WEST OR AST?

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14593, 1 May 1918, Page 9

WEST OR AST?

♦ — • WHAT BECOMES o\ThlK SILT? j Cuiis:derable divei'ssU of lopinioii centres around tho ! cjuStion us to the prevailing current injihe bay. The matter is one (jf lundajfental importance m -the problem of ha6or construction, and it would appear, I U 1 question that must Le definitely dttlcd before the ; M arbor Board cinbarlf upon any scheniiof I'arboi- building ijar or m conjuiitition with tlie presen^river. : An opinion on thj subject has been expressed by CaptaiitT. Franks, of the trawler Oo.sl'oid. <oniing as it does horn man of L'aptafi Franks' long and iiitimatii experience jn trawling o-pera-" tions m the bay afd along the coast, Uiis opinion is wor yy o%coiisideration b.y all Who tiro conci filed :<ni the difficult problem of liarbor tpcom?n|>dation. His .statement . is as folBw»:-T-V. i Re' Ctisborue harp 1 , and^ bay. — There is very little set iit|the baj, unless 'one or both rivers are m ilooc^ or there is a heavy wind and s^i on ir&tn the south jor east. When the/c is any set at all, iit is certainly westfto east. When Lhe dredge was at xvorkklredging and pumping the silt-laden 9vater back into tlio n\er, wlicixi .t .flowed out into the ba^ ol'i tidiesi I always met a well delined streaili ot • water running : out throftgh the deep" water anchorage. This Was noticeable m cairn weather, at timesffive miles out. Outside the bay (ad shown on attached plan) there is wjhat is known as the ! Kuin Bank. I have noticed on many occasions after a heavy flood m the Waimata river, that this bank shallows a great deal. What has brought it more to my notice than anything is, viz 1 ., when trawling about this spot- after a -flood -in the river, my trawl has got ' so stuck m the silt that I have been forced to lift it, it having been impossible to drag it through the silt, also when the tr.awl has been lifted, it > lias • always been smothered with silt; V I have also noticed after the, ! flood and the silt: has settled, 1 the wind-, Veering"-' round to N.W. or N., the deposited/ silt from this bank rises and travels ." south, and I have met a well^defined' stream of discolored water while trawl- ■ ing, at a distance of nine to 10 miles south of this bank. Having had ho many opportunities' to see this, 1 have taken particular notice of it, and I "may also remark that at no time have S: seen these -actions reversed; j My experience is decidedly this; — ' The silt travels south until it picks' vp ' the ocean current which carries it north.'! • When we have been trawling north of Tuahine Point, also after heavy/ freshes m the river, we have been 'forced to lift the trawl, as the boat could/ not tow the trawl through the silt; this, was m a depth of 25, to 30 fathoms. 1 In normal times these places are free f rpni ■silt* Also some time recently, 'while working off Tuahin<e Point about six miles N.E. (approximately) 'we picked up m the trawl a briquette which; had drifted there f rbm the wreck of " the Star of Canada, which lies ltot far (about' a quarter of a mile) froni the entrance to the river. This briquette can be., seen m the Gisborne BLai-bdr Boardl's' office at" present. I oould also giye you other numerous instances which have come to my notice, which distinctly shbw that the set is W. to E. These I have gleaned'- from just on '25 years, during most of the time I have been trawling the bay and coast adjoining. I can safely say I have trawled over nearly every foot of it many times. I also maintain if the river is ciit out on to tho Kaiti beach, tliere M r ill be Very little range, and no likelihood of a bar forming at the mouth of the cut, as it will be deep water. It would bo impossible for anything coming out -ol" the new cut to. gain entrance to the inner harbor by oomiug around the' breakwater. It is the natural course of t-li-r river, and ire will have no satisfaction here until it is so cut. By making this cut, a very suitable inner harblor can be easily constructed m the '"'Waikanae basin, and as every i harbor, engineer can see, it forms a good base for future extension, which is only/ limited, by the, ampunt v of capital at command. We will also have the shipping where it shpMjdi~Jie,.'yiis., handy to the t0W11... ,') '. .;, ,7, ; \ '^ '•'