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only a dwarf retaining wall founded on a bank of pierre perdu were provided it would not provide a quay for deep draught steamers. We would therefore recommend that an iron pile structure filled with large stone rubble similar to the Ching Wang Tao breakwater should be constructed here.
This we believe would be quite effective and cheaper than the other suggestions, no dredging would be necessary, and further the iron piles could be drawn and used again in the event of the position of the quay not fitting in with the future large reclamation schemes. There are various other matters of detail such as road bridges across the reclamation and catch water drains to take the streams opening into the narrow valleys or ravine along which much of the cutting No. 1 runs, which Mr. A.J. Barry has discussed with Mr. Eves, but what we have said herein will we think give a good general idea of the work to be done.
Leaving the question of tunnel construction (section 3) until the last, we pass on to section 5 viz. that portion of the railway between Lok Lo Ha and Tai Po. This section is about 6 miles long. Mr. Bruce laid out his line for this distance in the water on the seaward side of the Government road intending to support the railway by embankments in the sea.
Subsequent local investigation disclosed several serious objections to that alignment. It would be very expensive to construct as in many places where bays on the coast line would have to be traversed the submarine bank would be high and large openings through those banks would have to be made not only to pass the land water but also a large quantity of tidal water, while moreover the protection of the seaward slopes would be expensive and somewhat hazardous as the embankment could hardly escape serious injury whenever a typhoon were experienced.
We have no doubt that the line should, as proposed by Mr. Eves be taken more in shore here and at a higher level than was proposed by Mr. Bruce, following a contour line on the face of the seaward slope of the steep hills which form the coast line.
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