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of stone, sand and mud, in the centre of stone and sand (here there is a ridge of loose stones extending some distance outwards forming a barrier which we under- stand was the original filling under the old wharf which has recently been removed), and on the East side almost entirely of fine sand, the reclamation works commence about 40 feet from this boundary.
On the West of your Lot is a large drain running under Whitty Street also a nullah a little further West, both of which we should imagine would discharge a considerable amount of sand and mud after heavy rains.
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By reference to the plan it will be seen that the Reclamation Works extend outwards 260 feet at right-angles from the Old Praya and as the end of works is only 40 feet from your East Boundary there is a regular pocket formed between these works and the stone barrier before mentioned, that there might have been a certain amount of silting up of the foreshore on the West side of the barrier we can - understand, but on the East side the whole foreshore being originally free the deposit would be naturally carried farther along or equally distributed along the whole front, but the Reclamation works have effectually stopped this distribution. it is our opinion that from the date of the commencement of these works that the foreshore would tend to silt up owing to the effect of the tide eddying in this particular spot and the works themselves must have also caused a large amount of earth stuff to find its way into the sea and thus considerably accelerate the deposit on the foreshore.
And
We are also of the opinion that any earth, etc. carried into this pocket would naturally be deposited close along the sea wall, and that there might be no perceptible difference in the depth of the water along the lines of the front of the new wall, while there was a very considerable decrease in depth along the old sea wall for some 20 or 30 feet out.
Hongkong, August 29th, 1895,
Yours faithfully,
(Sd.) PALMER & TURNER,
Surveyors, etc.
HONGKONG, 24th September, 1896.
D 29.
V. H. DEACON, Esq.
DEAR SIR, I have the honour to forward you the following report on the silting up of the foreshore in front of Marine Lot No. 184 Praya West.
In 1889 Mr. Price, then Surveyor General, lent me the plans and sections of the Praya Reclamation and I had copies made of them. One Section, a copy of which I send you, was taken at right-angles to the Praya Wall at a distance of about 65 feet east of the east side of Whitty Street.
On the 11th and 18th of April, 1896. I made sections of ground in front of Marine Lot No. 184 on four lines, all at right-angles to the Praya Wall at distance of 20, 50, 65 and 80 feet east of the east of Whitty Street, copies of which I send you made on transparent paper. The section at 65 feet is thus taken on the same line as the orie taken by the Government Surveyor in 1888.
The amount of silting up between 1888 when the Government section was taken and April, 1896, can be seen by placing the section taken by me over the Government section. The average amount of silting is between five and six feet.
The silting up, in my opinion, is caused by the stoppage of the tidal currents by the Praya Reclamation and the formation of slack water in the bay formed by the end of the Reclamation and the Praya Wall, allowing the suspended matter in the water to settle, and preventing sand, etc., being washed along by the tide.
Yours faithfully,
(Sd.) A. DENISON,