September 28, 1901.].
cause of the collapse P-In my opinion it was probably caused by the outlets becoming blocked, thus preventing the water, after a heavy down pour of rain, from getting away from the flat roof and causing it to soak into the wall. The same thing happened a few years ago at the Queen's Road entrance to the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank.
Mr. Bowley-Have you had any training as a surveyor or civil engineer P-I as assistant surveyor for years to the Cape Corernment Railways,
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Did you serve any apprenticeship -No. I came out here and was taken on in connection with the work on the Tytam Waterworks. When that work was finished I was employed in turn by Danby and Orange, Palmer and Turner, and W. Danby, until I joined the P.W.D.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
That duty devolved on Mr. Tooker. Witness at no time went to No. 32, Cochrane Street, and it was not necessarily his duty to see a building when any plan concerning it came into his hands, although it was sometimes done.
Mr. Bowley-And why not necessarily ?-Be- came the plan gives us the information we want. How do you know the plan is correct ?--We take it for granted, if the plan is submitted by regular architect, that the information con- pined therein is correct.
Witness said there was nothing in plan B to show that the walls were not made of blne brick, or that they were properly bonded and solid throughout.
Mr. Bowley-Is there anything in that plan (B) to show that the walls have got any founda- tion whatever?-No.
And why is it unnecessary for you to inspect the building ?-It is not necessary unless we have reason to suppose there is something wrong with the plan.
Mr. J. L. Stewart, draughtsman in Mr. Haze- land's office, was next called. He said he only joined last year, and had had no previous experi-
Did you take Mr. Crisp round to show him ence. Witness measured No. 32, Cochrane Street, last year, in November, and No..34 later. He his work I showed him the varions districts drew plans B and D), but did not make tracing C. in the Colony, but not any particular work. nor the original of it. The measurements he
Mr. P. T. Crisp, inspector of buildings, took in order to make the plans were the depth at P.W.D., said he arrived in the Colony on 8th and width of the ground floor and of the November last year, and reported himself at Thore was yards and kitchens, also the height of the the P.W.D. at twelyn o'clock "noon. ground and first and second floors. He spent no actual handing over of the work by Mr. a quarter of an hour over each bons. The Xavier, but witness went out with him off and dotted lines on the section of plan B represented
on for a fortnight. Part of the time witness the foundations of the internal cross - wall. was by himself. He went out to find the names These foundations were now work. The details of streets, etc. From notice A, witness saw that of the plan were then discussed. On plan E he had measured the width of Cochrane Street, the ground floor measurement, 34 feet ti inches, but was not sure whether Mr. Xavier assist
ed him. That was on 13th November, and was an internal measurement. The measund-
witness never went into No. 32 either before or ment 36 feet 4 inches on; plan B was an external measurement, although marked as an internal during the alterations, as he had too much to measurement. This was a mistake on the plan. do, and was strange to the Colony. In fact, up As a matter of fact, witness thought the houses till Christmas he did no actual inspection. On 14th May be made a note of the fact that the were of the same depth. In each of the
verandah at No. 32 had been completed. This two houses there were formerly two cross
he did at the request of Mr. Tooker. Witness walls, but he did not think it was neces sary
to show these on the plans. He had simply went up the street and saw from there shown all the new work. He did not think that the verandah was completed. In no other it necessary to show the foundations of the way had witness inspected No. 32. As to No. old walls and he did not see them. Mr. Haze-34, he measured the width of the street on 14th land told him to make the new wall 50 feet | December, and beyond that he never had high from the foundation. It was not necess-anything to do with the house before the ary in witness's opinion to show any staircases in plan E. In plan B they were shown, but he just happened to think of it. Mr. Hazeland saw the plan, but did not take any particular notice of it.
en-
I. M. Xavier, A.M.I.C.E., assistant gineer in the Public Works Department, said he had been in the Department for fourteen years. He took charge of Building Ordinance work un: der Mr. Tooker on 1st May 1900, on the resig. nation of Mr. Hazeland. On the staff under his at first were Mr. Pearson who acted as overseer, and a Chinese clerk who gave part of him services. Mr. Pearson resigned on 15th June last year, and after that witness had the whole services of the Chinese clork, who did the clerical work. Witness had no overseer after 15th June. He himself gave up Building Ordinance work on 9th November last year, up to which date, from 15th June, he was single- handed. Besides work under the Building Ordinance, witness had three or four Public Works Extraordinary under his éharge.
Mr. Bowley-Then it will couie to this, that for five months you had the supervision of all the private building work inthe Colony, without any assistance whatever ?—Yes.
Was it possible for you, single-hahiled, to exercise effective supervision over all the building work going on in the Colony -No, not effective supervision.
His Worship - Did you report that to the head of your Department? Yes, I reported the matter in writing.
Mr. Bowley-To whom ?-To Mr. Tooker, about the end of June.
On the 9th of November, to whom did you hand over the work?-To Mr. Crisp, under instructions from Mr. Tooker,
Witness said notice A, referring to No, 32, dated 3rd November, passed through his hands; plan B was attached. It was the practice to seul these plans to the Medical Officer of Health. The plan was simply given to witness to n to that it had been approved by Mr. Tooker, and it. was not his duty to examine it to see that it complied with the Building Ordinance, except when particularly requested to do so,
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accident.
Mr. Bowley-Since you arrived in the Colony, have you been the only inspector or overseer of private buildings?—Yes.
For the whole Colony ?—Yes.
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265
Mr. J. J. Francis, K.C., said-Before proced ing with the business of the Court, I would ask your Worship to allow me to refer to the great, loss which the legal profession in the whole Colony has sustained in the terribly sudden death of a familiar figure in this Court, the senior member of the local Bar, Mr. Francis, K.C., who at one time sat upon the Bench your Worship now occupies. For over 30 years he had been identified with this Colony, and had practised in its Courts with distinguished success; and we have become so accustomed to resort to his extensive knowledge and ripe ex- perience in all difficulties that his loss will cause a gap in the Colony which must long remain unfilled. We mourn the loss to-day of a great lawyer, an eloquent and convincing speaker, and a personal friend. I am sure your Worship and all present will join in an expres- sion of deepest sympatly with his sorrowing widow in her bereavement.
As far
His Worship replied-Mr. Bowley, I am sure it was a terrible shock not only to myself but to everybody in the. Colony when we heard the sad news of the great loss sustained by the legal profession in this Colony by With the sudden death of Mr. Francis.
remarks you have just reference to the made. I re-echo them entirely, and I think I need hardly dilate on Mr. Francis's excellent qualities both as a lawyer and a man. as I am personally concerned, I may say I have lost a great friend. I may also mention that there is a personal element in the matter, and that is—he always carried a very high opinion of me owing to the fact that my father, the then Crown Solicitor, was one of Mr. Francis's examiners when he was admitted to practice in Hongkong. I am sure that great sympathy will be extended--is extended-fo the widow in her suffering.
The enquiry was then proceeded with.
Yung Tung, the mauaging partner of the blacksmith's shop at Cochrane Street, No. 32, said he was now carrying on business at 41; Wing On Street. · Questioned by Mr. Bowley, he proceeded to detail the nature of the work that had been carried on in Cochrane Street. It was all done in the ground floor, he said, and small iron brackets were driven into the wall on each side for the storing of iron pipes, etc. This admission the witness was very reluctant to make. No iron was stored on the verandalı of the first floor, not a scrap.
Sergeant Garrod was the next witness. He Witness had already given evidence at the deposed that when he got to the scene of the former hearing, and had nothing to add to collapse in Cochrane Street he saw a fire in the his opinion as to the cause of the collapse. north-east corner of No. 32, apparently on the Since then, however, he had visited the scene ground floor. It took about an hour to extio- of the accident, and found among the debrisguish it. The front walls and verandahs of iron rods with a nut at one end, and these rods had evidently been used for making a shelving or cockloft for storing iron pipes, etc. The iron rods were bolted through the floor joists, throwing extra weight on the floors. This had been done in the blacksmith's shop, and was a common practice in the Colony | in such shops, where the floor-joists had to carry many hundredweights more than they were ever intended to carry. The woodwork | side channels entering the wall from the wooden bearers cansed a lot of eatting up of the party walls, and the vibration attending the work in the blacksmith's shop might have contributed to the lapro.
His Worship-I wonder if there is any anthority for collapses being caused by vibration. Perhaps Mr. Tooker can tell us,
Mr. Touker-Oh, yes, it is a common thing, your Worship. Railways passing under streets! often canse callapses.
Mr. Bowley-Do you think it is safe, Mr. Crisp, to have a blacksmith's shop on the ground floor of a house of this class If it was perfect brick-work it would be absolutely safe, but with defective walls it is not safe.
In your experience in England, have yon ever seen a smith's shop with a tenement house over it --In my experience I have never seen a smithy under a tenement house. The smithy is generally an addition or onthouse.
This concluded the examination of the witness, and the hearing was adjourned till Monday morning at ten o'clock.
Before proceeding with the enquiry on the 23rd inst., Mr. F. B. L. Bowley, Crown Solicitor, referring to the sudden death at Yokohama of
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both houses, Nos. 32 and 34, had fallen out into the road, and the party wall between them had faken down inside, leaving standing at the back a portion ten feet in height. The floors in each honse had fallen at an angle towards each other, leaving the higher portions leaning against the Witness was on special duty standing walls. for ton days clearing up the debris. The sup. ports for the verandahs were found in the
east side of
on the
the
street; they had practically fallen right down. There was nothing seen to indicate that material the verandabs. When bad been stored on turning over the debris on the ground floor of No. 32, witness came upon a large quantity of iron rods and pipes in the blacksmith's shop. This had evidently been stored on the north. side, but there were no indications of any iron having been stored on the south side. There was nothing of the nature of a cockloft or shelving for iron pipes seen.
The blacksmith was recalled, and denied the existence, of a shelving suspended from the joists above for the storing of iron pipes such as sketched by Mr. Crisp, inspector of build- ings, when he gave his evidence on Saturday.
The owner, Chan Tsun Chung, was also recalled and questioned as to the position of the cockloft for storing beams and planks situated in the shop on the ground floor at No. 34 of Wing On, contractor. The cock- loft ran right across the shop at the back, from party wall to party wall, and ten feet deep. It was there when witness He did not notice bought the house. a similar cockloft in the blacksmith's shop. Witness, when the alterations were going on, moved the staircases out towards the street.
was