HARBOR MATTERS.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 431, 2 June 1902, Page 3

HARBOR MATTERS.

(To the Editor of the Times). Sin,—la a letter by Bluejacket ”in your issue of May 30th, tho writer criticises the harbor members as to their qualifications, knowledge, and bunglings in respect of marine engineering and works connected with tho harbor required for the convenience and safety of shipping ; any sane person with a small amountkof experience in seafaring matters cannot but with tho remarks contained therein, and as a further proof of things, mixed, the following will illustrate : —At the last meeting the Harbormaster, necessarily requiring a compass to enable him to carry out his duties, submitted a good one to the Board which could be obtained at a reasonable price, l’his they refused upon the official interference of the engineer, who stated that the survey of the bay had been carried out by the sextant, implying that there was no use for such an instru■•ment as the compass. Supposiug the red buoy was washed upon, the beach, could ‘.the engineer proceed in a boat and placo • h e r upon tho original moorings of the ■ buoy with a sextant?. I doubt.it. His idea seems to me to be like the firewood cutter captain, who one trip took a deep-, water sailor with him to the Barrier for a load, and returning to Auckland it came on very thick weather. Tho deep water , sailor asked him to bring a compass on .. deck (which ho had below in his bunk) to steer by. The captain refused, remaiking at tho time what was the use of the compass “ when we cannot see ftangitoto.” Tho same will apply to tho charted positions of the buoys. It is not for the purpose of resurveying the Bay that the compass is required (this has already been done by competent men of our Navy), but simply to direct to the original moorings where the buoys may be driven from through stress of weather, and .also to pick up the anchorages for large vessels coming into tho Bay. The Engineor would lead us to believe that largo ocean-going steamships and sailing vessels with all tho latest appliances for navigating can dispense with the compass, anl be steered to their destinations by the sextant. Will tho Engineer explain how this can be done ? I doubt if he could steer the John ToWnley from tho river to her discharging ground with only the sextant to guide him. The above suggests that it would be well to define the duties of the Engineer and those of the Harbormaster, or are both combined in one ? By all appearances it seem that when all the resources are expended the Gisborne or Poverty Bay Harbor will bo like she bone that Mother Hubbard went to look for in the cupboard to give the dog.—l am, etc., Another Bluejacket.