MR. W. F. MARCHANT'S DEATH.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 March 1917, Page 6

MR. W. F. MARCHANT'S DEATH.

HARBOR BOARD'S EULOGY. In moving at yesterday's meeting of the Harbor Board that a vote of sympathy be passed to the relatives of the late Mr. W. F. Marchant, who was for many years engineer to the Harbor Board, Mr. E. Maxwell referred to the good work done by Mr. Marchant as an engineer, and corrected the erroneous impressions that were circulated at the time of Mr. Marchant's death. Mr. Maxwell said the news of Mr. Marchant's death came as a considerable shock to him. Mr. Marchant had been a man the speaker had always admired, and he and the speaker had been for many years onintimate terms with each other! Without exaggeration, Mr. Marchant could be described as the saviour of the port of New Plymouth. During his connection with the Board' Mr. Marchant had i straightened the wharf and had widened and extended it. He had converted the Thomas King from a grab dredge to a pump dredge, doing the work considerably under the estimate. . The dredge had lasted very much longer than anyone had expected. Mr. Marchant had designed the Pnritutu, and had supervised its construction. He had also improved and extended the breakwater. As the outcome of these services, New Plymouth had now a deep-sea port, and it was hard that he should have died without seeing the result of his efforts. Mr. Maxwell added that Mr. Marchant had never resigned, and that he died while in the Board's service as consulting engineer. The chairman (Mr. J. B. Connett) said it was sad that Mr. Marchant should be taken away just at this time.

Mr. Newton King said that in carrying out the extension to the breakwater Mr. Marchant had worked on a unique plan. He employed t'ie forces of nature and had built the extension on sand, a tiling seldom done before, and when his enterprise had proved successful he was the recipient of congratulations from many engnieers of high standing. Mr. King said Mr. Marchant was a relative of his, and he knew that'the latter had a tremendous fondness for New Plymouth. His death was a big shock to Mr. King. The vote was carried in silence, the members standing.