PROGRESS OF THE BREAKWATER AT TIMARU.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3637, 9 March 1883, Page 3

PROGRESS OF THE BREAKWATER AT TIMARU.

Timaru, This day

At the meeting of the Harbor Board yesterday tho engineer reported that the present contract for 500 feet of the breakwater would be finished very shortly, making a total of solid work completed of about' 1400 feet. The Board then discussed whether tho elbow should bo put 011 now, or whether tho work should be carried still further out. The engineer stated that if the elbow were made now, and if a certain amount of the inner basin Arere reclaimed, there Avould be 18 acres of sheltered water outside two fathoms deep; the wharf accommodation at the breakwater itself would be 1660 feet; two T's could be made inside the elbow of 600 and 400 feet respectively, equal to 2000 feet more of berthage room. Then there Avould be the line round the reclaimed land and the north Avail, making in all 5000 feet. Leaving out the T's, the reclamation, and the north wall, there Avould be IGOO feet of berthage outside the tvvofathom line. Again, as regards the depth of water, there avouM be six acres with from 20 to 22 feet at dead lowwater, spring tide, Avith 400 feet berthage room. If the breakwater Averc extended another 500 feet in a straight line from the end of the present contract it Avould give a depth of a foot and a half more Avater, or from 22 feet to 23 feet 0 inches, over an additional space of 7\ acres. If the elbow of 760 feet was put on at the end of the present contract it Avould cost £60,000; if the breakwater were extended 500 feet in a straight line the cost of the 500 feet Avould be £60,000, and of the elbow at the end of the extended breakwater the cost Avould be £75,000, or £50,000 more than a cant further in. The Board postponed their final decision in the matter till a special meeting to be held at an early date.