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MINUTES OF EVIDENCE
TAKEN BY THE
ROYAL COMMISSION ON THE DEFENCE
OF
BRITISH POSSESSIONS AND COMMERCE ABROAD.
[Continued from First Report.]
No. of Question.
5572
5667
5689
LIST OF WITNESSES.
Name of Witness.
Sir John Coode, C.E.
Major-General T. L. J. Gallwey, R.E.
Sir Henry Parkes, K.C.M.G.
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:::
:::
Page
585
590
591
30TH MARCH, 1882.
Present:
The EARL of CAMPERDOWN.
Sir HENRY T. HOLLAND, Bart., M.P., K.C.M.G.
Admiral of the Fleet Sir ALEXANDER MILNE, Bart., G.C.B. General Sir LINTORN SIMMONS, G.C.B.
Sir HENRY BARKLY, G.C.M.G., K.C.B.
S. WHITBREAD, Esq., M.P.
R. G. C. HAMILTON, Esq.
Captain HERBERT JEKYLL, R.E., Secretary.
Sir JOHN COODE, C.E., examined.
5572. Sir Alexander Milne.—You are the engineer of the new harbour at Colombo?—I am.
5573. Are you employed entirely by the Colonial Government?Entirely by the Government of Ceylon, through the Crown Agents for the Colonies.
5574. Can you explain to the Commission the ex- tent of the works that you have undertaken there ?--I
can.
The portion of the design now in course of exe- cution is called the South-west Arm. It runs from Customs-house Point in a northerly direction, and is intended to be altogether 4,700 feet long, which is a little more than seven-eighths of a mile. That length includes the reclamation at the inner end or root, which extends some 500 feet seawards from the old Customs-house Point. I have recommended to the Government that in addition to the South- west Arm there shall be a Northern Arm, to give what I conceive to be the proper amount of shelter during the period of the north-east monsoon. When the winds are blowing hard along the shore to the north-east the sea breaks down the coast. sent the Government have decided to execute only the South-west Arm, leaving the Northern Arm an open question. That, however, has been more, perhaps, on the score of expense than anything else. The mercan- tile community, so far as I have been able to read the debates which have taken place in the Ceylon Cham- ber of Commerce, are decidedly in favour of the
[1103]
At pre-
Sir John
Northern Arm being executed, as being requisite to give a sufficient amount of shelter to shipping lying Coode, C.E. in the harbour during the transference of goods. At present all vessels engaged in ocean-going traffic- 30 Mar., 1882. everything, in fact, except the smallest craft trading along the coast have to tranship their cargoes into boats, and it is landed at small jetties along the shore. But my belief is that operations of this kind will be always subject to great in- terruptions if the Northern Arm should not be constructed. The Ceylon Government say that they cannot spend more than 800,0007. on this harbour. The estimate for the South-west Arm, omitting a portion of the concrete capping, is about 712,6007. So that, assuming that work to be done for the estimate, there would be a balance available towards the cost of the Northern Arm. may say that the progrees made during the last two or three working seasons has been so satisfactory that we hope to save a very considerable amount on the esti-
mate.
I
5575. To what point is it completed?—The break- water is completed to 3,630 feet from the shore.
5576. Is it completed in superstracture ?It is com. pleted in superstructure, leaving, in round numbers, 1,000 feet yet to do. In the season before last we did about 900 feet in six months, which is almost without precedent in such work,
7 K
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