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Section No. 6 W.-Work is proceeding fairly well on this section. The whole of the rubble in foundations has been put in by contractor and the diving staff is busy levelling off, laying concrete bed, and setting blocks 650 lineal feet out of a total of 1,221 lineal fect has been finished ready for setting first course of granite masonry.
The principal items of work executed by TSANG KENG during the year were :-
35,482 cubic yards ↔ Pierre Perine,”
90,556 cubic yards Filling in,
250 cubic yards Portland Cement Concrete,
200 lineal Feet Storm Water Drains completed,
640 lineal feet formed, but left unfinished for settlement.
The whole length of work has been weighted with the usual load of 22 tous per lineal foor.
Sections Nos. 6 E. and 7 W.-The portion of roadway and stone platform-work which was suspended pending erec- tion of Blake Pier-were completed by the middle of November and this work is now finished,
Blake Pier. This work was completed by the contractors for its erection-Messrs. KINGHORN & MACDONALD—and opened for public use in November. Its erection was commenced on the 1st December, 1899, and the somewhat lengthy period occupied was owing to considerable difficulties experienced in screwing the piles home. These difficulties were successfully overcome and the work satisfactorily completed.
His Excellency Sir HENRY BLAKE, G.C.M.G., inaugurated the Pier on the 29th November.
Block Making-Contract No. 24-4th Extension. 401 Blocks, equal to 1,773 cubic yards of concrete, were made during the year. This work, with the exception of one or two special blocks required for Section No. 1, is now complete.
Staff and Plant. The diving staff has been fully employed during the year on Section No. 6, levelling, weighting and laying concrete bed and setting permanent blocks.
The Pontoon Crane and Block Barges were employed 275 days at Section No. 6 W., 48 days at Section No. 1 W., 12 days at Blake Pier, 15 days at Block Yard, and 3 days at Sections Nos. 4 and 5, although the Pontoon requires docking for cleaning and repairs to hull, &c. The machine itself is in excellent order and has set and reset in weighting and permanent "setting" 6,108 Blocks aggregating 27,245 cubic yards or about 44,000 tons during the year.
The working of Hopper Barges was found to be impracticable except for only a short period in the begining of the year, they have been laid up in Causeway Bay since. During the time they were at work à quantity of 11,844 cubic yards of red earth was deposited by them into Section No. 6 W.
Dredger.—21,646 cubic yards of material suitable for reclamation was dredged during the year and deposited within area of Section No. 6 W. and 7,907 cubic yards of foul material was dredged from drain mouths and deposited at sea.
The "Praya" was docked in December and is in good working order.
Several changes have taken place in the staff during the year. The writer returned from nine months' leave on March 24th, and Mr. BOULTON went on a year's leave from 1st May; Mr. LEUNG WING KEE, who had been Draughtsman since the work started, resigned on 1st May, and his successor LEUNG MAN KIN has since died.
DEPARTMENTAL AND PERSONAL,
43. The following Officers were granted leave during the year:
W. CHATHAM, Assistant Director of Public Works, for ten months--commencing on the
2nd May.
R. F. DRURY, Assistant Engineer, for eleven-and-a-half months-commencing on 2nd
May.
J. R. CROOK, Executive Engineer, for one month from the 9th August.
J. F. BOULTON, Executive Engineer, for twelve months from the 1st May.
J. WILDEY, Overseer, for eight months from the 17th October.
R. D. ORMSBY, three weeks sick leave' in September.
Of the Subordinate Staff, the following had vacation leave for the period named :—
E. M. HAZELAND, Assistant Engineer, 10 days from 4th January. AH CHEONG, Survey Coolie. 13 days, from 8th January.
J. MILLAR. Overseer, 3 days from 17th January.
A SIN, Gardener, Colonial Cemetery, three weeks from 9th February.
A Fook, Survey Coolie, two days from 14th February.
WONG A FAT, Tracer, one week from 7th March,
SING QUA, Draftsman, one month from 9th March.
CHAN FO SAU, Survey Coolie, one week from 4th April.
Lo Tsz LAM, Clerk, six days from 30th April.
J. F. ABRAHAM, Foreman, four days from 25th May.
A. Souza, Clerk, one week from 2nd June.
J. GOWANLOCK, Overser, twelve days from 25th June.
R. C. WITCHELL, Water Inspector, one week from 4th September.
HU SZE. Foreman at Cemetery, twenty-four days from 28th September.
A Fook, Survey Coolie, three weeks from 20th October.
CHEONG KIT, Office Messenger, five days from 2nd November.
NG YEUNG, Office Messenger, one week from 27th November. PANG A FAT, Survey Coolie, 10 days from 8th November. LAM HI, Office Messenger, five days from 6th December.