COLLAPSE OF WHARF.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume L, Issue 16606, 9 December 1924, Page 8

COLLAPSE OF WHARF.

IiEFFCTIVK IHl.'B

WAN I ni-' FORESIGHT, BUT NO NEGLIGENCE, ENGINEER'S RESIGNATION. ;Por Press Association.; AUCKLAND, las!, night. The Commission of Enquiry into the collapse of tin western whirl' on October 28 has come to the conclusion, in pori. which was submitted to a special meeting of Die Auckland Harbor Board, that, in view of all the circumstances, it is clear that tin designs and plates of (ho structure were neither' good nor a sufficient design, being defective in that it provided for structure and an arrangement of parts of such a nature thai the stresses were of a character which the wharf was unable to hear and faints must develop in it. The wharf collapsed on aeeoiini of (he rupture of some of the supporting piles at the hack under an outward lateral pressure due to a settlement and an outward movement in the mass of the rubble mound which surrounded the piles. In the opinion of the Commissioners, want of foresight was displayed in designing and carrying out the structure, which was unable to bear the inevitable stresses; otherwise no negligence had been shown by any officer or employee. H is recommended that the rubble retaining wall and mound on which it stands be removed as a proper mid only a. permanent effective remedy for the disintegrating influctnecs. Similar inlliieiiccs arc operating at Prince's wharf, Calliope dock wharf, and Freeman's Bay, and, although there does not appear to be immediate- danger of disruption at any one of these places, careful vigilance is urged as a cautionary measure.

The report id' the Commissioners was considered by Ihe Board 10-night. and tho Board resolved to accept the resignation of its engineer, .Mr. Hauler, and to grant him six months' leave. Worldwide applications for an engineer will be called. The Board also decided to authorise the works recommended by the Commissioners and to ask Messrs O. Mr. Foil and R. I''. Moore to ruporl on the restoration of the western wharf.

Tho Commissioners, in their report, state that the influences which caused the collapse may have been supplemented by some flow in the ground as suggested by Mr. Hamer or by a deposit of soft mud on the dredged benches supporting the rubble mound, as suggested by Mr. Holderness, but they were insufficient in themselves to account for all that has happened. "The fact that a large portion, if not the whole of the remaining work was found in a state of stress under the influence of forces to which a braced structure of this kind should never be subjected enables us to picture without difficulty what actually took place when the collapse occurred. The question may be raised as lo why the rest of the wharf, particularly the part of it, a few hundred feet inshore, which is now fully loaded with filling, did not also collapse, but (hero am reasons why lie portion of .it which did go should be the fust to go." As to tho question concerning the carrying out. of the work the answer of tho Commissioners is that all the evidence which e: mo before them, fortified by their own observations, indicated -that tho works were faithfully carried out. They note that Ihe pile-driving records accord with tiie borings, and indicate that every bearing pile was driven inlo solid bottom or rock. The appearance of the disintegrated structure, as shattered by the collapse, and the subsequent disruption by blasting, indicate that the coacrelr. was first-class, and that the reinforcement was placed as intended by the designer. The records of soundings after dredging indicate (hat Iha dredging of the bunches and the 33 feci trench along (he. front of the whan was carried out as closely in accord with the design as the limitation:-, of dredging will allow. "We regrel," slate tin Commissioners in concluding their report, "thai certain of our conclusions have been irresistibly forced upon us. and we would impress the Board when considering these findings to hear in mind thai no great migincei'l'iig works extending Us these have done over nearly a quarter of a century have ever been constructed without .something having been done which the passage of time has indicated should not have been done." The .haii man of the Harbor Board slated to-nighl thai during the after i oou the Commissioners attended a meeting of the Board and made several slate menls in regard to questions. Among them were the following: That the Marine Department should havci been more explicit in its objections to the plans of the western wharf, and that the disaster might have been averted had tho structure been watched and steps taken to relieve the pressure. In reply to a question, Mr. Hamer said bo had no statement to make in reply to the report, iff the. Commission.