ROCKHAMPTON HARBOUR WORKS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13918, 1 June 1909, Page 3

ROCKHAMPTON HARBOUR WORKS.

Ar J. H. Baynes, who has cxchuigctl employers from the Harbour Boa - d at Timaru to that of Rockhannton, appears to , have more interesting, because more difficult engineiriug problems to solve than lie had uf Timaru. Roekhampton is a riverport, and the river—the Fitzroy—is a -very crooked one between the sea at Kejpel Bay and the wharves at the city. The river channel is unstable, too, Jnavy floods moving great quantities *f silt about, making shoals and even luilding up islands where shoals and drf land are in the way of navigation. The tide rises 6 feet or so at the citf. in neaps, and half as much more h spring. Part of the engineering works being done consists of building training walls to control and guide tie current, part of dredging by means (f a pump dredge, which drives the spoi ashore to reclaim ground as well as ;et rid of it. The depth of the river does not permit vessels of deep drajght to reach the city, though a few dmving up to 20ft went up last year. Thirty vessels of heavier draught were dealt with at Broadmounr, a railway port, 15 miles from the city air-line, much further by water. The dredge used has lifted over a million urns a vear, and last year over 900,000 t»us. 'The spoil is pumped ashore through a long range of pipes carried oc pontoons, and the cost of lifting anl depositing has ranged for some year; past from less than 2d to about 3-Jd.per ton, excluding interest and depreciation. Among the plant at the qmrry are steam drills, and a '55 ton steam shovel (the latter borrowed fron the Mount Morgan Company). Tie ordinary revenue of the Board is atout £23,000 a year and it is noteworthy that, of purely revenue items, the ships' dues are rather v n re more than the wharfage dues. The dredging work is paid for out of loan funds.