FUEL OIL FOR NEW ZEALAND

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 17, 15 October 1920, Page 7

FUEL OIL FOR NEW ZEALAND

TANKS AT MIRAMAR

FIRST OIL STORAGE PLANT IN DOMINION

VACUUM COMPANY PUR-

CHASES SITE

A big fillip is about to be given to the industrial life of Miramar through the enterprise of the Vacuum Oil Company of Australasia. Pot- some time past a clearly-discernible "writing on. the wall" has announced tho coining of oilburning furnaces for steamere afloat ond industries ashore. Tho Union S.S. Co .has adopted an oil-burning policy in respect to some of its steamers, and tha last two years have seen tho oil-burning fleet gradually grow. To cope with tho now order of things, it has been all along recognised that, sooner or later, provision would "have to be made for tho storage of fuel oil in'bulk at a New Zealand port—preferably Wellington, owing to its centrality, ita fine harbour, ana itis position as the final port of departure for most of the deep-sea boats. Some years ago a plan was drawn up by Mr. James llarchbanks (engineer of the Harbour Board) providing for such tanks, in the area proposed to bo claimed in the Ivaiwarr-a Bight, and that gentleman returned from a trip abroad a year or 60 ago more than over convinced that Wellington as a port must make provision for the requirements of this oil-buming age. But Governments and local bodies aru proverbially slow in such matters, and the Vacuum Oil Company, through its Australasian director, Mr. H. Hamilton (formerly of Wellington) has now secured a large area of land at Miramar, on which will,'be erected the nucleus of a big plant—big for this little corner of the world. Mr. Hamilton intimated yesterday that the company he represented had contemplated this move for some titae post, and with that objeoWn view- had bought the hill immediately to the north of the Miramar cutting. They had hoped to bo able' to secure tho flat land immediately at the foot of that hill, but as they could not manngo to get ail 'tile land they required just there, they had secured the necessary area on the two blocks which ha*o frontages to Miramar Avenue and are divided by Tuahinu Road. The frontage to the avenuo of the blocks to the west of Tuahinu Road is 175 ft., and that to the east 378 ft., making in all a frontage to the avenue of 513 ft. In depth tho blocks go back as far as the next interseating road parallel to the avenuo and the buildings thereon (two or three cottages) are now tho property of the company.

The lay-out of the works, as shown to a Dominion representative by Mr. Hamilton, makes provision for two hugo steel tanks, each of which will hold 55,000 barrels (about 15,000 tons) of fuol oil. These tanks aro not ito be sunk in the ground, but will be constructed on the surface. They will be 30ft. in height, with a. diameter of 135 ft., so that they will form outstanding features in the landscape of Miramar in the near fuThe tanks, of quarter-inch plaffce, will be of the accepted design favoured in America, quJte round in form, with a cone-shaped top. They will be fed from tank steamers (which will berth at the Miramar Wharf) through a 12mch main, which will traverse the avenue and cutting underground like an ordinary gas main. The pumps on the 'rank steamers will he able to force the oil the 300 yards from the waterfront to fchte company's property, and there it will be picked up by the company's pump and distributed to tlijs tanks as required. That plant will als& puinp tho oil from the tanks to steamers' oil "bunkers" at the wharf.

The whole of the 'block that is to contain the tw> big tanks—the block to the east of Taiihinu Road—will be circusringed to tha' height of a few feet with pressed earth as a precautionary measure against a "spill" through the oil taking'fire. This is not the practice in Paulsboro' or Orleans, in America, -where therei are hundreds of these tanks, but this precautionaiy measure hlas bepn asked for by tho Miramar Borough Council, and the company is complying with tho demand. The embankment will be sufficiently high and stable enough to hold tho, contents of both tanks should a "spill" occur. An essential part of tho plant will be the furnaces, pumping machinery, pump house, and big chimney stacks, which will be placed in the larger block on thet corner where the Avenue and Tauhinu Bond meet. The whole of tlie buildings,will be of brick construction; with a ibrick '6tack from 80ft, to 100 ft. in height. Some of the steel work, deluding the tub,?s for the main, are a!r«idy on the site, and the work is to bo •pushed on with all dispatch, under tho supervision of Mr, C. A. Sydney, constructional engineer, who has had considerable experience in the erection of such plants at PaulsborV, on the Delaware ftiver, wJiiere tho flow of oil vies with that of the river. Mr. Sydney hopes to see his efforts become tangible to the eye before 1921 runs its course.

The land at Miramar was purchased through the agency of S. George Nathan and Co.