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(6) The construction in reinforced concrete of:
(i) a salt water intake chamber at Cheung Sha Wan,
(ii) a tide gauge house at Chi Ma Wan, and
(iii) a wave deflector adjacent to the Star Ferry Pier, Hong Kong,
(7) The repairing and altering of Victoria Permanent Pier No. 17 to accommodate, temporarily, the Macau ferries,
(8) The reconstruction of approximately 100 feet of seawall along Cherry Street in the Yau Ma Tei typhoon shelter, and
(9) The resurfacing of the approach causeway to the Castle Peak and Tai Po Railway piers.
Site Investigations
SITE INVESTIGATIONS AND SURVEYS
246. 205 marine bores totalling 4,142 feet were made from the Port Works boring barge in the course of investigations of 14 sites for piers, seawalls, typhoon shelters and reclamations. In addition, due to pressure of work on the departmental plant, the maintenance contractor sank a further 16 bores totalling 569 feet at two other locations. The land boring gang drilled 49 boreholes totalling 1,939 feet at various sites on both sides of the harbour.
Surveys
247. These included:
(1) Checks on the progress of contracts for payment purposes,
(2) Soundings for the calculation of quantities for future reclamation schemes and for the siting of piers and breakwaters,
(3) Prickings at numerous sites to determine the nature of the seabed,
(4) Soundings before and after dredging to determine the quantity of material excavated,
(5) Checking by echo sounder the Southern Fairway after the removal of underwater obstructions by blasting,
(6) Making tidal current readings in the harbour and at Aberdeen,
(7) Setting out positions where borings were required.
MATERIALS TESTING LABORATORY
248. The laboratory dealt with the testing of various construction materials and the classification and grading of soils. It carried out 13,244 tests, 1,890 more than the previous year. These included the following tests on:
(1) The compressive strength of concrete6,104 (2) The physical properties of cement472 (3) The properties and purity of aggregates2,116 (4) The strength, etc. of steel rods1,997Page 44