PROPOSED TUG-DREDGE

Taranaki Daily News, 18 May 1928, Page 10

PROPOSED TUG-DREDGE

REPORT BY HARBOURMASTER. HOPPER DREDGE AND BARGE. At the request of the board, the harbourmaster submitted, at the meeting of the board held on April 30, the fol-, lowing report on the proposed tugdredge. The matter was referred to Mr. Cruickshank in his report and had been before the board on several previous occasions: “In spite of the fact that liners have been berthed for over 11 years without a tug, and the conditions witli regard to shelter and turning basin are better today for manoeuvring, I still think that a hopper dredge with barge in attendance would be of the greatest service to the port. This combination without the’necessity of being'©quipped for long distance towing, would meet tlie immediate necessity for deepening the har-

bour. The crew of the tug would con sist of one active master, a boatswain two deck hands and on» crane drive: also one engineer and two fireman, wit two hands to work tlia hopper barge. At a previous meeting of the board Captain Waller had reported more fully on the same question, and he enclose: this report with the later one, wit l the explanation that his views wer< still the same. The first report wm a follows:—■

“Having been instructed to report or a proposed tug boat to assist in berth ing the larger steamships visiting tint port, I beg to submit tlie following sug gestions:—

“A tug-boat would be of great assist ance and add to the safety of large steamships whilst being berthed during strong winds, which arc frequent at tbii port. 1 do not think at the present line that the bulk of shipping visiting this port is sufficient, to warrant a tug boat to be used exclusively for towing purposes. Although every boat would use the tug the working expenses o! same would not be covered by tug-boat fees, owing to the fact that she would require a permanent crew. In my opin ion a combined twin-screw grab and suction dredger and tug-boat, could be constructed which would be of the great est service during our present port de velopment. When not engaged towing she could work in conjunction with the Paritutu widening and deepening the turning basin and fairway, reducing the sandbank inside the breakwater, and cleaning out alongside the wharves, where the Paritutu could not work. She could work ahead of the Paritutu, and after a liberal use of explosives the boulders and disrupted rock could be picked up*by the grab, leaving the Pari tutu free to go on with the bucket dredging, ensuring much more expedi - tious work than at present obtaining. • “Difficulty is experienced with suction dredging in the fairway during maintenance work owing to the compactness of the sand and mud forming the hai bour bed, much of which could be re moved by the grab. It may reasonably be expected that still larger boats will visit the port, and with that end in view I would urge upon the board the necessity of maintaining the reputation of the port as the only barless harbour on the west coast of the North Island. The harbour is one of Taranaki's great est assets.”