HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS AT NEWCASTLE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 179, 12 June 1862, Page 4

HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS AT NEWCASTLE.

There are few more gratifying or satisfactory proofs ofthe extension of our colonial commerce than the rapid growth of the port of Newcastle. Situated close to the sea-board, within eighty miles of Sydney, and'in the vicinity of, anapparently inexhaustible coal field, Newcastle would seem designed by Nature to be the coaling port ofthe Pacific. Its increasing importance impresses very forcibly the.minds of those jyho occasionally visit the port,;the fact being readily TdemonstiStedCby<'fhe: imposing array of ships loading atlthe.public.'Wliariy or .'elsewhere about the harbor. Already;the:":exten£ to.which5 the cbal trade'has been developed, by the growingdemand forthe supply—not only: of;, these. Colonies, butofdistant countries, has given to Newcastle the appearance of a buwr.English seaport j J-the-'coiistant piissing of heavily laden trains

in front ofthe city are indications of activity and enterprise whicli are not prcseuted in auy other colonial town. Those who have never visited Newcastle, and who only judge of the importance of a place by the statistics of its commerce, may yet realise something of its commercial position from the fact that up to within the last month its export of coal averaged 7,350 tons weekly. This quantity, valued at 14s. 6d. per ton, would amount to about L 5,400 per week, or about L 280,000 sterlintr in the year. About a month since, the vessels in the harbor amounted to not less than 25,000 tons; and it-has been estimated that the coal companies at "Newcastle together pay abOut LIBO.OOO a year in wages alone.' This amount ofitrade must be considered extraordinary for a place of such recent growth as Newcastle; but no One who is at all acquainted with the extent either of the Hunter River coal fields, or of the demand that exists for this indispensable commodity, but must be conviuced thnt the trade of Newcastle might be almost, indefinitely extended, provided there wero a certainty that vessels arriving at the port would quickly got a cargo. A large proportion of the ships wliich discharge English cargoes at Melbourne and Sydney, ancl other Australian ports, would invariably come round to Newcastle for coal on their way to the eastern ports, in preference to filling with useless ballast, if they could rely on obtaining a loading immediately they reached the port,- and on being quickly despatched. Hitherto this necessary condition of the advancing prosperity of the port has not been thoroughly realised. For a long time the coal trade was checked by the want of wharf accommodation ; recently strikes have occurred at the mines, not only stopping the immediate production of coal, but creating in the various markets a feeling of uncertainty as to the supply. In addition to these drawbacks, the natural state of the harbor has militated against the progress of Newcastle as a coal ing'port, some extensive shoals contracting the space available for large ships, and .rendering the entrance and departure of vessels difficult and dangerous. ' One of these drawbacks is unhappily now again in operation, and is inflicting an incalculable injury upon the trade of the port. Fortunately, however, the mischief in the present instance is so far mitigated that the strike is confined to one of the companies, the other companies being able to supply the existing demand for coal* With regard to the other obstacles, it is satisfactory to be able to report that some extensive works are being undertaken by the Government for improving the harbor, and for facilitating tho shipment of coal, and that, so far as these have been carried out, a palpable benefit has been derived. The public works that, are being carried out for the improvement of the Newcastle harbor were recommended by Mr. E. 0. Moriarty four years ago, previous to his being appointed Engineer for Harbors. The general design of these works is to afford wharf accommodation for vessels loading with coal, to stop the drifting of sand into the harbor, and to effect the removal of the sand already obstructing the channels.

The most conspicuous of these improvements is the construction of a public wharf. This is a very substantial work, being formed of rows, three deep, of iron-bark piles, sheathed with Muntz metaland solidly planked over. Contracts are in progress for the continuation of. the wharf at either end. The western portion, -which is.being carried out by Mr. Davidson, and is nearly completed, will connect what is already finished with the steamer wharf. .

The eastern portion, which is undertaken by Mr. Ross, is in a less forward state. Each .contract is for 250 yards, and when both are finished, the wharf will be 1700 feet in length. As the wharf becomes more shallow towards lobby's, it is not intended to carry the wharf much further eastward, but to connect it with the breakwater by a line of ballast, upon which rails will be laid for the purpose of conveying ballast for the repair of the breakwater. Another use of this line of ballast will be that, by the formation of a continuous sea-wall, a small inlet at the back ofthe wharf, and -"St present full of water, can be pumped out, filled in, and the space made use of. It is also intended to remove a projection in the original coast line, which would interfere with the sweep of the water in front of the wharf. The wharf will, as money is voted by the Legislature, be continued westward, and will eventually be carried along the land at present occupied on sufferance by the shoots of the Newcastle Coal and Copper Company.

The public wharf is supplied with facilities for the coaling of vessels alongside, by double lines of rails which are carried the entire length, and by steam cranes. Blost ofthe coal from the pits of the A. A. Company and the Coal and Copper Company is supplied at their own shoots; the appliances at the wharf are for the shipment of coal from the Wallsend ancl Mmmi collieries, which arc connected by private lines •with the Great Northern Railway. There are at present four cranes at work, on the wharf. The three nearest to the ' steamers' wharf belong to the Wallsend Coal Company. It was arranged that the cranes should be put up by that Company, but that, the Government should have the option of purchasing them, and that they should be available for other coal companies. Acting under the recommendation of the Engineer for Harbors, the Government have refused to purchase the cranes, whicli are, however, free to the use of the public, just as if they had been public property. Accidents have occasionally occurred to the cranes, but generally their working has been satis-, factory, aud they have greatly facilitated the loading of vessels. The Government crane, which was designed by Mr. Moriarty, is larger in size than the others, and is on a different principle; having 27 feet of radius while they have only from 18 feet 6 inches to 21 feet radius. The working of the cranes Is very easy and expeditious; the skip, or box, containing the coal, on being attached to the chain suspended from the end of the arm", it is hoisted a few yards; the ajrm is turned round till the coal is above the deck of the vessel, when, by the removal of a pin. the' floor, or the end of the box, is' removed, • and the coal is discharged; upon which the machinery is again turned, and the emptied box is set clown, and another loaded one taken up. The Government crane can load, at low water, vessels drawing 16J feet; and opposite the' three Wallsend cranes, vessels can load, drawing respectively 15, 13J, and 12 feet, the water becoming gradually^ shallower towards the steamers' wharf. Mi\ Moriarty expects ultimately to obtain at the wharf a uniform depth of 24 feet, which is stated to be the_ ordinary depth of the harbor. A new crane, containing all the latest improvements, ancl capable of lifting 25 tons, has been ordered from England, and will, on arriving, be placed near the present Government crane.

• It was also fotind to be necessary to adopt measures for the deepening; of the coal channel, and for preserving deep water in front of the town. For this to be done completely, would require the removal of the stony ledge extending across the harbor—a work which' Mr. Moriarty did nor consider to be justified by the present trade of the* port. In the meantime he recommended fof the purpose of keeping that channel open that the wharfs should be brought to a fair curve; Another work recommended was the laying a border of ballast along the face of the bank extending from Bullock Island to opposite the A. A. Company's staiths, Oue of the.results of this work would be the 'acquisition of ground for a convenient line of wharfs; it would also furnish a sluicing reservoir sixteen hundred acres in exteiit; all the water received into or disharged from.whick, would be made to pass up and down the. coal channel, thereby widening and deepening it. The cost of lining this bank with ballast was estimated at £3,500, which sum has been voted by Parliament for the: work. 'A commencement was made, a few months since by, placing perches, or heaps' of stone, at distances ■of two hundred feet, to define the line of the wall, the total length of which will be about a mile and a half. Since these were placed,, a lighter has been employed in removing ballast from the ships waiting for coal, the stones being dropped between the heaps. Upon the dyke being finished, the tidal.'water will, when receding, be confined to and will effectually scour the channel. Should the plan of forming a line of wharf's along the bank be adopted, a swivelbridge would be carried across to where tire A. A. Company's staiths are lat present. It is expected that the lining of the bank with ballast will at the present rate, be completed in about a twelvemonth. .

Another work recommended by M. Moriarty, was desisted with the view of remedying the dangers arising from the peculiar form ofthe entrance of the harbour; the ebb-current passing across a shallow sand bank on which there is constantly a heavy surf. For this purpose a north pier is to be constructed, the effect of which will be to carry the entrance into deep water, and to alter the direction at present taken by the ebb tide, giving- it a set to seaward. Another effect is expected to be the stoppage of the inrunof sand during the flood tide, there being no corresponding force to carry it away. The sum of £5000 has been voted fortius pier, or breakwater, by Parliament, and the money is now in course 'of expenditure. It was originally proposed by Mr. Moriarty that the pier shouldbe constructed of" stone obtained from a quarry close to the Maitland railway, about three miles from Newcastle. Since then, however, it has been determined to use for this purpose the ballast brought by vessels arriving in tlie port for coal. A preliminary step has been taken in the construction of a small jetty, just within what may be called the north head. From this jetty across the sand to tlie site ofthe commencement ofthe proposed breakwater, rails will have to be laid. Several ships have been taken alongside the jetty and have deposited their ballast, a very large quantity of whicli will have to be supplied before the pier can be commenced, as the railway will be about twelve hundred. feet in length. ' The' trucks for the removal ofthe ballast arebeing made in Sydney, by Messrs.: Russell & Co. It is intended ultimately, to (ku-ry out the1 pier for a length ot 1500 feet. It will form a parallel wall to the breakwater, many years since formed to x connect Nobby's with the mainland.—Sydney •Mortiing'Herald. "." ....