448
them. Some like to go near the altar and the priest must be ready to go there. Here we have several nationalities. Generally the Chinese like to be near the door. All the foreign European missionaries and myself speak Chinese very slowly and we need quietness in order to understand what is being said, and in order to make ourselves understood.
Mr. Albert Denison was then called, and ex. amined by SIR HENRY BERKELEY:
What is your profession ?—I am engineer.
& civil
Are you practising in this Colony ?—Yes. Have you examined and reported upon the line of tramway marked on the plan ?—Yes.
I see by the plan that for some distance of its length the tramway carries a steel trestle viaduct; is that so That is so.
That is what is proposed ?--Yes.
In places about how high P--About 50 feet high.
What is the juxtaposition of that trestle viaduct and the cathedral ?-It faces directly in front of the principal entrance.
About how far away --Some 80 yards. Can you say from your own knowledge whether a car passing over a steel iron structure of the kind proposed will not make a noise? If so what character of noise ?-It will make a rattling noise.
A disturbing noise?-A very loud noise at that distance. When a train passes over the Forth bridge anywhere within a mile you can hear it distinctly.
The effect of the steel bridge makes the sound louder ?—Yes,
$
This line is one which the cars are to be pulled up by pulleys?--Yes.
Will any noise come from these ?—Yes. And those trams or pulleys passing over the trestle bridge will make a considerable noise, which will be heard at the cathedral Distinctly.
They must be heard at the cathedral-Yes. In your opinion would they make sufficient noise to distract the attention of persons in the cathedral ?—I should think so.
Will this noise be continuous-As long as the cars are running the vibration of the trestle caused by the rope running over the pulleys
will be continuous.
Even if the car has passed the cathedral there will be a noise?-With the up car there will be no noise, but with the down car there will be a noise until it stops at the bottom.
Have you ever had any personal experience beyond the Forth bridge of noises made by cars passing over a small trestle bridge --Yes, in the Isle of Wight there is a line of railway carried over a similar trestle to this, which is about 30
feet high. Two people travelling in a carriage on this line could not hear each other speaking
on account of the noise made.
Do you know the houses belonging to the
Mission in the vicinity ?-Yes..
What would be the effect, as far as their privacy goes, if the line projected in blue is adopted P-After sunset they would have to close
their shutters.
Why? Because anyone passing in trams could look straight in through the bedroom windows. The line is only about 60 feet away, and 20 feet above.
If the tramway were constructed on the route marked in red, would the objection as far as noise is concerned be done away with ?—Yes.
And what about the privacy?—It would not be affected.
You see no objection I understand, then, to the original alternative route ?—No.
Why would there be little or no noise in that event? Because the rails would be laid on solid The ground, and there would be no vibration. line would be straight and would obviate the necessity for these curves and the pulleys which accentuate the noise.
The line marked in red would necessitate cutting through the gardens?—Yes.
Could such cutting be made adequately without disfiguring the gardens?—Yes,
You are,
in the course of your profession, called upon frequently to value property here?
Yes.
Will you state what, in your opinion, would be the effect upon the capital value of this church property let to tenants if the line were built as projected on blue —I should think the value
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND would be very much less, and there would be some difficulty in getting tenants.
Would there be any greater cost in pursuing the route in red; the tunnel or cutting Versus the steel trestle iron bridge?—I have not gone into I shouldn't think there it carefully, but would be very much difference. I should say, if anything, the cutting would be cheaper.
A steel trestle viaduct is very costly ?-It is rather expensive.
If the question of cost is material, do I under- stand
you to express an opinion that there would be no greater cost on the red route?—Yes.
By the Hon. Mr. POLLOCK :
Can you "uggest, Mr. Denison, any method for carrying a tram along the proposed blue route other than
the steel trestle viaduct
more ex-
which would cause less noise?—Concrete arches might be erected.
Do
think that would be pensive-I think it would be much more expensive.
you
By H18 EXCELLENCY: Would the noise still be so great as to inconvenience people in the cathedral?—Yes. I think the pulleys alone your Excellency. would be sufficient to inconvenience them. Even on the present tramway the noise is rather excessive.
By the ATTORNEY-GENERAL :
Would the noise on the proposed tramway be greater than that caused by the electric trams in
the streets?—Yes.
By the COLONIAL SECRETARY:
|
[December 21, 1908
You don't anticipate hearing this noise a mile off? No, but if the line was half mile loud noise in the away it would make a
Very cathedral.
You think it would be heard half a mile away?—Yes.
As regards the privacy of the houses, is there not a path in the gardens at the present time just about on a level with the principal rooms in these houses?—Yes, but it is almost entirely hidden by trees.
Wouldn't the trees interpose between the tramway and the houses quite as much as be- tween the path and the houses P-No, I think to make the tramway you will have to cut down these trees.
You agree that the pathway overlooks the houses to at least as great an extent as the tramway would?-I don't think so. A certain number of trees must be cut down to make the tramway.
All the trees are between the pathway and the houses, and the tramway will be on the further side of the pathway from the houses, so that if the trees interpose between the pathway and the houses they must interpose between the tramway and the houses ?To a certain extent.
Anybody could stand in that pathway and look into the houses as much as they pleased?- Yes.
Whereas on the tramway the tram would whisk them past at a considerable rate?--That
18 80.
Are you a member of the Union Church. Mr. elevation than, the pathway, so the principal
Dension
No. Have you ever attended divine service there? Yes.
Did you suffer any inconvenience from the noise of the pulleys on the Peak tramway?- don't remember doing so, but the line there is straight, and on the solid.
De you know the distance between the Union Church building and the central line of the Peak tramway ?-I should say about 30 or 40 feet.
And the distance in this case is said to be 80 yards?
Sir HENRY BERKELEY-240 feet from the
cathedral, and 60 feet from the honses.
By Sir HENRY BERKELEY:
The Peak tramway at that part passes over the street? Yes, but the cars just there travel very slowly. The car is opposite the compressor, so there is scarcely any noise.
The Union Church is a Protestant Church, isn't it? Yes.
And there are no masses and confessions?— No.
By the Hon. Mr. SLADE:
or
objection be easily obviated by a screen
With regard to the privacy, couldn't that barricade run up alongside the line to prevent people in cars looking into those houses? Yes.
By the Hon. Mr. HEWETT:
But that would block out a good deal of the view of the gardens?—Yes.
You stated just now that you thought a cutting would be cheaper than trestles. Can you give the committee any idea of the differ. ence between the trestle and the tunnel scheme I have not gone into it.
By the DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: Your firm, Mr. Denison, were the original engineers engaged on this scheme, were they
not ?-Yes.
And the alignment shown on that plan on red is the alignment originally proposed by you, I think-Yes.
And that was absolutely refused by Sir Matthew Nathan when he was governor, was it not?--I don't know. I was not here at the time.
You know you were required to prepare an- other scheme giving a different route?—No, I understand the route was the same
As a mat-
ex-
ter of fact the route was deviated to some tent.
-
You referred to the 'noise a train makes in passing such a bridge as the Forth bridge that is rather an exaggerated com- parison is it not? A train would make much Eight carriages more noise than a tramcar? will make more noise than one.
And the weight of carriages will be immensely greater than a tramcar? Yes, I should say a train would be slightly heavier. But in this case there is not only the carriage wheels, but pulleys.
And the tramway will also be at a greater
view passengers will get will be at the tops of these houses?I think you said just now that the pathway was higher than the tramway.
The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS-No,
the tramway is higher than the pathway.
Mr. DENISON-And you get a be ter view of the bedrooms.
Sir HENRY BERKELEY-Your Excellency, the first observation I will make is that no evidenc has been called here to support the suggestions of the Director of Public Works, and I take it that the evidence of Mr. Denison makes it clear that as far as the privacy of these houses goes, they will be open to the view of persons in the trams every day; and trams will be passing to and fro every ten minutes or quarter of an hour. The evidence of Mr. Denison seems to me to indicate that it must be necessary for the destruction of any such screen
By
is provided by the trees now growing along the proposed line of route. It is not altogether fair for the case of the petitioner that the Director of Public Works should take part in the discussion and vote after dragging in evidence, without being cross-examined. He gives an expression of his opinion, but there is
no evidence of it before the committee and it
ought not to have weight against the opinion of an expert of equal standing in the pro- fession to himself, although not an official. The evidence of Mr. Denison on the point that the passing of the tramline along the blue route must expose the inhabitants of these houses is based on common sense: The evidence of the
the
com.
Director of Public Works is based on the assumption, unwarranted by the evidence before the committee, that a number of strees will be left as a screen between the cars and the houses. I need hardly remind the committee that in dealing with an application of this kind they should approach it with a judicial mind. The committee will consider the suggestions made, based only on the evidence before it, and it will not be in any way swayed or influenced based upon the by any suggestions not evidence. I am submitting to mittee that the suggestions shadowed in the cross-examination of the Director of Public Works are based on assumption, and have no evidence to support them Sir, I would also ask the committee not to be influenced by what I cannot help describing as allusion by the Director of Public Works to our This late Governor, Sir Matthew Nathan. committee is not to decide a question which affects deeply the feelings of 7,000 of the in- habitants of this plony by any conceived notions of Sir Matthew Nathan on this Because Sir Matthew Nathan dis- point. approved of this particular route, it is not to say that this committee will disapprove of it. Sir, it is hardly fair for the Director of Public Works to refer to the respected name of our
an
unfortunate
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