THE HARBOR.

Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1670, 9 February 1906, Page 3

THE HARBOR.

[(To the Editor Gisborne Timea^

Siu,-—ln reply to “ Nut Sod’s ” letter in this morniDg’s paper, I wißh to say that tho soundings shown in tho Nautical Almanao for 1905 were not given by the officers of tho Penguin, but were sent in by tho Board’s Engineer and wero misleading, You will had that there are no soundings shown in this year’s almanao; but tho channel is shown in the centre between the two piers. I thought it best not to show any soundings, as they vary. Wo are now using the Penguin’s tide gauge, whioh is Ift 4in loss than the old tide gauge, and the ohannel is now in tho I centre, hence tho difference in my sound-

ing°. •* Nuf Sed ” must know that it would have beon impossible to have got the s.s. Storm to the wharf drawing lift Bin under the samo weatbor conditions until very lately, proving the great improvement in theohannel. Penquin’s low water soundings in 1902 and Harbor-

mastar’a in 1906: 1902. ' 1906. End of breakwater, lift ... 10ft Bin

3rd bollard from end of breakwater 7ft ... Bft 2in Snark’s landiDg -sft ... 6ft 6:n Big crane 4ft ... 6ft lOin Beaoon sft ... 7ft 6in Waikanae sft ... 7ft Oin Wharf 6ft ... 7ft Oin I shpll be pleased to show these soundings to anyone wishing to see them. W. OUMMING, Harbormaster. Bth Feb, 1906.

The contracting for the S.A. Outer Harbor works seems to be a somewhat worrying business. The original contractors were Waring and Eowden. After the first 12 months their health broke down and they had to retire, Then Baxter and Boyne took it on, and after six months Boyne succumbed to the strain and died. Now Baxter has it on his own, and he doesn’t look too happy.—Bulletin. Settler Pickersgill, at Archie’s Creek (Vic.), is the possessor of a snakehunting cat. Pussy frequently drags in a damaged black snake to provide amusement for a clutch of kittens. The snakes are not always dead, and the other day the housewife, going to a cupboard, narrowly escaped the fangs of a crippled “ tiger ” the cat had stowed away on the bottom shelf for future reference.

There is more trouble at S.A. outer Harbor works; and a prospect of 500 men being thrown out of work. The contractors have alleged all along that the Government plans, on which they were working, were all wrong. Now they declare that the only plan to make the channel navigable is to build a continuous wall on the northern side of the river for a great distance westward—as suggested in John Coode’s report on the matter. in 1881. The Government won’t hear of this, and wants the contractors to go on dredging the channel'till further notice at their own expense. Government also wants to charge the contractors for 80,000 cubic yards of drifted silt on" a pait of the channel not yet touched. The contractors have struck until they can get satisfaction, and things are at a standstill.