FALCON SHOAL LIGHT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1846, 4 September 1913, Page 8

FALCON SHOAL LIGHT.

CHANCE OF MISTAKES. OPINION OF PORT EXPERTS. EC RISK A REMOTE .ONE. I in i tho Evidenco given in the Devon case has revived an interesting question— tho question of tho lights governing the navigation of Port Nicholson. The to Merchant Service Guild have moved in y CS the matter, both this year and last, and, it is within tho memory of the ] oa , week's events that Captain Caiuice, of a |) tho Devon, indicated at . .the inquiry tid< that somo red light appeared to him cur to bo tho Somes Island red sector, s i)j whereas it may havo been only the tha small Ted light on Falcon Shoal. If d ec ' such a mistake were possible once, it sav ' might bo possible again, and, in view j n „ ' of its importance, some expert views a*j ' wore'obtained by a reporter yesterday. 1 The Harbourmaster—"Never on Earth ''®~ or on Sea." > The harbourmaster (Captain Johnson) the was seen first asked whether such ro!] ! confusion of lights"was reasonably possible or probable. He was charaotcris- f or ! ticallv emphatic on the matter. E0 "Never on earth or on sea," he stat- the ' cd, "could a man mistake tho Falcon as Shoal,light for the Somes Island red lva ! sector. If a man can see tho Falcon 6e | " Shoal light from outside the reef, he sai '' must bo ablo to see tho low light of ' Pencarrow, or both tho high and low 0 j ' lighta there. As a, matter of fact, in J)C: 1 regard to the Devon, it was never stat- ]j 0 ' ed in evidenco that Captain Caunco ]), 5 lost tho Pencarrow lights, and if he i 1 never lost the low light, how could he have mistaken the Falcon Shoal li»ht a jj for tho Somos Island red sector? Besides, the Falcon Shoal light is ouly a wa - five-milo light, whilst the Somes Island i-> light is a 15-mile light, and very ex- ])0 j traordinary conditions must prevail j a , l .when 0110 could be picked up without a ' r getting a glanco at the other.' 3 "What I say is this," continued tho . harbourmaster with emphasis, "that 3 never under any circumstances could a shipmaster take tho buoy light on d the shoal for the western j 1 segment of the Somes light 1 'When any - V( s light whatever was-visible at all, the . low light at Pencarrow would be visible, - and that is the chief guide to tho en- t; ' trance when tho high light happens to be ~ i obscured. Tlie buoy light on Falcon l- Shoal was placed there aj a gu'do to ] navigation at that point clily, and for . r no other purpose, and was specifically to guido deep* draught vessels through the deep water channel." Tho Cutting Through the Shoal. '1 ' ' • 1 Captain Johnson explained, that tho f a dredge Wliakariri had oeen obtained for vc tho purpose of 'dredging Falcon Shoal, f 0 and tho channel which it had cut j.( through tjio bank was 2000 ft. in width {]■ —1000ft-. in tho green sector and 1000 ft. C(1 6 in the white sector of tho Somes light. Wl 0 Tho deep water channel had a depth of '! water of 42 .foot at low water springs, £ and was the ono safe channel for deep ' clraught vessels. h Light Steeple Rook? t Tho Merchant Service Guild, it will be remembered, recently advocated the t placing of a light off Steeple Rock (Sea- la 0 toun), which would just clear Barrett's ni 0 lteef to tho south and Point Gordon to a; 0 tho north, making the Falcon Shoal and ti , the comparatively shallow water boj tweeii the shoal and tho shore a fair- ct 0 way. That might bo all very well for d: vessels with a moderate draught, and p [j thero was, no objection to shipmasters tl j laying their course inwards or outwards h by such bearings at their own risk, but cl j in Captain Johnson's opinion it would J never do for tho board to light that J 1 ° courso, as it would induce vessels of g deep draught to use it, and then one c j £ could only surmise what might hap- f, a pen." p j The Guild's Attitude. \ The Merchant Service Guild petitioned S 0 tho board somo timo ago to reconsider 1 [. tho whole question of tho lighting of the I y entrance, and submitted a marked chart J , r showing what it was thought should be I Io done, viz., tho placing, of an occulting h i. light off Steeple Rock (as described 5 d above). That petition is to come before \ c . the board at its iiext ordinary meeting. C c Captain Blachburne's Opinion. l n Captain H. S. Blackburne, Nautical ;o Adviser to the Government, was ap- c ly preached on tho point as to whether it '■ !d was- [Kissiblo for the Falcon shoal light it to be mistaken for the Somes red seers tor. He was of opinion that such a it mistake would scarcely be possiblo io with the leading lights placed as they . id are. t n- A Former Report. 0 111 In Juno last year the harbour- j s i master reported to the board oil tho I l _ Merchant Service Guild's proposal to J tho board to erect a beacon on tho Steeple Rock shoal. In the course of }. that report, Captain Johnston said:— : "A light at Steeple Rock would tend c 111 to draw all the vessels into tho shnl- y low side of the channel, and-'into dan- s gor. In 1912 tho New ' Zealand I 'Nautical Almanac,' in giving the direc- 41 tions for entering the port by, night, J on page 200 says:— c 2 d " 'Or after passing Pencan-ow f y. Point on which the low level light t 0 t is situated, a course may be taken 1 tj. by keeping in the blending of the 1 a [ white and green lights of Somes 1 , a ] Island lighthouse, north 8 degrees £ wost. This courso leads through 5 0 . the deepest water in the main | to channel with ample room for each . •e_ side.' . • ' ny • "This paragraph is correct, and c of bears out my (the Harbour- f a master's) contention that vessels ' go should bo directed to the east side oi s jn tho channel, and' not to the west, as ® ti- tho light at Steeple Rock would as- • :d- surcdly do. On tho face of it, it 5 in seems to me doubtful if the Marino j ed Department would approve of a light i w>. such as the ono suggested." Further 1 of on, tho same report says:— « 'J"i "Any vessel entering or leaving ' k " the harbour in thick or foggy j ISO weather and trying to pick up a' f ' s " light at Steeple Rock would bo < ttl " courting imminent danger, and | P" stand a chance of finding the rocks ) °h before the light. Tho position as i a d indicated on tho chart submitted is ! ' IC . in shallow water, and the inside or f 'h- western side of- tho assumed light'' i lc " is wholly bounded by rocks and ; ; sh dangers which should bo avoided by ' ''. l " all vessels keeping away from that ; side." 1 lii its letter at tho timo the guild ] pS suggested that tjie light buoy on- Falcon shoal was not now required, and ] ,„t would answer a good purpose if placed off Point Ilalswell. To that the liar- ] bourmaster reported:— i to "The Falcon shoal buo.y was 1 placed in its present position to 1 ,he define the deep water channel for 1 a the ocean steamers of heavy ' lie draught, and cannot bo removed of until tho whole bank is removed . sin by dredging, which will tako some ?ss years. There is no reason wliatad ever for a buoy to be placed off lilo Point Ilalswell, lighted or otherwise." " ( 1 But- he (Captain Johnson) reeom--1<!" mended the erection of a concrete SH " beacon to be. painted white, and to bo m " erected on the point (low water mark), • t .° which could be lighted in the future , ' t " if it was thought advisable. This beacon has since been erected. iml That tickling, irritating may bo itli relieved promptly by "NAZOL." A few ow drops on Mid rotated fre- - , 4,