TIMARU HARBOUR BOARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 6060, 20 September 1894, Page 3

TIMARU HARBOUR BOA RD.

♦ | The ordinary monthly meeting of the Harbour Board was bold yesterday. PresentMessrs Stuart (ohairmsn), Evans, Hill, Teschemaker, Wilson, Stumbles, Sullivan; PriDgle, and Manchester. COBBESPONDBNOB. Among the correspondence read was the following : — From Messrs Perry, Perry and Kinnerney, of 25th August, advising that the Government Bating Bill and Bating on Unimproved Value Act, contain provisions whioh materially affect the rating powers of the board, and suggesting clauses to be added to the Board's Bating Amendment Bill to counteract the effeot of those provisions. — The ohairman said these olauses had been added. From Mr Flatman, M H.R , on two or three matters relating to the Board's business. He had had a talk with Mr E M Smith, member for New Plymouth, who wanted to know if the Board would let the dredge to the New Plymouth Board for three or four months during next cummer, and at what rate per day or month, with full crew. Ho promised to write and inquire. He had had some conversations with Mr Beynolds about reclamations m the harbour and had handed him reports sent up. From Messrs Perry, Perry and Kinnerney reporting that, the judgment of Mr Justioe D.-uniston on tho Boarlft &se against the Railway Commissioners, was advene to the Board 5 reoimmending that the opinion of the Court of Appeal be taken on the pointe involved, setting forth the grounds of this reoommendation ; and stating the steps to be taken by the Board if it accepted their advioe. . Mr Kinnerney was sent for and consulted,. m committee, and after he retired further diioussion took place. Mr Evans moved and Mr Stumbles Becondtd, that, the solicitors' advice be given effeot to by the ohairman, and this was carried, Mesjijs Manchester and Tesohemaker dissenting". from Mr Hall Jones, M.H.R., a number of letters and telegrams relating to the progress of the Board's Bills before Parliament. The chairman said the Bills had been since put through. ■ From the Marine Department, drawing attention to the law requiring reports to the Department of accidents to persons on steam* ships and to the vessels themselves. From the Timaru Borough Oounoil, m reply to a request for delay m their action for extending the Borough boundary, that they saw no reason for delay. In reply to Mr Tecchemaker, the ohairman Baid the matter had been referred to the solicitors, and the Board's ideas had been laid before the Colonial Seoretary. From Mr Flatman, a telegram promising to watch the Board's interests m regard to a petition to Parliament from the Freezing Companies at Ohristohuroh and the New Zealand Shipping Company end the Shaw Savill and Albion. Company, for & general reduction m the rates for railing frozen meat, Mr Teeobemaker asked' if the rates were reduced by pressure from the large companies what would be the position of the Board ? If they went on spending money for the purpose of improving tho harbour to bring the big steamer?, and then the big steamers did not come, where would they be ? There was the case of Oatnaru, killed by cheap railag\ Vessels would not oome here if they got meat railed cheaply to Lyttelton. If this sort of thing began, where would it stop ? Mr Evans quite agreed that the differential rates were very muoh againit this port, or if they were cut down any more they would take a lot of trade to Lyttelton. A TOTB 0? THANKS. The ohairman suggested that the Board should pass a resolution thanking Mr Hall* Jones and other members for their services m passing the Harbour Board's billß. The secretary said Mr Hall-Jones had taken a great deal of trouble over them. There had been really a lot of work for him to do m connection with them. Mr Evans moved and Mr Hill seconded :— " That thp thanks of this Board be oonveyed to Mr Hall-Jones, the member for Timaru, and the distriot members, for their efforts m securing the parsing of the Timaru Harbour Board Bills."— Carried unanimously. TEB TUG'DRBDGE. Mr J Darling wrote on August 10th that he was very vexed to hear that up to the time of the secretary's Jetter to him (13th June) the dredger had not givon satisfaction. The thing must be worked up to its full capaoity to give good results, and judging from Mr Barr's report this was not done at the trials* Time and experience would put all right so long as honest efforts were exercised to make the best and meat of it. Mr Darling enclosed 0 letter to him from Lobnit? and Cq, the bujldprs., dated 8H August, m which they say they have oaref ally read the report by Mr Barr on the trials he made of the dredger, and m all the oircumstances the report was satisfactory. But the pump should have run at 150 revolutions instead of 120 to 125, and the vacuum m the suotion pipe should have been at least 15 inches instead of 8 to 9 inches. They enolosed oopies of the report on the trials }n the Clyde, as this dearly shqwed (he eftjoient working of thp pump, und wou,ld enable a comparison to be a^ade wjth the trials at Timaru. From Mr B,arr' 8 report they observed that the performance of the dredger was hec^ when working m shioglf, and it was expressly stipulated that the pump was to be suitable for this kind of work. They had no doubt that if the pump was worked at 160 revolutions with a higher steam pressure, the guarantees would be more than fulfilled, The gopy of thp report on the builders' trial of the pump reads 1— " The vessel then prooseded to Brodiok Bay, and at 8.30 p. m. the suotion pipe was lowered and the pump started The result was at once a discharge containing from 20 to 30 per cent of solid. The vacuum m suotion pipe was from 15 to 25 inohes."— (Pumping was then interrupted by the mooring posi giving way.)—" Pumping was resamed at 5 p.m. Everything worked smoothly and well. The hopper was fall to overflowing to top of oombings with 400 tons sand at 6 p.m." A second pumping trial was made m coarser material, sand and gravel, but the time of fl'ling is not given. " The pumpiog depth was 3§ft, revolutions of pump life jer minute ; vacuum In. auctionpips 15 to 20 iuohes ; indicated horsepower 300 average." Ihe builders also enclosed a copy of a letter they had sent to thair representative Mr Barclay, dated Qfeh August 1— ♦' We have reoolved a report by Mr Qt W Barr on trials of the drodge at Timaru. We find from the report that the pump has been tried with only 120 to 125 revolutions and a vaouum of Bto 9 inohes m the pipe ; boiler pressure 761bc For effective working the pump should be run at 140 to 150 revolutions, and the vaouum should be about 13 to 15 inohes. At the trials ou the Clyde the revolutions were from 140 to 150, vaouum 15 to 20 inches, boiler pressure. 85 to 901 be,«. With this the guarantee was. more than fulfilled. It is of no use whatever to pump with 125 revolutions. The pump cannot suck (and and gravel till it runs about 140 revolutions, with from 13 tols inches of vaouum m the suction pipe. This yon will get easily with from 80 to 90 lbs pressure m the boiler, as we did on trial. In future trials or m working the dredger, you will run the pump at 140 to 150 revolutions ; with this the yaoauin m the pipe will be about 13 to 15 inches. When it exceeds 2Q ; inohes the pipe is liable to get choked, and should be relieved by freeing it and allowing more water to mix with the stuff,". The following letter from Mr B Barolay tyj the ohairman, dated 18th insh, was road_ :~ . " Mr Tennent asks me to vfrifce you a note stating how the engines of jtbe tug dredge STfmaru were run. during M.r Barr's iaspeptioja. I may atafe that they were. ru,n entirely to Mr Barr's instructions, J took no note of these speeds a.i I understood he was Iftere to m,a.k.e a.n inspection m. ttw 1

interests of the Board. I understood Mr Barr was experimenting with the pump, to see what was the best result at different speeds, as be bad the engineer running as slow ris 90 revolutions, when I told him it would never do to ma her at snob a low rate of speed. Our average speed when working the pump is from 140 to 150 revolutions per minute, and it varies more than that according to the fluctuations of the vacuum m the pomp, caused greatly by the nnevennesi of the bottom, which is fail of holes where they have baen dredging formerly. It is not shingle and sand we have to contend with, but mostly silt, kelp, boulders, ropes and even lumps of iron. This makes it very hard to do gbod work." The chairman remarked that Mr Darling had been negligent m not forwarding the report .on the trials till now, twelve months aftsfWardi> She must have been working at full speed here, at she had lifted big boulders and a big lamp of iron. Mr Evans reminded the Board that there were certain claims to be made against the, builders,— getting rnsfc off the meohinery, putting right other things, and paying for perforated plates. These claims should ba submitted to. the solicitors to see if they could substantiate them. It would boob, be too late to make the claims. A number of inquiries were received about the \luua and Taniwha, bat there was no definite offer among them. BBPOBT3. The harbourmaster's and foreman's report*, whioh were prepared for the meeting last week, and wire then published, were read. In regard to Mr Fan's statement that more blooks were needed for the parapet, the ohairman said there were plenty to be picked up further baok. Mr Parr could he asked to have a look round there, TBNDBBS. Tenders were received for supply of iron* bark timber -Atlas Milling Company (pert of supply) 28s per 100 ft super j TS.lt. and A. Company, 23s 9d. It was left to the ohnirman and Mr Farr to decide whether the part supply offered would be sufficient and therefore accepted. . ACCOTJHTB, The wharfage return for the four weeks ended 18'.h August, £535 11s sd. ' Accounts amounting to £648 5s 9& were passed for payment-