COMPLETION OF TIMARU HARBOR WORKS.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 642, 7 April 1870, Page 2

COMPLETION OF TIMARU HARBOR WORKS.

(From the Timaru Herald, March 26.) The Harbor works of Timaru, were successfully completed on Thursday. The experimental nature of the whole work has caused more than ordinary interest to be attached to its progress, and it is with no little satisfaction that we are enabled to make this announcement of its final completion. The work may be said to be a small artificial stone pier, built on a natural reef to the south of Cain's landingplace, eighty-seven feet in length, and seven feet high. The shore end was commenced near the edge of the reef, about 150 feet from high water mark, so as not to interfere with the travelling shingle, and it was designed to be about a foot above water at high tide. Knowing the difficulty of firmly knitting together large blocks of stone, and appreciating the tremendous force of the sea at Timaru, the late Mr Balfour determined to compose the work of large blocks of concrete, moulded ou the reef, the whole fastened together by projections and depressions which were left in each to bind the blocks together in one huge mass. The work was undertaken, as we have stated, and the first attempt to mould a block was made on the 2nd December last, which resulted in failure, as it was washed away the same evening by a very heavy sea setting in. Of course, it was once predicted that' the whole work would be a gigantic failure, and wiseacres assured us that it was simply throwing money into the sea to attempt the work at all. But the contractors made a second attempt on the 4th December, and successfully laid the first block. It was then asserted by many that the work would all melt away under the first heavy sea, but it stands now to speak for itself, and contradict all cavilling. We believe no possible power of the sea will ever injure the work, for it resists its forces just as a block of stone would, and is quite as hard, whilst the process of hardening, wc are told, will go on for at least twelve months. There cannot be the slightest doubt about the stability of the work. Mr Balfour feared the work might fill up the harbor with shingle, but it has not yet done so. Singular to say, the work has had an effect already—aud a beneficial one, too—which no one predicted or ever contemplated. A tongue of shingle now runs out to the breakwater itself, so that the lauding place is as well protected as though the concrete work had been commenced at high water mark and carried to its present limits. There is no difficulty now in walking to the breakwater along this tongue of shingle from the shore, rhousands of tons of shingle have been deposited between the breakwater and the shore during the last fortnight, and it may be said that a aew beach has been formed, but when this formation will cease does not seem 3lear. If it continues the breakwater ivill itself soon be buried, and should she scour of the channel between the 'eefs keep the shingle from depositing ;here, a very snug little bay will be "ormed for the boats. And this process nay be carried on again until small vesicls can come into smooth water. The jontractors for the work were Messrs Crawford and Greeu, of Timaru, and ;he price was £974. The resident mgineer for the work was Mr Williamson, of Timaru.