PROGRESS AT THE HARBOR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8114, 19 May 1906, Page 3

PROGRESS AT THE HARBOR.

BREAKWATER EXTENSION The heavy wrsl cf 1 y weather prevailing throughout the last month has, reports the foreman of works, prevented any effective work being done at the cud of the breakwater. The intervals of line weather were so short that he deemed il too risky to attempt putting down a section. But a further quantity of i)U tons of large i-tone was placed 011 the apron, which is now very wide at the base, and the stones are well set. Twenty-four concrete bloeks for the extension works were made during the month, and thorc are now seventy-Four blocks on hand. The aprou round the bend of the breakwater on the old work lias been very much reduced by the recent gules, ami will require attention shortly.

Mr Connetl, i!u' Board's Chairman, commented very favorably yesterday on the improvements made iu the stool tip-waggons used in the concrete work. Four of tlicni have boon iiltcil with trunnions, and the bodies of the waggons can now be lilted from the un-der-carriages by the crane, and tipped iu the same way as ordinary concrete buckets. The saving of time and labor iu landing concrete at the end of the breakwater will be considerable, as ■dx yards can now be conveyed from the mixing-shed on each trip of the locomotive, instead oE throj yards, as under the old system of using buc kets. Mr F. W. Marehant, the Board's engineer, has reported in a most decided fashion against the suggestion to load old steamers with concrete and scuttle them beside the breakwater for protective works. His reasons are weighty. First, there would be the cost of navigating the vessel up from Wellington, and the filling her with concrete would cost just as much as making concrete blocks as at present. Then there would be the risk of wrecking the hulk in the wrong place, and it would be safe (o wager lliat this \umld occur, " With every yard of large stone or concrete block that is used in tin; breakwater," says Mr Marehant, "we know we get a useful resull, ami each sue.li block is set exactly where it is needed most. Yon eiinn" possibly get a better or cheaper res::!..