THE WANGANUI RIVER BAR.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1588, 4 November 1912, Page 3

THE WANGANUI RIVER BAR.

: . COMPLETELY GONE. DEPTH .OF OVEit 2SPTI Of.WATER.'. (By . TelcuraDli.—Soecial' Corresuondent.)' Wanganui, November 2. The fate i-f tho Harbour Empowering Bill appeared completely forgotten, and very .cheerful countenances were. worii by members of the Wanganui Harbour Board whon tho engineer's, monthly report was laid before them last evening. In his report, Mr. Howorth showed clearly that the bar, which has hitherto obstructed-'the entrance to this port, is now non-existent, for where its crest used to bo there is no\v 25ft, Gin. of water. Kemetobering that less than four years ago there was only'between 10ft. and "lift, iti; this point, it ia difficult to imagine a more striking proof of the success of the .harbour works, or a more 'satisfactory justification of the Harbour Board's faith in the scheme of its engineers, in the face of much determined opposition. The lino of the old bar is six hundred feet seaward from tho en<l of the moles* and at the beginning of Inst month tho working depth in the channel from the ends of the moles out to tho bar was 22ft. 6in. This depth is still maintained' opposite tho ends nt' the moles, with a good wide channel, but from that point seawards to the bar the soundings taken last Wednesday show that there has been a remarkable.'sconriug, the result of which has been to sweep the bar completely away. ■ Tho water not only deepens to 25tt. liiu. uu tho line of the old bar, but coijtijues to deepen further out, till at a point 145 ft. from the ends of the moles there is now a sounding of 28ft. Eighteen months ago the depth at this point was only. 23ft. This excellent result hus been attained without any dredging whatever, by simply utilising '.he natural force -of the river current and ocean tide, and 'directing their scour by the construction, of skilfully placed moles and'.training walls. It reflects great credit on tho professional skill of Mr. Leslie Reynolds, the designer, and Mr. C. H. Howorth, tho board's engineer, who carried out the scheme. Not only did Mr. Howorth carry it out within the estimate, but lie kept the cost eo far below it as to enable the Harbour Board to save several thousands, which- were expended on amplifying and extending the work to an extent considerably beyond what'it was hoped to do,. * The report also mentions. satisfactory improvements in other directions. In spite of much heavy weather, there hns not been tho slightest damage to tho moles, while the training walls inside tho river aro doing their work so well thqt the channel, cut,up to town by tho dredge, is both widening nnd deepening. The only shoal spols in the riror are where there is no training wall, and there, the engineer considers, can be deepened, without dredging, by extending thfi existing walls. This js a matter which the Works Commi'tee of tho board is now considering, and it will probably be carried out at ! an early date,