OTAGO HARBOR.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2195, 20 May 1870, Page 2

OTAGO HARBOR.

The following is the report of the Harbor Master on the harbor : “ Port Chalmers, May 18th. “ Sir, —Agreeably to your request I do myself the honor to report on the capabilities of this harbor for vessels drawing 22ft of water, as follow's : “ A essels of such depth of water can at present enter the harbor as far as the lower anchorage, in which there arc seven fathoms between Harrington Point and Tairoa Head, and perfectly safe in all weathers. Vessels drawing 21ft, have crossed the inner bar, and can do so at present in ordinary tides at high water. This bar would be au obstruction to vessels drawdng over 21ft, excepting in spring tides. On it there is at present IGft at low water, and that is only a narrow ridge not exceeding 100 yards in width, and on either side the water quickly deepens to five and seven fathoms. Changes occasionally take place in the channel across this bar, and instead of a ridge extending across, there is at times on!}' a knoll with deep water round it, which was levelled at a small cost by means of heavy iron harrows being dragged over the ground by the steam tug during the first year of the gold furore, when there was a considerable traffic to this port by vessels from 1000 to 2100 tons register, and all drawing about 21 feet of water. The inner her of the harbor is the only part where there are several diverging channels from the main one, which if confined into one would X'emovc all difficulties to the navigation of the lower harbor by vessels of the class referred to, and which it appears to me could be done at no great outlay b} r moans of a wall jutting out from cither the Maori village or saudspit side of the channel; hut that is a matter for the engineer to decide. Meantime lam cf opinion that a depth of IS fe*t at low water could be got on this bar by running the harrows over it for several tides ; the steam-tug cost for such service would not exceed L2OO, “ The sandbank which juts out from Taiaroa’s Head at a N,\V. direction having been named the bar, has damaged the character of this harbor somewhat amongst those who are strange to it. Such should not be, as the so-called bar, on which there are 14 feet at low water, does not extend across the bar entrance, hut is separated from the opposite shore by a channel nearly a quarter of a mile in width, .and in which there is not less than 22 feet at low-water spring tides. It is true that, in passing through this channel, the sea is taken abeam ; but on steamers of a large tonnage it would make little or no impression, besides there is no heavy sea on the bar expept during S. E. ga].es, which are of rare qccnrreqce on this Coast.—l aup &c., ‘ ‘ W. Thomson, Harbor Master. “The Provincial Secretary.”