HARBOUR IMPROVEMENTS

Otago Witness, Issue 4032, 23 June 1931, Page 26

HARBOUR IMPROVEMENTS

QUARANTINE ISLAND ROCK OBSTRUCTION BLOWN AWAY. (PIIOTOGEAPHS IN THIS ISSUE.) Mr J. Loudon, chairman of the Otngd Harbour Board, states that after carefully considering and analysing the reports of his officers he is quite satisfied that the work of clearing the obstructing piece of rock on the channel side of Quarantine Island has proved eminently successful—in fact, the result has exceeded their anticipations. Mr Loudon said he had consulted with the harbour master (Captain Maclean), the engineer (Mr M‘G. Wilkie), the mechanical engineer (Mr R. Robertson), and Captain Coll M'Donald, who had an experience of navigating the harbour for the past 50 years, and they had been unanimous in the opinion that the work had been most successfully carried out. Mr Loudon has received the following report from Captain Mac Lean: — “ As instructed, I beg to report regarding the effect of the recent blasting operations at -Quarantine Island and the subsequent dredging of this particular locality. On Thursday, June 11, Mr Wilkie, Mr Robertson, and I swept over the area dredged by the dredge 222 with a sweep 24 feet long and set at a depth of 30 feet, and found no obstruction at that depth. At present the channel between the islands exceeds 300 feet in width, and 30 feet in depth, at low water. With leading beacons on either side at the approach to the islands, and the dredged edge of the channel marked with piles, I eousider it as safe as any other part of the channel in the Lower Harbour, i.e., passing the mole end, Harrington Point, and Rocky Point. Vessels of the maximum draught for the Victoria channel should find no difficulty in negotiating the channel between the Halfway island. Sounding plans of the whole width of the passage between the islands are being prepared and will be submitted at the earliest opportunity.” The above is eminently satisfactory, added Mr Loudon, and should be gratifying to shipowners and shipmasters visiting the port. This work has been carried out by Mr F. Goodman (of Gisborne) and a very capable crew. In all 72 holes were bored into the rock, each to a depth of 35ft below low water mark, and over 20001 b of blasting gelatine was used in one blast. The result, as indicated above, is mutually satisfactory, and the removal of this obstruction adds another achievement to the long list of important contracts successfully carried out by Mr Goodman.