THE HARBOUR LIGHTS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1864, 25 September 1913, Page 6

THE HARBOUR LIGHTS.

The Harbour Master, Captain Johnson, in his Very complete survey of tho question of harbour lighting presented to the Harbour Board last evening, embodied certain definite recommendations which are a great improvement on tho proposals of the Merchant Service Guild. The idea seems somehow to have got abroad that Captain Johnson was opposed to tho use of tho occulting light near tho harbour entrance, whereas it is made evident by tho roport which he presented to the board that for a considerable time past He has had in view the question of improving the lighting of tho channel leading up from the mouth of the harbour, and that a. little over twelve months ago he suggested for the consideration of tho board the erection of a white occulting light on tho south extreme of Hope Shoal. The proposal which ho now makes, and which the board has adopted in preference to tho suggestion of the Merchant Service Guild to erect a light off Steeple Rock, should prove of very great assistance to masters of vessols at all times, and particularly at any time when Somes' Island light is obscured. The idea is to erect a, white occulting light on the southern extreme of the Hope Shoal —that is towards tho eastern side of the channel a little over a, milo to the south of Ward Island, and a little over three miles from tho low level light at the Heads. A second occulting light would be erected about a mile further up tho harbour close under Ward Island. These two lights will bo so situated that a vessel making for tho harbour entrance will merely require to get them into line to steer a course right up the centre of the channol, and in deep water all the way.' An additional and an important advantage which Captain Johnson's proposal has over that of tho Merchant Service Guild is that it will take shipping entering and leaving the port towards tho eastern side of the channel where there is deep water and a bold shore lino clear of rocky projections; whereas on the western side the outline of tho shore is more difficult to follow, and there is a succession of outlying rocks, exposed and sunken, stretching some distance from Barrett's Reef past the Steeples. For outgoing vessels the lights would also prove most useful, and to avoid any possibility of confusing the two, it is proposed that the beacon nearest Ward Island shall have a red sector showing to outgoing vessels until they round Kau Point. There is no doubt that the Harbour Board has acted wisely in deciding to give effect to Captain Johnson's recommendations, and that the lights when crccted will prove of very great benefit to masters of vessels. The Falcon Shoal light will, of course, be unnecessary when the new lights are erected. Then it is doubtful whether, in view of the dredging which has been going on, it is now required at all. .