AN INTERESTING CURIO.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2926, 22 August 1925, Page 2

AN INTERESTING CURIO.

A curio of considerable interest was handed lo us this morning by Mr. R. Owen. Ij consists of, what at first appearance, would be taken for a piece of discoloured coral. In reality, however, it is a piece of Australian hard wood, portion of one of the piles of the Waitara wharf. The wood is as sound as the 1 day it was put in but is so perforated with holes that it now hears the resemblance of a piece of coral or a sponge—the result of tin 1 ravages of the Toredo marine grub, which has a particular partiality for some hard woods. In conversation with Mr Owen eiur representative was informed that while in Waitara at the beginning of this week he paid a visit to the loe-al wharf where repairs were being carried out owing to the subsidence of portion of the structure. As a result of investigations by a diver (MY. George Laing) it was discovered that the cause of the trouble was the destruction of the piles below the surface of the water by tUe /foredo, whole piles being completely eaten through by the grub. Peculiarly enough Mr. Laing reported that the totimi piles in the structure were e'piite sound although the Toredo had in several instances commenced operations on them, but given it up, preferring the Australian hard wood.

In conversation with Mr. W. Laing, secretary of the Waitara Harbour Board, Mr Owen was informed that the mined piles have onlv been in use only twelve years. Mr'Owen was also shown two specimens of the Toredo, which is about three inches long ami has what appear to he two knives attached to its head. The grub lives in the wooel and as it elevelops so the ho;ies are bored larger until the whole- pile is honeycombed.