188
77. Rain-storm and Typhoon Damages.--The necessary repairs of the damages caused by the storms of 1902 were completed. The further expenditure over that incurred in the year mentioned was $9,852.73, distributed as follows :—
Repairs to Sham Shui Po Harbour Office, and Kow-
loon City Police Station,
Repairs to nullah west side of "Clovelly," Peak Road, Repairs to roads,
$3,167.87
192.54
673.98
Re-construction of retaining wall below Tank Laue, 5,818.34
78. Fence round Plague Hospital. This work was completed early in the year. It consisted of the erection of an iron fence, 5′ 6′′ in height, in place of the temporary bamboo fence which formerly enclosed the hospital. Entrance gates were provided where required.
79. Training Nullahs.—In addition to a considerable amount of work carried out under the vote" Drainge Works, Miscellaneous," two special votes, amount- ing to $14,775, for dealing with nullahs in the Western District of the City, were taken. By the special instructions of His Excellency the Governor, Sir HENRY BLAKE, these sums were devoted to training the streams adjoining the property known as the Richmond Estate, which had gained an unenviable notoriety as a fever-stricken district, and also a stream to the west of the Nethersole Hospital. In all, nullahs measuring 1,977 feet and large channels measuring 357 feet in length were constructed. The nullahs have lime concrete foundations, inverts of fine cement concrete, 3′′ thick, and side walls of rubble masonry pointed in cement and finished with lime concrete coping. They measure 3 feet in width and have a depth of 5 feet. The gradient varies from 1 in 8 to 1 in 2.
The channels are formed with lime concrete rendered over with cement mortar, 1′′ thick, and are approximately semi-circular in shape. They measure about 3 feet in width by 2 feet in depth. The ground traversed in nearly all cases was extremely rough, numerous large boulders having to be removed by blasting. Work was begun at the end of February and completed in July. Some damage was occasioned to uncompleted portions of the work by the beavy rain-storms of the 27th-28th June when 14 inches of rain fell, but otherwise the nullahs and channels successfully withstood the effects of the wet season.
By direction of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government, the training of another considerable stream in the Western District, adjoining the Bonham Road Pumping Station was undertaken early in December and sub- stantial progress had been made with the work by the close of the year. No payment to the Contractor was however made in consequence of the late period at which work was begun.
80. Public Mortuary, Extension and Re-construction.-The mortuary, which is situated in Hill Road, having been found inadequate for present requirements, it was decided to proceed with large extensions and also to take down and re-con- struct, in accordance with modern ideas, the old building itself. A contract for the work was let in May and, though carried on under considerable difficulties on account of the limited extent and irregular nature of the site and the use of the old building for the accommodation of the bodies of Plague victims, all the new buildings were completed by the end of the year and the reconstruction of the old mortuary was well advanced. The completed buildings will comprise two mor- tuaries, each of which contains 16 tables, a rat-examination room, ineasuring 30 feet by 16 feet, 3 small offices, 2 small stores and accommodation for 4 coolies, the whole of the premises being enclosed by a high boundary wall. The build- ings are of red brick, plastered externally and internally, except where lined with white glazed tiles, and have roofs of double pan and roll tiling, supported on tim- ber purlins and principals. The walls of the mortuaries and rat-examination room are lined for a height of 6 feet above the floor with white glazed tiles obtained from England and the floors are laid with glazed paving tiles of local manufacture except in the case of the reconstructed mortuary where the floor is rendered with cement mortar, the tiles used in the case of the other buildings not being con- sidered altogether satisfactory. In addition to the ordinary outer doors, the mortuaries and rat-examination room are provided with inner doors of open con- struction, covered with mosquito-proof wire gauze, and all openings for windows and ventilators are similarly protected. The tables and other fittings for use