xxii 



Fifth Annual Report of the 



work will be found in another part of the Report under ' Scientific 

 (page lxxiii.). 



Investigations 



HARBOURS. 



Harbours con- 

 structed or 

 improved since 

 constitution of 

 Board. 



Total expend- 

 iture. 



Board 

 arranged to 

 give assistance 

 in construction 

 of a Harbour at 

 Portknockie. 



Reasons for 

 doing tbis. 



Plan of 

 Harbour, esti- 

 mated cost, 

 and bow 

 money is to be 

 paid. 



As stated in last year's Report, the Board, since their constitution 

 in October 1882, have given assistance towards the construction or 

 improvement of the following harbours, viz., Rosehearty, Aber- 

 deenshire ; Findochty, Banffshire; Ness, Island of Lewis; Crovie, 

 Banffshire; and St Monance, Fifeshire. 



Of these harbour works, Rosehearty and Findochty were under- 

 taken by the old Board, the former having been begun in 1881, 

 and the latter in 1882. This Board have expended £18,713, 5s. 

 on the above five works; and if to this amount is added the sum of 

 £3573, 15s. Id., paid by the old Board on the harbours of Rose- 

 hearty and Findochty, it will be seen that the total expenditure 

 on the harbours which this Board have assisted in constructing or 

 improving has amounted to £22,287, Os. Id., towards which £5800 

 was contributed on behalf of the different localities. 



We have recently arranged to give assistance in the construction 

 of a harbour at Portknockie. Portknockie is a natural creek a little 

 to the west of Scarnose Point — the most projecting point on the 

 coast of Banffshire — within about three miles of the town of Cullen 

 on the east, and about six miles of Buckie on the west. There is a 

 population of 1250, and there are 118 boats. The fishermen are a 

 hardy, reliant, adventurous, and deserving class ; and considering 

 the number of families who have gone to other points along the 

 coast, Portknockie may be said to have been the mother of several 

 other fishing communities in the neighbourhood. 



By the gale of the 31st March last, the most severe which has 

 been experienced for a long time, and which caused much destruction 

 to the fishing craft in the Moray Firth, including the loss of twelve 

 lives — eight belonging to Buckie, three to Findochty, and one to 

 Cullen — attention has again been drawn to the great necessity of 

 providing a convenient refuge to which fishermen, when caught in 

 a storm, may run for shelter in all states of the tide. 



Of the numerous proposals which have come before the Board, 

 the creek of Portknockie appears to us to offer most facilities for 

 the construction of what would serve the double purpose of a 

 harbour for the local fishermen as well as a harbour of refuge, and 

 this at a comparatively small expense. By running a breakwater 

 to connect a series of outlying rocks on the east side of the creek, 

 as shown on a plan prepared by Messrs D. & T. Stevenson (9th 

 February 1886)., a large area would be enclosed with a depth of 12 

 feet and under at low water. The estimated cost of this work is 

 about £10,000. The promoters offered to provide £3500, and the 

 Board undertook to pay the balance which may be necessary. 

 They have accordingly accepted a contract for the execution of the 

 work. The amount is considerably below the estimated cost, 

 £7234, exclusive of engineer's fees, &c, and the Board may be able 

 to carry out a more complete scheme than was originally intended. 

 It only falls to be added that Portknockie is now connected by 

 railway with all the southern markets. 



