NEARLY 1,000,000 TONS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 22, 19 October 1937, Page 13

NEARLY 1,000,000 TONS

Work of Dredging Napier Harbour HARDEST WORK COMPLETED The Auckland Harbour Board's dredge Hapai has completed ita operatious at the Napier Breakwater and it is expected to arrive back in. Auckland prior to the expiry of the charter pefiod. Sinee commencing work the Hapai handled 186,700 tons of material. The dredge Whakarara during the month handled 28,700 tons of material, making a total of 948,000 tons to date. At yesterday'e meeting of the Napier Harbour Bpard the engineer, Mr G. W. B. Lowaon, in "his report on the dredging operations for the past month stated that the Whakarire had completed tbe most difficult work comprised in tho dredging programme. Mr Lowson reported as under: — \ The Auckland Harbour Board's dredger Hapai yesterday compieted areagmg operations unaer the one year s charter to this board. This siiouid, adioiwng for possible hold-up tnrougii bad weather, givi. the vessei ample time to lift her mooriugs, prepare for sea and arrive back rn Auckland prior to the expiration of the ciiarter period. In this connection I beg to record my appreciation of tlie loyal service renuered this board by the napai 's dredgemaster, Mr A. G. Brebner, and his officers and crew, and to thank the Auckland Harbour Board's engineer, .Mr D. Bolderness for allowing the Hapai to remam at Napier until the termination of the charter period, although 1 understand the vessei tQ be rather urgentiy required for work in Auckland. After complcting the dredgmg of the berth at wharf No. 3 to their lxnal low water deptli of 35 feet, the "Hapai" recommeuced dredging tlie basin between the Glasgow and No. 3 wliarves to 30 feet JL.W.O.b.T. On October 9 the board's bucket drodger "Whakarire" completed cut No, 7 to tho west of tho pro^ected large wharf No. 4 to a low water depth of x8 icet, tkereby bringmg to a successful conclusion tlie most difficult work comprised in tho Board's dredging programme. # The inshore portion of the harbour where tae bulk of dredging has had to be done was, as the board knows, covsred with loose boulders, and this, when taken in conjunction with the shallow depths in whien the dredger had to operato and to cut its own flotation, rendered dredging both.arduous and diffi?ult, with no iittle risk to tbe maehine ltseif. In places the country being dredged was actually uncovered at low water. Considorable credit is therefore due to the officers and crew of the Whakarire for the care and attention given by them to tho carrying out of the work, masmuck as, apart from damage sustained over two years ago to the port rudder and propeller through striking an overhangmg boulder, the dredger has cdmpieted her heavy lask without mishap. The .Whakarire is at the moment deepening the western berth for wharf No. 4, where the material is found to be quite easily dredgable, and has yet some slight battering to do on the inshore end of the wharf site.