South Canterbury Times. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1898.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 9203, 14 November 1898, Page 2

South Canterbury Times. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1898.

Most townspeople are anxious now to know what is the state of the harbour entrance. Appearances went tojprove that the shingle had reached the end of the breakwater yesterday afternoon, and as the storm has continued since then, it is impossible that the shingle can have gone no further, A considerable quantity must have gone past the end, and the important question is, what has become of it. Has it “gone past” the entrance ? has it spread out in a shallow shoal? or has it formed a narrow shoal, that may grow into a high bank ? If we are right in supposing that the beach had reached the end yesterday, and that more shingle has gone over it to and past the end of the breakwater, this is the first occasion on which the safe drift theory has been put to any test. It would, in our opinion, be absurd to say that we hope it has gone past all right, —as afesurd as to let a stone go from the hand with a hope that it would not fall t

A emBAT deal depends on the answers to those questions. For if the shingle drifts safely away when it gets past the end of the breakwater, there is no sense

in letting big heaps of it wash over to be dredged away. It it does not drift away from the entrance, then there is no sense in letting any of it go there, to form at least a temporary obstruction, and be more difficult to remove than if it were allowed to come over at the bend. The present arrangement is neither one thing nor the other. Some is allowed to come over as if the Board had no faith in the drift theory ; and some is allowed to go on as if they had full faith in it. The Board, however, are only following their professional adviser in blowing hot and cold in thi* way. He told them distinctly when here that the shingle would drift past, but. latterly he has advised them to let the shingle come over; - without, however, candidly withdrawing hia former opinion.

Thbue is another point to whk*h attention should be drawn, and that is the great clanger to tlie stability of the top of the breakwater if the present state of things is allowed to continue. The waves which formerly rolled harmlessly against the monoliths of the ouler arm and simply rolled over it or rolled ta k, now dash against it with explosive force* and their bases are charged with shingle which will quickly bore boles in which the explosive force can operate with disastrous results, .i! ready tome damage has been made ala weak spot, and the wear and tear of the shingle will make still weaker spots. We should not be much surprised, if the cost of maintaining the outer arm under present eo;.ditions came to as much as would shift all the shingle from a point that would leave the outer arm in its fortn- r safe condition.