TROUBLE AHEAD.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17088, 17 July 1926, Page 5

TROUBLE AHEAD.

LYTTELTON HARBOR

WORKS

PULL SHELTER NOT GIVEN

(Spocinl u> bh«> Herald. \ CHRISTCHUROH, this dhy

The creation of the reclamation reserve against the south-west mole in Lyttelton has had the effect of increasing the range, or swell, of the sea in. the inner harbor, which now is much less safe than it was in times of heavy north-east weather. Such is the opinion of authorities at the port, who discussed the subject with a Sun representative. That' full shelter is not given in the harbor is borne out by experiences this week, when, because of the swell, a mooring rope of the Maori parted. On Tuesday night mooring ropes parted from several coal hulks, trouble being experienced in preventing the Darra from getting adrift. Moreover, the Ccdarbank, because of the swell yesterday, was unable to discharge Iho bulk of her phosphates. The situation, as siated by a sea captain, and supported by other men, is that the range of the sea hits the reclamation area and rebounds through the moles into the inner harbor. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS. A further criticism concerning the position of the reclamation area is that it has been ill-designed from the point o,f Extending the harbor. At present there is difficulty in getting to No. 7 wharf because of the restricted swinging space. Tn fact, the operation for large liners was described as extremely hazardous. To prejLde greater shipping space, and greater Weonimodation to meet the growing needs of the port, some form of drastic rearrangement of the breakwaters is considered necessary, quite apart from the need to make the harbor safer at times of a north-east, swell. 1 There was no doubt, it was also stated, that any eastern'breakwater for Lyttelton harbor should overlap the western, or rather be farther out, so r\s to carry the swell up the harbor. There, is no danger from a south-west swell. When this opinion was referred to Mr. Cyrus Williams, secretary and engineer to the Lyttelton Harbor Board, lie s.iid he had nothing to say on the subject.