THE SHINGLE QUESTION.

Timaru Herald, Volume LII, Issue 5170, 17 June 1891, Page 4

THE SHINGLE QUESTION.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE TIMARD HERALD Sib, —A widespread uneasy feeling is creep ing over the minds of many of tho ratepayer for the past few days regarding the action likel; to bo taken by tho board at next their meet ing. Rumour hath it that, led astray by thi apparent apathy of both town and countr; people on the one hand, and tho " bogie " o the farms on Seadown being washed away oi the other, the members may drift into com mitting the ratepayers to tho purohaee bd< maintenance of a costly white elephant. I therefore behoves the community to carefull; rand impartially scrutinize the deliberations o their representatives at their next meeting With your permission I beg respeotfully ti enter. my publio protest against the boar< taking any action m that dirootion until thi sanotion of the ratepayers has first beei obtained. In writing to tho Press I nn essentially minding my own business. Ou leading citizens, oapit alieta and landowners, wil doubtless givn duo consideration to the iv creased taxation aspect involved m the romop ing of tho shingle as recommended b; Messrs O'Connor and Goodall. I shall meau while draw your readers' attention to th report as it affects the harbour, of whioh . pretend to have some little knowledge. N< offence is meant when I say that the myßti letters M.1.C.8. do not create any awowilhii me —being a slow-thinking mortal the eyi travels faster than the mind, and I am apt t< take these initials m their collective sense. Th salient points m Mr O'Connor's report m hi own words are, "Am dearly of opinion tha the shingla will overlap the works m a shor time— the toe of the shingle epit is 530 fee from end cf otraight-out, rate of encroach ment 125 feet per year, or say 4i years ti reach the end of straight ivt." But he addß "The vch'me of retardi'g • fluence due t. tho buskc.'-li from thp bree; w.ter, is con tinually getting less and Jms, anil the triingl of gathering ground m*v quite possibly be come more a:ute, leading lo the formation o a narrow epib -which wok d travel atonj <h< breakwater with great ropidity." Mr Good'il " does not think there is imminent danger ti the works as regards the shingle overiappiD; for Borne years to come, but that there is i probability of danger at some future time.' However when you pan out his figures thi result is that " the shingle will reach tho enc of the straight-out m 5 years and 8 months.' But he adds "the rate of progress of the sbingli along the breakwater yearly may soon b< changed for the better; for natbeshingle creep! out, the line of bench would become moio anc at right angles to the strike of the waves, anc ao the travel of the sbingle would be slackened.' I do not fall out with professional men foi differing m theory, but merely draw attcn tion to the latter sentancos of each quotation Notwithstanding the rather perplexing problem propounded by the professionals taking it " by and large " and striking a fail average, it will be fair to take them where they have committed themselves to figures, oi cay the troublo begins from 4£ 'years to ( yeara and 8 months hence. These data cletirh show that the board ha 3 ample time lo consul the ratepayers. In ;pite of ileß6rs O'Connoi and.Goodall's report, the opinion gains grounc daily that it will be a great mistake to re move the shingle from the south of the break water, and that the solution of the difficult tnuet bo looked for m trapping and liftio| the Bhingle when the toe of the spit hai almost reached tbo end of the straight ont At this point everybody admits that the shingle would be our greatest; foe, wbilo £ great many, myself among the number, oon eider that until that poiut is reached tht shiDgle is our best friend. Tho reasons foi holding such an opinion stick out alronger on every visit to the wharf. Jt atrengtbons anc shelters tha breakwater, retards or almost stops tbo honeycombing process, prevents the S.E. seas from striking broadiide-on, completely stops the rush of water, shingle, and iiir through crevices, and, most conspicuous of all, enables the shipping at the innei berths to work without any losb of time oi discomfort, when the driving spray and the rush of water from the crevices below have compelled the veeaela farther nloag the wharf to close hatches, abandon work, and m some cases to haul off to the buoys. As the shingle increases tbe outer berths will become far more valuable than the inner, being suitable for larger vessels. I therefore maintain that the more effectually a dredge of the typo mentioned m the report dors her work, tho greater will bo the injury to this port. The inner berths will be rendered as insecure as the outer are af present, and the entire etructuro of the breakwater weakened and honeycombed, besides presenting a more or less upright face to tbo full force of tha 3.E. seae. Besides, look at the probabta results of taking such a quantity of shingle lo tho vicinity of the Dashing Recks. A barge or a dredge dare not risk entering the ' break ' —must discharge m deep water, and it 13 a problem where it will ' strike' the beach or whither trarol. Tbe engineers indicate that it would go northward, while I believe it would go m evary diroction, a portion shoaling the fairway lo the entrance, some goiag towards Soadown, and the greater portion to tha upper end of Caroline Bay. I am led lo this belief from having watched tho divided ' run ' of the waves after striking tho base of the rocks,—tho tendency of the run now is towards the viaduct ftt Whales Creek. Although my own cry U distinctly " hands off tho shingle" common prudence domends that wo should forthwith cope with it, co that every ratspayer may know whether or not wo etand m immediate d&neer; I would therefore suggest that our Prieetman grab dredge, just overhauled, should be brought into requisition, —her jib has a span of sooio 25 feet, and she has frequently done excellent work on the wharf. To got the best results out of her, the recess en which the parapet wall was to have been erected should bo lovelled flush with the breakwater, and rails laid down answering the double purpose of a seat for the dredge, and a line for the trucks. If the span is not sufficient theu a temporary staging could ba erected for tho dredge to work on —escaping to tho main rails when a heavy sea threatened (o come m. The spoil would be conveyed on tho boards' own rails and tipped into these unsightly depressions at the rear of tho Harbour Board offices. Another precautionary measuro Bnould be at once adopted, and that is the commencing of groins at that favourable spot behind the rocks situate between the Atlas and the Belford Mills An erceadingly quick, effective, nnd cheap method would bo to uso the surfboata, filled to within 2ft of the gunwale with shinglo put into cornsacks, with tw» rowa of malt tanks on top, also filled wilh shinglo, and " keyed "at tho sides. Such n structure would withstand the seas alrnady broken by tho rocks, and as soon as laid down would trap the shiDgle on the South side—the height could bo raiacd as the shingle banked up. Jo those who aro inclined to emilo at tho simplicity of this project, j;:>;t. Ifit mo cay that the cleverest engineers >n LnncMhiro were baffled m rnisiu" t!>c Bt'-tunsMp Great; Britain when nhe pot gtruncted m Diir.drnni Bay, Treland, and pren&'.l.iy e-imo to them Captain Bronu er. who'd id tlieir bu?inoes for Irem right iiway by mooring plenty of empty casks woll down on l!:s u'ltj) at. 101 witcr ; Iho rising |.id« diri the rest. 'Jlimkinfj you m anticipation r,f obtaining spacj m yr; Ur valuable coliiTiinti, I mil, etc, 3». %UA»T. i'imi.u Jwi-,:> ICtb, WJI.