HARBOUR OF HALIFAX.

Taihape Daily Times, 11 December 1917, Page 6

HARBOUR OF HALIFAX.

NEW TERMINAL SCHEME. The harbour of Halifax, the eastern gateway of Canada, is generlly conceded to one of the finest in the world. The town was founded in 1749 through the endeavours of Lord Halifax, after whom it was named, and the British Government showed its .appreciation of the harbour by strongly fortifying it against sea attack, and by establishing a dockyard in 1759. Subsequently it came to be considered officially as the foremost British naval station upon the American continent, becoming in fact, the headquarters of the North Atlantic of -the Imperial Navy, But after the strategical ports maintained by Great Britain in Canada were handed over to the Federal Government, expansion was suspended to enable the Federal Government to determine the policy to be followed. *=»

In the meantime the commercial advantages of the harbour became more widely appreciated. During the winter months —from November to May, when the St. Lawrence is closed by ice to navigation, {and and Montreal are inaccessible from the sea, Halifax constitutes the sole Canadian port of entry upon the eastern coast. Consequently it has developed into a combined naval and mercantile port. The two harbours are quite distinct, since there are adequate facilities for the requirements of both branches of activity. The total length of the harbour is 134 miles to the head of Bedford Basin. From St. George’s Island to the Narrows, the distance is three miles, with a width of three-quarters of a mile, and a depth ranging from 10 to 14 fathoms at low water. It is this portion of the harbour which has been selected for commercial purposes and in which the greatest amount of activity is manifested.

On the Halifax, or -western, side, there are 17 wharves —exclusive of the terminal piers of the Inter-colonial Railway —capable of accommodating the largest vessels. These wharves have an aggregate area of 125,556 square feet. There are also 22 smaller wharves, having an area of 330,335 square feet, and a shed area of about 104,981 square feet. The depth of the water at these wharves varies from 29ft to 46 ft. at low tide. The Intercolonial, or Government, Railway has nine piers. Five of these are situated about one mile from the centre of the city and known as the ‘Terminal’ piers, while the remaining four are at Richmond. The piers are accessible at all hours of the day and all through the year,'as the harbour is absolutely free from ice.

The facilities described above, however, have been far from adequate, with the result that Halifax has lost much of the business which otherwise it might have received Vessels have gone to the American ports of Portland and Boston, and even New York, for this reason. The Federal Government realising the situation decided to undertake a comprehensive scheme of improvement involving an expenditure of over £6,000,000 with the object of rendering Halifax one of the "best-equipped ports upon the 'Atlantic seaboard, with facilities and accommodation sufficient for some years to come. This work was commenced before the war broke out and is now far advanced. The cable indicates that at Best portion was destroyed. The site of this “terminal scheme,” as it is called, is at Freshwater, on the harbour side of the city, between

,JL. George's and The project comprises a landing quay 2000 ft. in length, and six piers, each 1250 ft. in length, by 300 ft in width, with basins 300 ft. wide between. On the quay accommodation with the latest appointments is to be provided for immigrants. Each pier is equipped with four freight and passenger sheds, two storeys in height, with railway tracks on both levels. A grain elevator is also to form part of the installation, so designed that shoots can be run down each pier. In addition a union passenger station w T as to be provided at an estimated outlay of £200,000. In order to facilitate transportation between this “terminal scheme" and the city, a belt railway of the underground type was being constructed. It was to be five miles in *sngth, and the metals w r ere to be laid at a minimum depth \of SOftj. below the street level. 4 There is a graving dock north of the dockyard, 650 ft. long overall and 560 ft, on top of the keel blocks. The width at the entrance is 95ft. by 79.2 ft. on top of keel blocks, and the depth of water on the sill 30 ft. When completed in 1889 this dock -was the largest on the seaboard. It is equipped with modern machinery, for large and rapid repair work. The U.S.A., battleship Indiana, with full cargo and coal, and a number of other large vessels, have been docked and repaired with despatch. At low water the depth in the approach channel varies from 36ft. to 51ft.