OUR HARBOR.

Evening Star, Issue 2917, 25 June 1872, Page 2

OUR HARBOR.

To the Editor, Sir, —Referring to my former communications as to the state of this Harbor, present and prospective, allow me to make a few remarks as to the tides and their effects upon this upper part of it. In doing so my object is to endeavor to give some insight to the authorities in the hope that they may be directed to use the means at their disposal for arresting the progress of silting up, now so vigorously going on. And here I may remark that the steamers are not able to come up to the old jetty at low water— rather an ominous circumstance,. and certainly a very untoward one. The flood tide then sets in strong through the Island channels and up to the round black beacon, where the Long Channel goes off. Thence the principal current runs up the Brewery side; it spreads otit to Blanket Bay, and proceeds up by Carle’s Point, where meeting with a shallow, it branches off obliquely to meet the Long Channel above Grassy Point. Having overtopped this shallow, it rushes up strong past the Brewery and point, until it meets with more shallows, and again seeks across the low level of the banks to the other channel. From this point, rather below Black Jack’s, there is very little force in the flood tide, thw principal rush of water now going by Grant’s Braes, running in strong by Yauxhall into the Audersou’s Bay pool, and circling there lips away on the mud towards the shores, jetties, and reclamations to high-water level,, stirring up a considerable amount of mud, part to hi re-deposited in layers on the shores as the tide recedes, and part to be intercepted in its downward progress by jetties, training walls, and beacons. The return current sweeps round by the outside of the red beacon off the training wall, and is forced thence round by Stuart street Jetty into Pelichet Bay, depositing its muddy load by the way ; scours out Pelichet Bay pretty well, leaves whatever it brings from there on the projections and shallows about Black Jack’s point, and subsides to low water level quickly thereafter. That top portion of the tide returning by Grant’s Braes channel,' say two feet of it, escapes by the first cross channel to immediately below Black Jack’s; the remainder brings down the scour with it, leaves some of it on the shallow below this point, and brings the rest to be deposited in like manner on shallows further down. Each tide does its duty in this respect; and if it happens to be blowing hard, or that the steamers are knocking about the jetties during flood waters, that duty is the more effectually carried on. All this is apparent to any person who may choose to look into it; and I believe the dredge, if used systematically as by a proper plan of operations approved of by the Harbor Department, would materially check the growing evil.—l am, &c., Utopia. Dunedin, June 24,