Buller Bridge Piers.

The deepening of the channel to this depth under the Buller bridge would endanger the piers which are on piles driven 20 feet into the shingle. They would, therefore, have to be protected by stone thrown in round there, the combined mass of which would take up a large part of the waterway intended to be gained by the deepening. A spit of shingle in Greymouth occur in a very similar position to this one, which does not seem to interfere with the scouring action of the river on the berthages along the wharves, and subject to Sir John Coode's approval, I would suggest that the training wall be carried no further up river than the Buller bridge, and be curved so as to include the deepwater channel and take as little as possible off the shingle spit.

Your Engineer has, in a memorandum to Sir John Coode, pointed out this difficulty, and asked his advice as to altering the position of the upper part of the wall. It is therefore necessary to wait for his answer before taking any further steps.