FERRY STEAMER BERTHS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 698, 6 May 1916, Page 12

FERRY STEAMER BERTHS.

HARBOUR BOARD'S DECISION. At its meeting on Wednesday tlie Lyt telt.on Harbour Board carried a resolution that the Union Company be ordered to berth their ferry steamers at the Gladstone Pier, and that the Kailway Department Ke asked to co-operate in a trial. This resolution has occasioned considerable interest amongst those engaged in the ferry service. The matter of the No. 2 jetty as a permanent berth for the ferry steamer is one that lias been under discussion for the jiast two or three years, and has been dealt with in several of the annual reports submitted by Mr Cyrus Williams, the Harbour Board's engineer. In these reports the desirability of using the Gladstone Pier in substitution for the present berth at No. 2 jetty lias been discussed, and on each occasion Hie en gilieer has given it as his opinion that it will be best, to adhere to the present berth, because it seems to have been pretty well decided that the difficulties and delays of berthing steamers at the outer arm of the Gladstone Bier would more than counterbalance the other advantages, in order to overcome the congestion now existing, the engineer recommended to the board, in a report submitted on May 28, 1915, that improvements be made to No. 2 jetty in the direction of increasing the width bv 26ft and the length by 200 ft, thus giving a total width of 106 ft and a total length of 820t't. This would enable the berthing of a vessel on the other side of the jetty, 650 ft long, or 15ft longer than the Corinthic. It would also permit the train to be run right on to the wharf. The estimated cost was £9OOO. This reeommendatiou was referred to the Harbour Improvements Committee, but was not given effect to, and, as indicated, Dr Thacker, who has all along been active in support of the Gladstone Bier proposition, has succeeded in inducing the board to adopt it. A well-known master mariner, who knows the ferry service well, Hummed up the objections to the charge as follows: — ARRIVING. 1. No steamer (excepting very small vessels or steam launches) can steam straight alongside the Gladstone Bier, either "bow or stern in," as the ferry steamers have done and are doing now alongside No. 2 wharf. The reason is that coming in from the outer harbour the turning circle is too small, or, to

put it in shore language, the angle is too sharp. 2. Consequently, the iuconiiiig ferry steamer would always have to be attended with a tug or a steam launch, either to pluck her bow round or to run her mooring lines to her berth. ;;. Even in the calmest of weather the vessel would have to be hove into her berth by her winches. Under such favourable conditions, I estimate it would take from 10 to 15 minutes longer to berth the vessel than it does at present. Hence the necessity for shortening the passage that time and arriving at least 20 minutes earlier than at x>rescnt. i. With moderately strong winds (especially southerly, south-west, ami westerly winds) the loss of time would be much more, so much so that connection with the first express would frequently be lost through the time taken to berth the steamer. 5. In bad weather (gales of wind) the berthing would take so long as to be impracticable for ferry steamer purposes. In heavy south or south-west gales I should quite estimate an hour as the time of berthing. DEPAETIXG. 1. In the finest of weather the departure could not be so prompt as it is now, by many minutes. The vessel

would have to spend some time manoeuvring in the inner harbour, heave herself round (or half round) the end of (Hailstone I'ier, or have the assistance of a tug. -. In northerly and north-west winds the vessel (in her berth) would he lying on a dead lee shore, and would have to lie towed off as the wool ships were years ago. :'.. In strong east winds, though the vessel would blow out of her berth, it would be dangerous to attempt to steam round the end of the Gladstone Pier without lines or a tug. 4. In conclusion I may say that the sharp, clear "get-away," which has been so beneficial for so many years, would be lost for ever. In a general way, I may remark that for ferry steamer purposes, the idea of berthing at the Gladstone I'ier is contrary to the general design and arrangements of the breakwaters, wharves, approaches, and exits of the inner and outer harbour. It is at variance with the prevailing winds and weather, and makes everything-most awkward, and, under some circumstances, dangerous for the ferry steamers, besides involving considerable loss of time in almost every ease.