Harbour Extension.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume II, Issue 35, 17 August 1899, Page 3

Harbour Extension.

The following are the chief points of the report o£ the Royal Commission, Messrs Hay and linvson, on Mr Maxwell's proposal to extend the harbour work*?. It was received in Timarn on Saturday :—: — " Report. — The works for the construction of which the Board a^Jw sanction will consist of a rubble breakwater, starting from a point in, the existing work about 100 ft; shoreward of the outer end of the wharf. The proposed breakwater would from this point be built along a straight line making an angle of about 15f.i degrees with the centre line of the existing stem of the breakwater, 1 for a length of 1450 feet. It wonlfl from this point be built on a curve of 800 feet radius for a length of 330 feet. Beyond the curve there would be a length of about 720 feet of straight mole extending in a northerly direction. The whole length of^ the prop,os«d breakwater being 3000 feet, its outer end would be about V.170 feet from the end of the existing work, lying in a northeasterly direction. It is' proposed to build the new mole or breakwater entirely of rubble, there being abundance of stone of excellent quality available at a distance of about four miles, if the quarry shown to us is finally adopted. It is proposed to form the heart of the mole with the smaller material obtained from the quarry, the weight of the stones increasing outwards towards the faces. On the sea side the stones are to weigh from 5 to 15 tons or over, and the slope on the harbour side is to be covered with blocks weighing from ] to 5 tons. The finished height of the mole is to be 10 feet above high water level for the first 1450 feet, and the width on top 12 feet, while the base as designed would be about 150 feet, wide. The outer 1550 feet of the mole' will be 4 feet above high water level, the width on top being 20 feet, and at the bottom 140 feet. It is proposed j to tip the rubble from staging in the> usual way. A service railway about 4 miles long will be required. It will be laid along roads where they are available, and along the beach for as great a length as possible. "The depth of water at the end of the proposed extension of the breakwater would be about 26 feet. " The objects sought to be attained by the construction of "the proposed extension are :— The arresting of the heavier littoral drift for a very long time ; the mai7itenance of £he outer arm of the existing work ; the abatement

of the scend in the existing harbour, which is a cause of great inconvenience and some danger to shipping ; and the secnring of a sailing course on which shipswill not be exposed to such an extent as now to broadside waves. "It is expected that if the works ' are .rapidly carried out there will be considerable saving in the maintenance of the existing works. The outer .kant now requires extensive repairs owing to the breaking tip of many of the concrete blocks, caused in part by their being made of inferior concrete, and in part by the shingle having a very destructive effect on them when it is in violent mption under the action of heaw seas. '• The proposed height of the new outer arm— 4tt above high water level— will allow heavy seas to break over it, the crests of the wav^s in the most severe storms will probably be sft to 6ft higher than the top of the mole, and there will thud be considerable quantities of water sweeping over it on such, occasions, the waves breaking on the mole, and their crests being thrown over it. Moles no higher above high water level appear to have been sufficient in similar cs?ses, but should the proposed height be found rather low, it can easily be increased. " The proposed mole will arrest the shingle drift for a very long period, say 25 to 30 years, at least, depending on the form taken by the beach, and whether or not the mean rate of accumulation up till now continues to obtain. At the end of this time the question of shifting the shingle would again have to be dealt with, but if the shingle were then to be washed over the mole in great quantities, as is now happening, ' it could then readily be dredged in a situation where little interference with the v/orking of the port would occur. " We are of opinion, after carefully considering all the reasons adduced in favour of the construction of the proposed mole, and the probable results that are likely to be obtained therefrom, that its construction will be 1 of great benefit to the port, inasmuch as vessels will thereby be able to, trade at the port of Timaru with "much less chance of Interruption, and delay, and with much greater safety. These in our opinion are the most cogent reasons in favour of the extension, the questions of shifting shingle and protection of the existing work being of lesser importance. We therefore approve of the plans and estimates, subject to heavier rubble being uSed, and we respectfully recommend, that sanction be given for the construction of the proposed mole in accordance with' the plans.