KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY (cont.)
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Another article on the Kowloon-Canton Railway will be published to-morrow.
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The British section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway (see yesterday) cost the Hongkong Government approximately $12,271,495. When the work was commenced, the dollar was worth 2s 3d., while at the completion, it was worth only 1s 9d., so that an average value of 2s. may be assumed for purposes of calculation.
The cost of the survey of the line amounted to $42,277.05. Of this $33,515.34 represents the cost of the original survey which covered 51 miles and works out at $657 per mile. This figure includes the salaries of two engineers sent out from England, with their passages out and back, and the cost of instruments and camping equipment. The balance represents the cost of re-alignment between the 6 and 16 mile pegs and works out at $834 per mile.
The total outlay for land was set down at $1,195,079.20. The following prices were paid for land in Old Kowloon: For a marine lot at the south-east corner of the Peninsula, consisting of 131,526 square feet, $615,000 or $4.50 per square foot; for a glass works which had to be resumed, $47,000; for a cattle depot and slaughter house, $18,000; for a farm lot which went to arbitration, $22,000.
Land under ordinary cultivation was divided into three classes: First class. With good irrigation, yielding two crops of rice and one of dry vegetables, usually sweet potatoes. For this land, $326.70 per acre or 3/4 cent per square foot was paid. Second class May be described as first class land in out-of-the-way places, to and from which transport is difficult. The price paid for this was $217 per acre or 1/2 cent per square foot. Third class - Yielding only dry crops, and including brackish land and dry sloping cultivation on hillsides, and sugar cane land. For this land, $109 per acre or 1/4 cent a square foot was paid.
The expense of reclaiming from the sea, 39 acres of land for the terminal station at Kowloon, was upwards of $1,000,000 or 63 cents per square foot.
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The Beacon Hill tunnel and the last three double line tunnels were at first worked by day labour, but as time went on sub-contracts were arranged, until finally, on the big tunnel, one Italian contracted for all the underground work.
Many miners were brought out from England. The first batch was 30 unsatisfactory miners that they had to be sent back in a few months. The next were Italians who came from the French railway in Yunnan.
Of the four short double line tunnels, only the first was constructed by contract. It led through decomposed granite with a few boulders and was quite dry. It was by far the easiest tunnel on the line and it cost the most, owing to the fact that the contractors took a certain amount of risk. The third and fourth tunnels were almost entirely in hard rock, resembling greenstone, and very little timbering had to be used.
The bridges on the northern portion of the railway were built of bricks burnt in Bull kilns near the line. The Hongkong Government would not allow any of the scrub jungle to be cut for firewood, and coolies who understood brick-burning with coal had to be imported from India. The bricks were very large, only 1,000 being required for each 100 feet of built bridgework. Bricks were cheaper than stone and concrete for these bridges, as there was very little stone within a reasonable distance.
The staff employed on construction consisted of Mr. G. Eves (Chief ...
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