlie task; of a'dministerfng the docks* thevwork comprised*? under the headings of -improved accommodation, new -of/ .docks, "qttays, and wharves, and tbe cjstablishmehi^oi offices has assumed 'such magnitude and variety that its progress has' become aa attractive and enlightening study to all who are concerned* m the maintenance of London as the chief port of the Empire. Within that short period . engineers responsible for the design of docks and for the improvement of waterways have been obliged to take into account not merely the increase m annual gross tonnage into and out of the Port, but the growth m the size of ships, and the consequent demand for increased depths, longer quays, and ' greater spans'. The question before them ia rendered more complex by the circumstance that while provision has to be made for a sufficient number of theso largo vessels, there is little evidence of a falling off m the number of trading ships of small and moderate size. Thero is, m fact, still work for docks of modest dimensions, and while it would bo unjustifiable to embark upon a dock policy based upon tho supposition of all-big ships, adequate provision for them is essential to the life and growth pf the Port. 6n the other hand, although trading vessels of small and moderate size continue to be a featuro.of the Port of London, there is nothing small or moderate m the demands of their- owners and captains for improved methods of handling, storing, and transport of goods to and from the ship's , sides. It is m this matter that London is determined to excel, -and the article which follows indicates the scope of some of the preparations which thy Port of London Authority are making to secure loading and discharging facilities for the general trade of the docks." The articlo following gives m sequence the expenditure on the various docks. At London dock, built a century ago, with a Water area of 35£ acres and' largely useoTby the coasting 'and continental trade, an important scheme of widening and deepening the entrance to 27ft. 6in. is -being carried out, m 'addition to which a two-storeyed jetty, 783 ft. long by 192 ft. m width is being constructed, connected by bridges to Warehouses .behind. At the East and India docks a- great amount of quay extension is being done and there are being built five new two-storey storage sheds, the largest 826 ft. x 65ft., -whilst . the entrance to the East India' dock is being widened to 80ft. and deepened to 31ft. below high * water, and "a number of ■ transit sheds • erected. The completion of this work will, owing to the expellent road communication 'with the City, form a valuable addition to the resources of the Port Authority. Additions are also being made ; to jtlie handling and equipment at both the West and East Indyi docks. At Milwall docks the enlargement of the graving dock to a length^of 558 ft. has been completed and -equipment provided by which grain can be discharged from ships • into a central granary at the rate of 300 tons an hour. Tlie Surrey Docks, used by tho large Ounard liners, include tho latest dock constructed at the Port, the Greenland, a title reminiscent of the uso of tho dock for whaling vessels m past years. New sheds and cranes have' been provided, and .the docks are capable of res«mng the largest vessels which havo ever wanted to come up to this part of the port, and there is ample area for future developments. The most important part of tho improvement scheme is the new deep-water dock, wliich is being constructed to tho "south of the existing Albert Dock. This work will greatly improve the Victoria and Albert system, which was, even without tho addition of th'o now dock, the largest under the control of tho Port Authority, receiving nearly half the total tonnage of vessels using the London docks. It is the lreart of 'the dock system. The total fyfrter area/ of the existing docks is 184 acres, and the new dock will havo a water area of 64 acres and a depth of 35ft., provision being made for an ultimate depth of 38ft. Access will bo furnished by an entrance" lock 800 ft. m length and 100 ft. m width, dimensions which, together with a depth of 45ft. of water on tho outer sill, wiJJ.I make tho necessary provision for the 'increase m the size and draught qf vessels coming up the Thames. The neir dock will be. linked up with the Albert Dock itself 'by a passage 100 ft. witte spanned by 'a large steel swing bridg*Bt The plans also provide for a new dry^dock 650 ft. m, length, to bo ultimately -extended to 80#ft. with a width of 100 ft., and a start has also been made witp.-'this part of iho' contract: Pending" the construction of this new graving dock the existing ty-estesa dry dock is being extended £o 'a length of 575 ft. and a width of- 80ft, compared •with the old dimensions of 408 ft. and ! 64ft. The new caisson is nearly completed, and the enlarged dock is expected to bo ready for service at the beginning of 1914. At the' same time tho wholo question of crane equipment thrpughout the Albert Dock system has received • consideration. It has been de-

cided m place of the 31 hydraulic cranes which now serve the north 'side of the existing Alberl? Dock and Basin to install 43 electric cranes capable of lifting 30cwt. at ordinary speeds, and three tons with a slower movement through gearing. The laying of the new crane track and foundations and additional electric mains is now m progress. The hydraulic cranes, which havo still many years of life m them, will be transferred to the upper docks. The new electricallydriven pumping plant for permanently increasing the depth of water, m the Victoria and Albert system, one of the largest of its type m the world, has now been m operation for some months. The pumping installation is designed to maintain the level of the water m the new dock and the. Albert and Victoria Docks at a height of 2ft. 6in. above Trinity high water, when there will be a depth of 35ft m the new dock, 29ft. 6in m the Albert Dock, and 28ft:in the Victoria Dock. In connection with, this important dock extension it has been necessary to demolish a good deal of house property, and m view of this fact a comprehensive rehousing scheme is now receiving consideration. At Tilbury £350,000 is being spent m additional dock accommodation. To us at Gisborne, where we have been steadily pegging away, oh a small scale, at improvements m». harbor accommodation, there is special interest m learning^ Jjfhat has been done by means of dredging of the river Thames. In addition to the provision of new dock accommodation the Port Authority has undertaken a very important programme of dredging. Tho scheme, -which ia now m process of execution, provides for a channel 450 ft. wide and 14ft. deep >at low water between London Bridge* and Tower Bridge; for a 500 ft. channel and 14ft. of water between Tower/Bridge and Thames Tunnel; for a SOCtft.^chairael and 16ft. of water between Thainfß Tunnel and Greenland Dock; 'for a channel 600 ft. wide and 20ft. deep between Greenland Dock and Royal Albert Dock ; for a 600 ft. channel and 30ft. of water thence to Crayfordness ; and between Crayfordness and the Nbro for a channel 1000 ft. wide and 30ft. deep' The fleet engaged m this work includes the large, suction dredger Lord"Desborough, of 3500 tons capacity ; four new modern bucket ,d/edgers, tlie ijargest of which are capable qf raising 765 cubic yards of material an hour from a. depth of 55ft; ; two older bucket dredges taken over • from the Thames • Coh'servahcy, and 21 steam hoppers ranging m capacity up to 1000 cubic yards. Active progress is being made with the dredging operations. No fewer than 4,000,000 cubic yards of material were Temoved during tho year ended September 30 last, and the cliannel between Gravesend and the sea is practically completed. The dredged material is conveyed by hoppers and deposited m Black Deep. An important development is the erection, now nearly completed, at Charterhouse street, Smithfield, of cold storage for a further 80,000 carcases of mutton, which will enable the Port Authority m future to house for the convenience of the trade a total of I*^,ooo carcases m the neighborhood 'of the Snoithneld Market. The new store will be fitted with seven electric lifts and two electrically operated conveyers, the latter haying a capacity of 650 carcases an hour. Like the existing depot^tbe new building will, be open practically'' 1 day and night/ An important addition now i»i course of construction at the Royal Albert Dock includes a new cold store for 250,000 carcases, and m addition a cold sorting shed 1100 ft. long by 120 ft. -« ide, fitted with the latest type Qi labor-saving plant. The total accommodation for frozen meat at the London Docks within the next j>wo years will be increased to a total of 1,350,000 carcases. Tbe present arrangements for the discharge, of bulk grain cargoes have also been recently improved. The need for additional facilities is indicated by the increase m grain imports during the last ten years from 1,500,000 tons to nearjy 2,000,000 tons. The existing plant comprises seven pneumatic and 12 bucket elevators, having capacities Tanging from 45 to 90 tons per hour. Two additional pneumatic elevators of a capacity of 100 tons an hour have how been ordered, and the design adopted provides for the- adaptation of the suction pipe to ships of any size. Fpom the above particulars it will be seen that the Port of London Authority, after all, is not so very slow. ■-.-■■•