HARBOR BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 4065, 7 March 1876, Page 3

HARBOR BOARD.

o of? 16 Harbor Board met this afternoon at present - His Honor the Superintendent jm the chair), Messrs Tewsley, Turnbull, <^nnou » Eeeves, Ritchie, and

A letter from Rossbotham and Spedding respecting damage done to the crane, giving reasons for not acknowledging liabi'ity to repair, was referred to so xcitr for advice. A letter from K. Ramsay.was read referring to the necessity for erecting leading lights: on the Upper Harbor to enable vessels to come up to Dunedin by night as well as day. Eive additional lights would be required. Several large steamers had been, able to come up to Dunedin during the day,' but during winter months they would Require lights. Referred to .the Harbor Master for report. , > ' The : Corporation wrote, concerning the refusal of the Bo;*rd to allow the removal of sand from the beach, and asking permission to do so. The Corporation asked to bo allowed‘to remove it .from the Water of Ldth.i ' It was that permission be given to • remove sand for. Corporation purposes. ’. i. r? for employment was referred to the' Harbormaster. - received from the sub-collector rort Chalmers reporting that Thomson ■Brothers refused to pay the charge made of Is ■per ton on the ground that the croas wharf is a : railway wharf,-subject only to half .'rates. 'lt W“ resolved that the Act should be striotlv adhered to. : J

Ellen Davis applied to be allowed to clean and repair her boati at the head of Jetty street jetty. Rererted to the Engineer and Harbormaster; v '

.A letter was received from Mr Blackett, « e.. Assistant Engineer-in-Chief, ittkinv for lurtner information respecting proposed wharf extension. This communication was ordered to stand over nntil the arrival of Major Gordon, Who is expected.to arrive by tbeßingarooma.; ’An appl cation was made, signed-by fiVe nsnermen, to have a sui/able place For landing, nsn, Referred to the Engineer. The Secretary brought before the, Board the incorrectness of the information contained in the Ne w Zealand Pilot * concerning. l the Approach to Dunedin Harbor. Captain Thomson was requested to correct the information, /nnu been altered for twenty years. _ The monthly reports and returns of the Engineer s and Inspector’s reports .were lead as follows:

I have the honor to. hand in the Inspector's report lor r ebruary, also the records of work done by the dredges and Peninsula for the same month. The *®te of dredging and deposit shows 10id per yard for the New Era, and l-s}d for the side dredge. As explained. in the previous month’s report of the Inspector, several accounts have necessari’y been m °| u *ied in the February: sheets, the amount of which ought fairly to have been a charge against the previous month, so that the above rates may be looked upon as slightly excessive. I have to recomthat the new beacon and dolphins alluded to oy Mr Stephens be authorised,.and .tenders invited as 1 soon as possible.. The total number required at present is eight, situated as follows Pour off Eattraystreet wharf, and four skirting the course of channel between the upper red beacon and Kilgonr’ a Point., The cost will average L4O each, entailing a total expenditure of L 320. . T be Inspector reports the .completion of the contract for leading lights on the sandspit at the Heads. He also notifies that the necessary equip* ments have been fumised and fixed ready for use In accordance therewith the payment voucher is forwarded with the Usual certificate. Progress payments had been issued in favor of the contractors for the construction ,of punts and removal ofl the training wall, the amounts being L3OO and LSO respectively. 6 _ The filling in of rock material between the piles ef Epttray street extension wharf is now completed, and the process of finishing to level the “ ba/*iriw e •• l?.^?e ra £ uaU yaccomplished. Qncompletion of thei jUtter, the remaining timber work of the wharf will he executed so that* the entire length of the extension mny, Without delay, be utilised for berthage ot vessels* •

Borings were Undertaken in and about the site of the proposed docks, with the view of affording the most complete information to Mr Gordon on his arrival, but they have not yet been carried to the extent desired on account of the punt in use for such purpose having been, in accordance with the terms of, contract, required for the removal of the timber ‘or the training wall. , Immediately on completion of the latter' work the borings will bo re- ; snmcd, when I will be in a position to report fully ; as to the result.

■ lam at present engaged in the preparation of a i plan intended to show the exact boundaries and Board’s property lying between the D. P. and O. B. Eailway, and sections along the Anderson s> Bay road; As also between the Clntha Bailway and the H.W.M. shown on. the Crown Grant as the northern boundary of the Town Belt in the direction

, I have the honor-to forward the return of work performed by the, dredges and steamer Peninsula, of which, the following, is a summary- ■, Total quantity'dredged and deposited, 12,410 jaim, Current expenditure for the month, Lfill Los lid. ‘

< New Era.—Quantity lifted, 10,234 yards; cost, inclusive of towage and repairs to punts, L 450 19a lla==abent 10|d per cubic yard.' , Side Dredge.—Quantity lifted,2l,76Q yards; cost, inclusive of towage and repairs tp punts, L16015s = about Is sfd per cubic yard. , Towage.—7Bo punts, cost L 134 la lid = Ss’fid per ]FRU»- ’

■ Tboclmnnel is now. dredged to a uniform width or 200 ft as far as the termination of Rattray street E har j- „Tbe side dredge, which preceded the New Era to 300 ft along the tramway wall,, has been removed to near the head of the wharf, in order to •j 5? tlle R reates t possible depth close along, side the jetty. The ordinary repairs to jetties and Snnts have received attention during the month, lesars Murray and Co. have finished fourof the hew puntp, and the fifth is well advanced-. Messrs Sutherland and Co. have completed the erection of the leading lights. The internal fittings have all been set np, and the lights are now ready for use, The removal of the training wall is progressing satisfactorily. Messrs Kincaid and M Queen have got a, large portion of the new ! dredge framed and plate? in position. Tour instructions respecting Eattray street wharfhave been attended to. In the early part of the month the borings round the docks were made as per schedule in your hands. .As a large portion of the new wharf is now available for berthage, it will be necessary to provide dolphins for warping vessels from the jetty, os well a3 for marking the channel.. I would therefore respectfully suggest that four new dolphins, similar nr construction to those recently erected, be driver, at eqnpl intervals at a distance from the wharf sujf. fiment to allow the channel to be cut to its nltim-. width. • •

I would also beg leave to observe that sh.ip.-mas-tera frequently complain’ of the South Channel being insufficiently marked—some of the beacons being too small to be easily distinguished at night. As I think there is occasion for snch complaints I ■ would respectfully ask that you give the matter your consideration, with a view to having, the smaller beacons enlarged and rendered more conspicuous. ,

, H T' rafi resolved that tenders should he invited for the construction of the dolphins required, and that the suggested survey of the Board s property ip the direction of the prpposed Ocean Beach < ail way be executed. Messrs M Neil, Eitchie, and Captain *\< *]Vlahon were requested to examine the form of contract received, and to report.upon it. Several accounts were passed for payment.