Page 615
Page 615
clause in their contract with the Government that they shall remove from Galle to Colombo. Every other Company is moving, or has moved.
5606. We may take it, then, that Colombo is the only port of Ceylon where there is
any trade?-I think in six months' time that will hold good.
5607. Sir Alexander Milne. Have the Government of Ceylon agreed to dredge out the whole of the har- bour as you propose ?They have not agreed yet to do the whole. The object of the borings I have referred to has been to show what the site is capable of. 5608. Sir Lintorn Simmons. We may assume, I suppose, that the harbour as now estimated for, and as the works are being carried on, would inclose 250 acres at low water ?--Yes.
5609. What is the rise of tide?—Two feet.
5610. What is the greatest depth within the harbour? -We have about 40 feet in the opening, in providing for which I have been considered extravagant; but I have contended for 40 feet, and I say that, allowing for the great draft of vessels of the larger class, and for the "scend of the sea, that you ought not to put down less than 38 to 40 feet.
5611. Sir Henry Holland.—Is there a tendency to silt up in the harbour ?—I am happy to say there is not. We have a series of sections taken upon the same lines year after year, and we find that there is practically no silting.
5612. Sir Lintorn Simmons-Did not your original design carry your breakwater out to Mutwal Point?- That was a larger design, submitted in 1878, which the Government said they could not afford. When the original design was made, in 1872, no one living contemplated the remarkable effect which the opening of the Suez Canal would have upon the trade and com- merce of Colombo. There were then only two steamers a-month, but now it is not an uncommon thing to see two steamers a-day going in and out. The present Governor, Sir James Longden, who arrived there four years ago, told me he had seen nineteen steamers lying in the bay at one time.
5613. The Earl of Camperdown.-What was the cost of that plan ?—1,360,0007.
5614. Would it be possible to fit this portion of the plan on to your present plan ?-No; but it would be possible to do something very much like it.
5615. It might be possible at some future time to make this instead of the North Arm ?—But that woul not be a nice kind of entrance. I may say that the north head of the arm as designed might be carried a little further out.
5616. Sir Lintorn Simmons.-That is under the supposition that the present harbour has been com- pleted to its present intended dimensions ?—Yes; and I should say that we should be advancing this very rapidly within the next six months; the north east monsoon may be expected to terminate in four, five, or six weeks. During the western monsoon we continue the rubble base on which the concrete capping is placed.
587
r
5617. Sir Henry Barkly.—Then by the end of 1883 you expect your South-western Arm to be finished ?— I should not say by 1883, but if we have a working season between October and May during this year and 1883 as we had last year, or as good, we may not be quite complete, but we shall be up to the head.
5618. Sir Lintorn Simmons –Was there any idea of putting a fort on the head at one time?--I have en- larged it 60 feet for the purpose, but the Ceylon Govern- ment have never contemplated it.
5619. Mr. Hamilton.—What amount of anchorage would your scheme give-The larger one 683 acres, that is the total acreage. Of that I think you might calculate on fully 500 acres. with 26 feet of water and upwards, if it were all dredged. Of course it would be a formidable matter to dredge it all.
5620. And what is the amount of acreage at the North Arm?—That would give 255 acres to be dredged according to the present design.
5621, Sir Alexander Milne.-Was that contracted or ?—It is not being done by contract, but depart-
mentally, we are doing it gradually. If that were carried out to about the present 5-fathom line it would add another 105 acres, and that would give 360 acres of 26 feet of water and upwards.
5622. Sir Henry Barkly.—Coull a ship of war lie outside there?-Perfectly.
5623. I mean if you coal her it is perfectly open ?- Yes; in the north-eastern monsoon she could do as all the vessels are doing now. There is, in fact, a heavy roll in the ronds; there is scarcely ever a breaker at Ceylon unless it comes in contact with the breakwater,
5624. How high is the breakwater above the water? -Eight feet.
5625. Sir Alexander Milna.-Is the work shaken by the sea at all?—No, but I should like to show you what it did. The inner portion of the South-west Arm near the shore for about 1.3.0 feet is wider than the outer portion. The inner part was constructed 50 feet wide with the idea of forming a wharfage from which the jetties could be run as is shown on this original design. That was constructed with 24 feet thickness of concrete blocks forming the sea-wall, and 12 feet forming the harbour wall, with a rubble hearting between. The resident engineer was a zealous, energetic officer, and I found that having done two or three good months' work, he had run out 600 feet of the sea wall without giving it the support it should have had from the harbour-wall, and the effect was this (it shows that the work was perfectly well designed), the whole length of that 600 feet was by the action of the sea moved at the outer end to the extent of 13 inches. We
found by ranging it that it bodily pivoted, as it were, from this point, to the extent of 13 inches at the outer end. All that could be done was this-to let the outer portion of the breakwater be somewhere about 3 feet nearer the eastern shore than was originally contem- plated. The secret of the absence of any fracture in the work lies in the perfect bond given to those blocks, which are 32 tons each, and the precautions taken in having extremely large joggles. Grooves are run in the blocks from top to bottom, and are ultimately filled up with concrete ia a semi-liquid state, which is rammed down and forms a perfect joggle from top to bottom, and it was that which caused the whole thing to move in the way I have indicated. That was three years ago, and we have not had any movement what- ever from the battering of the monsoon since that time.
5626. It cannot move at all?—No, aud the heavy sea breaking against the work, as shown in the photo- graph, wou'd go on with a bad break of the monsoon, I understand, for three weeks day and night.
5627. The Earl of Camperdown. The portion near the shore was not moved at all?—No.
5628. Sir Lintorn Simmons.-Did you find any settlement in your concrete from the rubble work settling down?-A little.
5629. What is the greatest amount of settlement? I think 11 or 12 inches near the shore where there was, perhaps, a heavier break, from the reef which termi- nated at about 800 or 900 feet from the Customs-house Point, the e where the sea broke over the reef and struck the work, there was an amount of settlement- I think about a foot.
5630. Sir Alexander Milne.-Does the sea break at right angles, or how?-Practically at right angles to the breakwater when the wind is south-west, but the same thing occurs here that happens on every beach or shore, that is to say, the wave breaks at right angles, although the sea in the offing may be running at an angle of about 45 degrees with the work.
5631. What angle does the 'sea allow the base to stand at?—At this depth of 20 feet I allowed 8 to 1, but it does not make a slope anything like so flat as that. I have calculated for the worst. because I
felt I had better be on the safe side. We deposit materi l up to within 18 inches or 2 feet of low water, and that in quiet weather would take a slope of about 1 to 1. But after the sea has acted upon it, it would assume a slope of 4 or 5 to 1; 6 to 1 is per- fectly safe.
5632. Sir Lintorn Simmons.—Is there any intention
Sir John Coode, C.E.
30 Mar,
1882.
Page 615
310
Page 615
Page 615Page 616