Tímarit Verkfræðingafélags Íslands - 01.05.1922, Side 15

TlMARIT V. F. í. 1922.
37
„Hornafjarðarfljót", by which the trading station
is lying is continually carrying sand and other
material which is alternately deposited in and cut
away from the mouth of the river. Consequently
the navigation is extremely difficult, and the en-
trance to the harbour, always narrow and winding,
is so variable that it has been found impossible to
make out a chart of the harbour. Very careful
examinations have been made at this place, as it
would be of great importance to have a good har-
bour for motor-boats near the large fishing banks
on the south-eastern coast which are abounding in
fish during the winter season. To stabilise or im-
prove the entrance is, however, impossible; the
only thing which can be done in this direction is
to build a lighthouse on „Hvanney“ for which the
necessary grant has been obtained.
On the other hand it would be possible to improve
the harbour itself (see map X) by building a jetty
from „Heppa“ out to „Standey“, 340 m long by
4 m wide, with stone-clad slopes on both sides,
the top being 2,5 m above low-water. There is no
swell here, but the jetty is meant to support a quay
on piles, or projecting bridges for motor-boats. On
,,Standey“ is suggested a landing-bridge (also on
piles), 60 m long by 7 m wide, and the digging-out
of a swinging-place for the boats, 150 m by 75 m
and 4 m deep. These constructions should be com-
pleted at the same time as the jetty, and the cost
is estimated at Kr. 285,000.
2 5. H o r n s v í k, m a p X. This place, east of
Hornafjörður, has often been mentioned as suit-
able for harbour constructions. The depth of the
harbour would not in itself make this impossible,
but the place is entirely open and unprotected. It
would therefore require very large capital outlays
to carry out hai’bour constructions here — for in-
stance two sufficiently strong moles would un-
doubtedly cost over 10 mill. Kr., and would not
create a harbour which would be available under
all conditions. The mole shown on the map would
cost abt. 2 mill. Kr., which is greatly in excess of
what may be considered reasonable in comparison
with the use that could be obtained from such a
mole.
2 6. P a p ó s. The entrance to this place is winding
and narrow, full of rocks on all sides, and the na-
tural conditions on the whole so bad that it would
be useless to attempt to carry out harbour con-
structions here.
2 7. H v a 1 n e s k r ó k. This creek has often been
mentioned together with Hornsvik as a basis for
harbour constructions. The result of the examina-
tions and the soundings which were taken show,
however, that this is impossible, as the depth in-
creases very quickly from the shore, and a suitable
protected area cannot, therefore, be obtained at a
reasonable cost.
2 8. D j ú p i v o g u r, m a p XI. Dj úpivogur is
the first fairly good and safe harbour on the
whole south coast. There are, however, two im-
portant draw-backs: the- entrance is difficult as
the sea just outside is full of rocks, and this part
of the country often has very foggy weather; sta-
tistics show as much as 171 foggy days in the
year. Moreover the harbour would be rather too
far from the best fishing banks to be used as a
basis for the fishing, as the boats could not go
backwards and forwards in one day, and are not
built to lie out at night. It is planned to build new
lighthouses to assist the navigation, and if at the
same time a system of fog-sirens was established
this harbour would undoubtedly be a very useful
base for a very profitable fishing.
The harbour itself, when reached, is good, and
does not require much protection beyond that given
by the natural conditions. If desired a mole of 100
m could be built as shown on map XI out on one
of the rocks in the sea. This would give cover in
eastern storms, but as the cost would be consider-
able, abt. Kr. 450,000, without obtaining a reason-
able advantage, it seems more to the purpose to
expend this sum on marking the entrance, im-
proving the lighting, establishing fog-sirens etc.
III. The eastern Coast.
The firths of the east coast are on the whole so
safe and offer in themselves such good protection
that there is no need of building harbours or im-
prove the landing facilities. Construction of quays
and landing-bridges which might be repuired can
without difficulty be carried out on local initiative,
as the need arises.
2 9. Skálar on Langanes, map XXI, is
the only place where the natural conditions could
be considerably improved upon to assist and further
develop the fishing which during later years has ’
sprung up there. The landing conditions are very
difficult, as the foreshore is very narrow with per-
pendicular rocks of 10—18 m height rising behind
it. There is only at two places a falling-off in the
rocks where it is possible to land boats. The westerh
place is the broadest, but the landing is difficult,
and it would be too costlv to build protection that
would be of any use. On the other hand it would
be possible on a small tongue of land and some rocks
outside the eastern landing-place to build a wall of
concrete. Such a wall with a circular mole-head
is shown on map XXI. The wall should be cast
direct on the reef, which is dry at low-water, and
outside that on a foundation of sacks of concrete,