PORT ON THE HARBOUR AT RIVERTON.

Western Star, Issue 50, 24 October 1874, Page 5

PORT ON THE HARBOUR AT RIVERTON.

Through tlxe. courtesy, of L.-M GilHvray, Esq. M.HR., we'are enable i to furnish our raalers with the Colonial Engineer’s (Mr Carruthers) report on the Riverton, Harbour i Having by vour.lire tions vi.dre I and examined the Port of Riverton, I have.the honor to report thereon as follows

T!ie Port is situated at the, mouth of Jacob’s River, an i ma he iesbribel as a small bar harbour. .Vessels drawing from 9-to 10 feet can freely ; an er.at. high water. . . • , Regar le l-as a small harbour the Port is in all .respects ver-v goo I iu-b-e 1. The bar is protected from the- prevailing-winds by Flo war i’s Point, and several outlying Islan Is. un ler. the shelter of wlijich, vessels can anchor- while wai’ ing for water to take the bar. Om-e inside, there is a oonsi lerable basin Where vessels can lie, but as it ig a short listanoo bslovy the business part of the. town it is not ipuch used. There is another smaller, basin opposite the town which is 1 not large enough for more .than one pr two small crafts to lie in. without, grounding at low , water, and they have to swing on two anchors. Still this is on account of its nearness to the town, the ground usually chosen for anchoring. In its present state the Port is capable of accommodating a very considerable trade, certainly very much larger than it lias at present or is likely to have for some years. It was, when I visited it, very deficient.in wharf accommodation, as there.vyjis'only oy»e small jetty, and this was plaeed.at a part of the river which was nearly dry at low water, so that vessels could only come up to or leave the jetty on the top of the tide; a very, serious inconvenience which has I believe clone r<ore to injure the reputation of the Port than all other causes combined. I believe the Provincial Government have since built a jetty in deep water. There would be no engineering difficulty in considerably improving the Port. A solid pier pun out from the oast bank >f the river would be required so as to guide the flood an I tide waters, and give them gr-afer power to act‘on the bar than they have at present. In the absence of plans shelving the deptdiof water in the roadstead outside the, bar, any estimate of the alditional •depth of water which woul f be gained by this means must be taken as only approximate, but I believe two an I a half to throe feet would be gained. There would bo very little use in getting this extra depth on the bar unless at the same time, the inferior of the Harbor were improved. . The effect of the greater depth would be to increase the height of the waves which would enter the harbor, an I,the lower basin woul 1 become on this account less, serviceable than it is at present, while the upper basin is too smallJeven for ships of the size.now using the Port. Anew basin vyould therefore have to be dredged, and this could only be done above the brilge on the west side outlie lake, and out of the reacli ©f shingle bro iffbt down by. Jacob’s River. There is already a considerable depth of water at this ppi/ifc, and the necessary amount of dredging would not be great. I haya however no plans showing the depth of-water. > .’ The cost of tlie.pnprovoments suggested would be about £35,009 as nearly as I Cap iu the absence of proper survey*.