A DANGER To NAVIGATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 86, 7 May 1909, Page 2

A DANGER To NAVIGATION.

The somewhat surprising discovery made by the Tutanekai since her arrival in port that an uncharted ruck exists iu the vicinity of .Moturoa rock, and practically iu the fairway of vessels taking a .southern course from the port, is a matter requiring the earnest attention of the authorities. That its existence should hitherto have been unsuspected is probably due t 0 the fact that vessels of greater draught than 14 leet have not been working the port. Had not the Corinna—by the merest, chance, perhaps— grazed the rock on a recent voyage, it is ijuitc possible that nothing would'havc been known of its existence until a vessel of deeper draught had the misfortune to foul it with disastrous results. Xo doubt the Corinna. has often passed over the same spot before, but probably at a time when the tide was more favorable. The discovery serves to emphasise the fact that the Admiralty charts of Xew Zealand waters are still incomplete, and with the prospective growth of deepsea shipping on this coast no time should be lost in bringing the charts up-to-date. It was recently shown in connection with Hie Penguin wreck that the .chart then being used was about 40 years oi„, and it was suggested that it was quite possible the ill-fated Penguin bad come to grief on an uncharted rock. That theory has not yet been disprou'd, and. to our mind, the Tutanckai's discovery, iu conjunction with the feiiguin mystery, should be strongly brought under the notice of the Minister of Marine and the Admiralty, with u view to having the survey of the Xew Zealand coast, and particularly the west coast, thoroughly revised.