THE NAPIER BREAKWATER.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 6058, 18 September 1894, Page 3

THE NAPIER BREAKWATER.

Mr Carr, engineer to the Napier Harbour Board, in a report commenting on the sptoial report of Messrs Napier Bell and Maxwell as to the damage sustained by tbe breakwater, says they agree with him bb to the amount and nature of the damage done, and the causes of it. He then proceeds to give details of the oiroumstances of particular portions of the damage. The chief cause was defloient settle' ment of the rubble foundation and of tbe oonorete blooks on the rubble, before the monolith was put on. He mentions monoliths whioh are uninjured and shows from the log that the rubble under these had a long time to settle, and the conorete blooka were well shaken by heavy seas, before' the monolith oap was put on; and he enumerates others, more or less damaged, which were put on during a spell of fine weather, before the blocks had received suoh a shaking together. "All through it is found that those monoliths whioh have esoaped injury were built after the blooks had beoa shaken and rolled by heavy seas j and those wbioh have suffered most are those whioh wera built in the calmest weather on blooks whioh had not had heavy sens over them. Beoognising that, I recommended that on tbe extension the blook work should be carried out on a different priaoiplo in future, and tied by iron rails, and the monolithio cap should not be added until tbe blocks had been thoroughly settled by heavy seas,and this recommendation has been endorsed by tbe consulting engineer* in their proposals for (he extension. . . , I haye always recognised the importance of allowing seas to settle the blooks before adding the mcn.olitb.io oap, but during the summer mouths, when we had prooeeded as far as we could with safety with the present system of blocks, and waited for a sea, I have bsen reproaohed with cot taking advantage of the calm weather to push on with the work, 40, that I have been compelled to add monolith*, before the blooks were properly Qoaaolid&ted:" The Board disapproved, qf the fatter paragraph as they had. pe^r reproached the engineer, a,fld, ft w«s struck out. Mr Oarr said certain persons outside had done so. A motion that the consulting engine*!*.' report be received and approved, was met by an amendment that \t b,a received but not approved. !fhe amend m/nt was lost by six to four. Mr Oarr reoommendsd that 50,000 yards of rock be got and put down for wave-breakers,; and this was approved, as also was his recommendation that tbe blooks be made in future to lift with lewis bars (fitting into bolss through the centre) ietteaa of by chain slings,