INSIDE THE ENTRANCE.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXIV, Issue 12829, 23 July 1909, Page 4

INSIDE THE ENTRANCE.

These are' two matters in connection with.^ the lower harbour which require attention. ' One of them requires .immediate, attention? and that is the wreck of the Charles Edward. With a desire to give the owner every chance to raise the wreck, the Harbour Board has never insisted on its immediate removal, but month after month has gone by till it is now almost nine months since she tried to climb the breakwater. And as she hasslipped into deeper water her removal is now more difficult than ever. We do not think she has seriously affected the force of the scour, but there can be no doubt that she has affected its direction. By deflecting the 'current she has thrown the bar channel to the southward* whereas its natural tendency justifies the belief that, with the wreck 6ut of the road, there wquW be an almost straight 'entrance, parallel with the north breakwater. It is intended to push Uhe squth mole out to the same length as the northern one before resumii>2 work on the latter. This will take about nine months, and much of the current which now , escape sf an-yise towards Kaitoke will be directed straight out. That is, if the wreck is -removed. If it remain, the obstruction will probably cause a zig-zag of the scour between the moles, and this will .in no way help a ship's steering. Is~is time the Board gave up dallying over the matter of the wreck, and it should try- what a few charges of dynamite will do. As we said in the foregoing article, it is a fair thing to expect the best use will be made of what we have, and that cannot be obtained while the wreck is deflecting the channel. Another thing to be considered is that she is far too close to the fairway. There is plenty of water around her, and perhaps 16' feet over her after deck, but it is- impossible to see tor- on a. Jarlc niglit. Tlic fckouglxt that a slight yawing against an ebbing tide may cause his ship to hit the wreck's bridge deck is not calculated to reassure the master of ah incoming ship. As the* wreck's mizzen is still standing, we think a*]ounp.< Should be slung 'oh it every night, so as to--clearly mark her- position. By travelling it back and forward on a rope to the breakwater no difficulty would *be experienced "it. attending to it, ■ ' j The other itttattter which should be looked into, in order* to 1 see if a change is not possible, 'is the marking of the channel from the. pilot station to the south internal wall. At present the inner beacons compel a vessel to slew in' her course two or three times before fetching the internal wall. Appearances indicate that fit' ought to be possible to lay almost a straight course from the shore end of the north mole to the internal wall. Some time ago there was a sand bank, with a heavy Break on it during rough weather, almost opposite the flagstaff. This 'has now almost disappeared, and over the spot where it used to be a sounding on Wednesday last gave a least depth of 14 feet, with a general depth of 1,6 feet. .The channel inside^the South Spit- also appears to have straightened up, and if conditions fire as -we believe vessels' 1 should 6e able to make the passage of We inner entrance with scarcely any alteration in thejir course. In any case, the matter is worth investigation, if only for the possibility of removing any impression of tricky navigation, j