HARBOR BOARD.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1042, 22 August 1879, Page 2

HARBOR BOARD.

The regular meeting of the Board was held to-day, when there were present — Mr. Sumpter (Chairman), tho Hon. Mr. Miller. Messrs. Shrimski, Gilchrist, Gibbs, Duncan, Hassell, Borrie, Aitken. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed, and the outward correspondence was read and adopted. The manager of the Union Bank wrote asking for instructions with reference to the floating of the loan, Parliament having been dissolved without passing the Bill authorising the issue of the whole sum of LIOO,OOO. The Finance Committee reported having forwarded a letter in reply instructing the bank to raise L 30,000 only, and await the passing of the Bill before placing the balance of the loan. The following letter from the Harbormaster was read, and was accompanied by scales of charges for light dues, &c. : Oamaru, 20th August, 1579. Dear Sir, —As the Board lias altered the charges for warps from 2d to 3d per ton, also fixing the time allowed for use of same, I think the clause in former scale of charges for warps, wherein vessels making more than one trip per week are charged half rates for the second trip, and the third trip free, should be annulled, and the following substituted :—All vessels makiug more than one trip per week to be charged for warps at wharves for the first trip only, other trips same week free. There is the matter of pilotage charges still unsettled. I think the application to the Marine Department should be renewed, and beg to submit the enclosed scale of charges for the Board's consideration. The Marine Deprrtment should, in my opinion, be asked to allow the Board to levy light dues, otherwise the Department should be requested to maintain the Cape lig it, and alter it to either a bright rcvolvh g or a bright flash light. As it is at present it is all but useless, and the Breakwater light and danger lights are properly the harbor lights. As requested, I enclose form of pilotage exemption certificate.—l have, &c., Wm. Sewell, Harbormaster. Thomas Forrester, Esq., Secretary Harbor Board, Oamaru. The letter and its enclosures were rereferred to the Standing Committee for consideration and report. The Chairman stated that the Harbormaster had complained to him that masters of vessels were in the habit of disobeying his instructions to stand to sea when the harbor was too full to receive them. He had received a letter referring to the subject, which he would ask the Secretary to read. The following letter was then read : New Zealand Insurance Company, Auckland, 17th July, 1579.

Dear Sir, —I have read with much interest your letter of the 7th iiist. to Mr. Eliott, in reply to my inquiry respecting the vessels which were alongside the Breakwater at the time the accident occurred to the Franklin Belle. It is satisfactory to find that they rode out the gale in safety under the protection of a work of which Oamaru may bo justly proud. I trust the Harbor Board will see its way to its immediate extension. With reference to your suggestion, I think it would be preferable if you passed a byelaw inflicting a penalty on masters of vessels who should come in contrary to the instructions of the Harbormaster. The Insurance Companies will, I am sure, give you all the protection and help they can in the matter, and, as Chairman of the New Zealand Marine Underwriters' Associations, I have addressed a circular to the various Associations on the coast and Australia. I am, &c., ■Jso. W. Pierce, General Manager. George Sumpter, Esq., Oamaru. The question of framing a bye-law to meet the cases of masters refusing to stand to sea when required was referred to tlie Standing Committee. Accounts to the amount of Ll5O 9s were passed for payment. The Engineer (Mr. M'Gregor) attended to give details of his proposed scheme for dredging the harbor in connection with the following report Dunedin, 7th August, 1579. The Chairman, Oamaru Harbor Board. Sir, —I have tha honor to report that I have considered the question of deepening the harbor, and, with this object in view, have sunk several borc-holcs through the material forming the natural depths varying from 16ft. to 27ft.

The result of tlie trial borings clearly demonstrates that it is quite practicable to dredge the whole area of the harbor to an uniform depth of 24ft. at low water by the application of special machinery designed for removing the particular kind of material of which the bottom is composed.

In Messrs. Miller and Smillie's contract for extension of Macandrew wharf a sum of LGOO is set down in the schedule for dredging sand along the line of caissons that form the foundation of the wharf. The contractors are willing to pay Lsoi) if the Board will provide machinery and remove the sand so that the caissons can be founded at a sufficient depth to admit of future dredging in front, if required. Messrs. Kincaid, M'Queen, and Co., recently built a small dredge for Greymouth Harbor, to the order of the Colonial Government, which appears to be doing the work for which it was designed in a very successful manner, as testified to by the District Engineer's reports enclosed herewith. I have been in communication with Kincaid and M'Queen for some time back with reference to providing dredging plant for the Oamaru Harbor, and I now submit for the consideration of the Board design and cost of small dredge that would be suitable for present requirements of Oamaru. It will be seen that the price is L 2570, including a full set of steel-pointed picks that take the place of every alternate bucket when the dredge is working in hard material. LSOO of this caii be got from the contractors, so that the cqst to the Board would ho reduced to L 2070,

I think the question of ordering this dredge deserves the serious consideration of the Board. The amount involved is not large, and the time involved in construction veryreasonable.

I have prepared two tracings, showing the part of the harbor that would require to be dredged first. Plan No. 1, with, fork pier, requires 209,341 cubic yards to be removed, to give depths of 22 and 24 feet at low water over areas colored respectively mauve and blue. Plan No. 2, with single pier, requires 173,933 cubic yards to be removed to give similar depths. Taking the cost of dredging and removal at 9d per cubic yard, plan Jvo,' 1 would amount to L7SSO; and plan No. 2to L 6522 ; or, in round numbers, including plant, to about LIO,OOO for plan No. 2. For this expenditure 22 feet of wat~i' would be obtained along the whole length of the Macandrew wharf at low tide, and 24 feet on each side of proposed extension of No. 3 wharf, with approach from the end of Breakwater having a similar depth. It will be necessary for the Board to come to an early decision with reference to ordering a dredge, if Messrs. Miller and Smillie's offer is to be taken advantage of, because if the Board is not going to provide dredging plant at present, then the contractors will require to provide such temporary plant as will enable them to remove the sand specified in their contract for foundations of Macandrew Wharf.—l have, &c., Johk M'Gregor, Engineer.

Mr. M'Gregor at some length explained the details of the scheme, and answered a number of questions. Some discussion then took place upon the subject, during which several members expressed the opinion that the time had not yet arrived for dredging the harbor, and that they should wait until the extension of the Breakwater was completed.

Mr. Shrimski moved, " That the Board is not prepared at present to purchase dredging plant referred to in Mr, M'Gregor's report." The motion was seconded by Mr. Gilchrist, and carried. The Board then rose.