Harbour Improvements.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7799, 15 April 1905, Page 2

Harbour Improvements.

* BREAKWATER AND WHARF EX- V j TENSION, ENGINEER'S REPORT. f The consulting engineer to tho t Harbour Bourd (Mr F. W. Marchant) reported to Friday's meeting V as follows ; j: " T'he breakwater extension work n ifj proceeding very satisfactorily and t all the plant used in connection e with it is working thoroufehjy well, c •' The foreman and staff have u. * complete grasp of the working oper- t iiliona and could not do betur than l is being done. ' ■• So ..far lift, ol extension have i been completed and another I4i't. < section will lie finished to-nighl (An- < ril 14). Some very line blocks of | r lUblu have been obtained from the upper ifuuir.v a red set in the more . exposed portions of the work. '■' The system of construction arranged for is a rubble foundation up jto low water mark, covered by 30 j tons if concrete random blockwork, • levelled off on lop by concrete in j situ wiith capping blocks and con- I Crete laid again on that to Oft. above high water mark ; the width of the capping being 31ft. " The wave-breaker is to consist of the heaviest rubble blocks and 30-ton concrete out's in addition. " This, or, a kindred system, is a necessity on account of the sand deposit and drift around the work, it i is not anticipated that there will I be much, if any, settlement in ths 3 body of the work. The wave-ljreuker s will require making up from time to. , time ,by the addition of further s blocks until heavy seas have thor- . oughly consolidated and settled it. *■' I think tho system will be found 1 an excellent and economical one, ■_ and is capable of being carried on in weather in which no set blockwork could bed»ne. h "In default of actual trial thcro v was always some doubt whether e the system of construction could be e satisfactorily executed by the plant >' and means wo have at hund, and without the use of staging. " This point is now definitely setiY tied and there is no doubt but that we can make satisfactory and fairly " iquick progress' as we are working, £ and thus save a large sum by being ulblo to dispense with the use of staging. There is, moreover, a great j. objection to the use of staging here, situated bo close to the navigation water as it would be, and that is a tho great risk t 0 shipping entering. * anil leaving the port whenever any of the staging timbers broke adrift s and lay in the track of vessels, d which would certainly happen now c - and then. t " These details have lieen discusse ed because in consultation with i- Mr Napier Bell, M.1.C.E., he snnch tioned tho system of construction ii, adopted, but pointed out that the <1 detailed methods of working could i- only bo tried and amended as found i- necessary, and that unless very con- ;, siderable expenditure in plant and •ri establishment was undertaken in the il first instance it could not be conlidr- ently predicted whether we could is make satisfactory progress and thos _ roughly stable work, with means we j- could employ for a short length of , s work and' a small capital expoudie- ture. s_ " This point is now cleared up, and if a 'considerable length of work were to be undertaken we could, by making certain comparatively inexpensive alterations and additions to the plant, proceed more quickly than we now can do, and without the employment of any staging at all."

Referring to the wharf extension, Mr Marchant reported that this work was proceeding very slowly as the ground was very hard for pile driving, and only a lew men were employed on it. At the present rate of progress it should be finished a/bout the end of the year, but if more hands were engaged, its completion would of course be hastened He re.ommcndcd that as many men as, could profitably employed should be engaged on it as soon as thev could be obtained, as after its completion there would bo a good deal of dredging work required in connection, with it before a would be available for shipping. Tlie foreman reported that during the month 15 piles had been driven comprising four complete bovs. The' four pairs of corresponding headstocks had been pu(| on, also a number of the longitudinal string ers. The total number of piles now driven was now 36. The new 5 ton crane had been used at pile driving and was working y e rv well I'ho reports were received The matter of employing extra men was left to the foreman.