HARBOR WORKS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16376, 25 June 1927, Page 6

HARBOR WORKS

REDUCED ACTIVITY BREAKWATER EXTENSION HALTED Though the dredging at the corner of the diversion cut adjacent to the Harbor offices is continuing steadily, there is a general lack of activity ashore in connection with the harbor works, and to those who have kept in eloso touch with the work this quietness makes itself very apparent. The breakwater extension work, which was inaugurated some weeks ago with the sinking of the caisson, has been halted, and about the blockyard and construction yards, hitherto so busy, an air of lassitude hangs. Further round towards the Wainui road, the excavation for the new Ivaiti esplanade between the Gladstone road bridge and the freezing works has been completed, and here, too, the scene presents a strong contrast from that of a week or two ago. The operations of the Koiuw, continue to attract much attention, and admiring comment is daily made upon the, dispatch with which the hopper barges are swung alongside, filled, and 1 replaced by others. The dredge has been working in silt for some clays, and hnndles this material without any difficulty whatever, though the work is not so spectacular .as when the buckets were forcing their way through the, papa bed. Apparently the Konui's flotation was interfered with by the deposits of silt made during the recent flood, for she is now eating her way into the old face by a, flank attack from the old river channel. The, silt, which has reduced Hie depth of the •diversion, lower down, to a few inches, is not regarded seriously, as there is little doubt that when the stream is turned through the cut, these deposits will be carried out to sea by the first fresh. If lias been re* cognised that, the depth of the out will be governed by the volume of water it lias to carry, and the object of the dredging to date has been to remove the .solid papa, resistance to the scouring action of the stream during flood seasons. This work is being continued at the bend of the diversion, where a considerable amount of pug, or stiff clay, must ho lifted.

EXTENDING THE BERTHAGE. The berthage on the Kaiti .side is being extended by minor dredging operations, now being carried on by tlio punt find) dredge. The manoeuvring of tile old hopper punts in the confined space cans for u considerable, degree of care, more especially when the berthago is taken up by the John Townley and other vessels of the board. The dredge John Townley is for the nonce without an occupation, since her Fruehling equipment renders her unsuitable for much besides the clearing of the channel, which at present is deeper than usual as a result of the scouring done by the flood. The Ngahau is engaged in conveying broken papa from the scene of the blasting at the papa, bed near the blockyard, to the curve of the diversion wall in the upper end of the basin, where the rock is being dumped to strengthen the wall against possible future erosion. Some curiosity had been expressed by interested ratepayers as to how the papa was to be used, for a considerable amount of the rock was to be seen recently loaded into skips lying in the stream. NEW KAiTI ROAD.

The work on the new road which is to replace the lvaiti esplanade between Wainuii road and the freezing works is well in hand, and the formation appears to have been completed. For the purposes of this road, it was necessary to make a new crossing of the creek which discharges into the Turanganui adjacent to the construction yard, and this lias been effected by the laying of a triple culvert of pipes sufficiently large, it is calculated, to carry off the drainage from the area affected by the creek, even in the wettest weather. The new load departs from the line of the old esplanade at Waintii road, and runs in a semi-circle beneath the high ground on which formerly stood a famous Maori meeting-house, now removed owing to the exigencies of the harbor requirements. The alteration in the line of the road was necessitated by the proposal to dredge out the Kaiti basin, and to build wharves on the sites of the present road. A considerable expense has been entailed in the purchase of ground for the new road, and for various other purposes in that vicinity, while the level of the new road itself has been the subject of much controversy, now happily settled, between the Harbor Board and Borough Council, and Ihe owners of properties affected by the change. It is evident that there is much work to be done before the road can be put into aise, but the preliminaries have been completed, and the earthwork is now being allowed to settle,