THE HARBOR SCHEME.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 April 1921, Page 4

THE HARBOR SCHEME.

TEST OF PARITUTU ROCK.. “STONE APPEARS SUITABLE” THE ENGINEERS SATISFIED. ) The first blast in Paritutu to ascertain if the rock is suitable for the New Plymouth harbor extension scheme was made yesterday morning. •Speaking to a Daily News reporter after the test the engineers on the work expressed satisfaction with the results, stating that the stone disclosed by the blast appeared to be suitable for the purpose for which it is required. A representative of the Nobel Explosive Company, who came from Nelson for . the purpose of witnessing the explosion and advising the engineers, and who has had. world-wide experience in quarrying work, stated that in his opinion the stone was just what was required. Since the last meeting of the New Plymouth Haribor Board, when a deck sion was arrived at to proceed at once with a test of Paritutu for stone quarry* ing purposes, the work has been actively pushed forward by the and the final stage of the test wae| reached yesterday, with, it is reported, satisfactory results. A charge consist-] ing of 21-5 tons of explosives was fireefc shortly after 10 o’clock, and a huge mass* of stone, estimated at 30,000 tons, was. dislodged, and the geological composition of the sugarloaf exposed to viewji IMPRESSIVE SPECTACLE. f The actual explosion presented a mosfl impressive spectacle. The charge ex-j ploded with a heavy roar, and the eaet-< ern face of the hill was projected head* long into the site of the old quarry/ which is now completely obliterated and buried beneath a tumbled mass of jagged rocks. The shock of the discharge was felt for a considerable distance, the ground vibrating as from the effects ofit an earthquake. For some considerable time great masses of rock continued to race down the precipitous face of the hill, the deceptive height of the facet making their headlong progress seem pe* culiarly slow. Wide fissures were opened in the overhanging rock at the top ofi the sugarloaf, and a large quantity of rock is liable to topple over ati any time. In this connection the public are warned of danger, and are adviseeb not to approach the base of the' hill. In preparation for the blast a tunnel had been driven 40 feet into the rock, and wing tunnels extended to the right and left. The charge consisted of 98 cases of Nobel’s- Monobel, and was care* fully and substantially sealed up to en* sure the best results. That the work was well carried out is apparent, and experts are of opinion that the charge was neatly gauged, the most useful amount of explosives being a quantity just sufficient to do the work without uselessly shattering the rock. The Harbor Board have now a very large supply of material to hand, and with the proposed endless tramway, for which the force of gravitation will be* the motive power, it is expected to expedite the work of harbor construction. It is understood the next move will be to construct this tramline, and by its use the loaded trucks going down the grade to the base of the breakwater will haul the empty trucks up to the quarry, this being considered the mosh efficient and economical method of handling the stone. -“NEW ERA OF PROGRESS.” Speaking of the available sources of stone supply, the engineers point outs that the idea that the Moturoa stone is useless for harbor work is a mistaken one. They say the working of the island has only been temporarily abandoned as circumstances made it necessary to secure a supply quickly and cheaply to carry out the extension of the breakwater/ It is hoped th (it the Moturoa Island stone will later on be utilised for constructing the rubble wall between the present end of the breakwater and the island. The harbormaster (Captain Waller) ex* presses the opinion that the opening of the Paritutu quarry is the beginning of a new era of progress of harbor development. He states mat he believes the stone is eminently suitable for the purpose, and that no time should be tost in making it available by the construction of the proposed tramway. Be points out that Paritutu, when levelled off at something like the height of the proposed quarry floor, would make an excellent site for a lighthouse. A lighthouse in such a commanding position, he says, will not only be a great advantage when the port expands, but will become an absolute necessity. THE CHAIRMAN’S VIEW. Speaking to a News representative thechairman of the Harbor Board (Mr. Newton King) said no one deplored more than he the necessity for interfering in any way with a historic and interesting landmark like Paritutu. He had always taken an interest in the preservation of Nature’s works. But the board had no option if the work of harbor improvement were to proceed. There was no other place whence suitable material could be obtained at a cost within the means of the board. He hoped that it would not be necessary to destroy the whole of Paritutu, and that later on Nature would, in her beneficent way, cover the scars. It is stated the engineers will immediately put in another drive and bring down more rock. This, it is hoped, will serve requirements for the next few years. A great deal of the townward side of Paritutu has been affected by yesterday’s blast, and it is a different looking, sugar-loaf from what it has been for many centuries past. It bears the appearance ’of being grievously wounded, and is no longer a “thing of beauty ” However, it is expected the next blast will improve the symmetry of Paritutu, and that in a few years vegetation will appear on the scarred and open parts, but it will never be the same looking sugar-loaf again. The. word Paritutu means: “pari,” the side of a hill; “tutu,” a native herb, poisonous to cattle. Translated freely, it means a steep hill on which thia herU grows. |