The Project Gutenberg EBook of Report on the Department of Ports and
Harbours for the Year 1890-1891, by Department of Ports and Harbours

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: Report on the Department of Ports and Harbours for the Year 1890-1891

Author: Department of Ports and Harbours

Release Date: January 27, 2008 [EBook #24442]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK REPORT 1890-1891 ***

Produced by Nick Wall, Brisbane, Australia. <nick0252@live.com.au>

1891.

QUEENSLAND.

REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF PORTS AND HARBOURS
FOR THE YEAR 1890-91.

Presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command.

TO THE HONOURABLE THE COLONIAL TREASURER.

Department of Ports and Harbours,
Brisbane, 26th August, 1891.

SIR,--I have the honour to submit, for your information, the following
Report concerning this Department for the past year:--

I assumed charge on the 1st July, 1890, and found that the heavy gales
and floods experienced in January of the same year had most seriously
affected several of the dredged cuttings of the Brisbane, Mary, Burnett,
and Fitzroy Rivers. In some places the Brisbane River had silted up to
such an extent that there were fully 18 inches less water than before
the flood. This, however, only proved a temporary inconvenience, as the
dredges soon restored the cuttings to their original depths. I also
found that considerable changes had taken place in the formation of the
banks at the northern entrance to Moreton Bay, necessitating the
removal--to make the lead effective--of Tangaluma Light (which had only
been established in 1885), also the removal (for the fourth time) of the
Yellow Patch Light, and the building of two new cottages for the
lightkeepers. Owing to the encroachment of the sea, it had also been
found necessary to remove Comboyuro Point Lighthouse and the keeper's
cottage some 200 feet further inland. This work was accomplished by the
Inspector, Mr. H. L. Pethebridge. The floating beacon which marked the
northern entrance to the port had been ashore on Bribie Island for some
time, but, during the first interval of settled westerly weather,