OUR HARBOUR WORKS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIII, Issue 15000, 31 January 1899, Page 2

OUR HARBOUR WORKS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — I have read Mr Field's letter to the Chairman of the Harbour Hoard with extreme inteic->t, and I wish to be allowed to say that I entirely agree with him iv Ihe ptinciple 'ie adv.iaLes, and has always advocated, the construction of silt-collect-ing walls, transverse to the course of tie river. Like Mr Field, -thile the Board had an engineer, as a matter of professional etiquette I have studiously refrained from publicly expressing my ideas about our harbour works. But ruiw, when evidently it i.; likely that mote money is to be waste! in damaging lhe pori, 1 will speak out again. Over 35 years ago I took part iir ti correspondence in the "Chronicle," in which I oposed luiigitittlinal river walls, and advocated transverse groins (or "cradges," as Mr Field cal's ihem) formed of fascines of willows preferably. About that time a Mr B.ilieur was sent up to Wanganui by tbe Provincial Government to make an examination of the hat-l.-uur. He spent a few hours here, and sent in a report in which he advocated longitudinal river-walls, generally similar in position to these which Live been constructed, but form-d of willow fascines. 1 believe, however, that Mr IJalfour did intend these to be built :.o high-tide level — not to half-tide like our abortions. In opposing JMr Balfour's scheme, I wjole to the " Chronicle " several letters, iv one of which I used the somewhat strong expiessitm that his longitudinal fa.seine walks "would rot before thsy would collect a grain of silt." (It should lie remembered that the grand obji-.it is to assist the river tc cut away s-ilt iii the channel, ami to deposit it at the silos.) Instead of the longitudinal walls proposed by JMr Balfour, 1 advocated groins (or 'groynes"') at right angles to the river's course, or nearly _o ; whiek is precisely what Mr Field recommeiuUl, and always has recommended, under the name of "cr.t-.lges.' These will really collect sill. Mr Balfour -hade the absurd prophecy ihat, unless his scheme for longitudinal walls were carried out, the river would yesuine its ancient course along the foot cj St. John's Hill, and Wanganui would be left upon <m island." ( .) Just after the creation of the first Harbi.ur Board (some twenty-five years ago), a flood occurred at the same time as a high spiing tide, with the result that the river cut a channel through the South Spit. The Beard got in a fright, and spent its first money in stopping this channel with sandbags. Mr l'ield and myself separately, wrote to the "Chronicle," protesting against this action, and recommending, on the other hand, that steps should be taken to assist lhe river in maintaining and _nlarging this channel. Major Kemp backed this uj) by writing to the paper saying that the river was only trying to regain the (ourse which his ancestors had told him it used formerly to follow. Our remonstrances were in vain. The half-fiedged Hoard sent for some Dunedin gentleman, who came up, saw the sand-bags, und approved of the Board's action— naturu ,;y. Shortly before or after this occurence, Sir John Coode presented a high pressure report. JMr Balfour did spend a few hours in \\ anganui. lam not aware whether Sir John Coode even did so much as that. At any rate, the result hns shown how little he knew of our river an- 1 its habits. His scheme followed ths same general lines as Mr Balfour's, as far as to the Heads at least ; mid I suppose the Dunedin engineer employed by the Board had to carry il i ut. Its utter failure reminds one of tlle similar me>s Sir John Coode made of the Alderney Harbour works, of which it tuis said, "An attempt to construct a harbour at Alderney was made hy Sir John Coode but the result proved that Sir John Coudn't.' ' .: ; I tiust that Mr Field's admirable letter may have the effect of causing the' electors to retim. to the Harbour' Board,; „ n who will not pledge hi m , e lf _,-, n ,; sD -' (ll the con.structioil of tranverse craW" lor groynes) above the La_d S uaul Bluff i„ the hrst instance, deferring the construct on of tiny outside works for the present, and ako deferring the question of opening a direct 'm "etc Landguiinl to the sea!- I GEORGE FRED ATTW Jwuary 27, 1899. U ALLI^<