302 



gravel was afterwards found not to answer, as the river undermined the 

 sheeting, and the gravel ran out, thus destroying the roadway of the wharf. 

 Long sheet piling, driven from 12 to 15 feet into the solid was also tried, but 

 eventually it was found that the work most suited for the river was formed 

 with strong piles, driven as deep as they could be driven, about 6 feet 

 apart, with a capping tied to back piles, and the space behind the front 

 piles filled in with brushwood ; the roadway of wharf being formed with 

 planking, on stont bearers. The brushwood if weighted slightly, when a scour 

 took place, sank, and took the place of the soil scoured away from below it ; 

 and with careful supervision the work stood very well. 



In forming the wharf and such protective works as were done, care was 

 taken at first to keep the form of the bank in one regular sweep ; this was 

 done for the purpose of keeping the channel as regular as possible where 

 navigable, and also to keep the water together to gain the whole effect of the 

 river current on the bar, which was considered the most likely course to keep 

 the bar low and give a good channel. 



In 1868 the whai'f and other river works passed into the hands of the 

 Corporation of Hokitika. 



RIVER DIVERSION". 



In 1866 the river showed a strong disposition to leave the channel running 

 past the town, and resume a former channel next the opposite bank, between 

 which and the town there is an island, shown in the accompanying plans. The 

 late Mr. Balfour, who was there at the time, recommended that a dam should 

 be thrown across this channel in its narrowest pai't, and he was of opinion 

 that if this could be completed without a serious flood taking place while the 

 work was going on, that it would cause the river to deposit silt above it, thus 

 securely stopping the south channel ; unfortunately however, this dam was 

 carried away when half finished by a very heavy flood. After that, a wattled 

 weir, about 18 inches above the surface, was carried across the broad upper 

 part of the mouth of the channel, and this prevented it from being scoui-ed 

 deeper until the river had shifted its channel to the weir, when of coiirse it 

 was undermined and partly carried away. The shingle bank abov^e the town, 

 shown on the plan, had by this time extended southwards so far as to push the 

 whole body of the river close into the mouth of the south channel, and unless 

 some action had been taken the whole of the river would have left the wharf 

 and taken that channel. 



In February, 1867, a cutting was made through the bank above the town, 

 and a weir was put in across the river, as shown on the plans. The cut was 

 8 feet wide in the bottom. The weir was formed with caissons filled with 

 gravel, similar to those described before as used at the groins on the sea-beach, 

 the depth being made to suit the depth of water ; the top of the weir was 



