Enclosure 1.
COPY
CONFIDENTIAL
IREC
0.0.
266
32728
Public Works Offled 08
Hongkong,
4th July, 1908
Sir.
In reply to your letter No. 4690/1908 of the 27th ultimo,
I beg to report that I have male an inspection of Railway Bridges Nos. 4 and 7.
Bridge No. 4 The masonry of this bridge has been built to the springing level of the arches which will span the foot- paths of the future public road. The south-eastern abutuent is
cracked in two places, about 5 to 9 foot from each enl, where the
wing walls join it. The foundation of this abutment consists of
a block of cement concrete 13 feet wide and 6 feet thick, on top of which are two courses of footings, each 1 foot thick. The thickness of the abutment above ground level is 7 feet.
The material upon which the foundatiin rests is soft
clayey mud mixed with sand and chargel with water. To facili-
tate my inspection, the Chief Resident Engineer had hal a suall
pit sunk in close proximity to the abutment and to about the
depth of the bridge foundations. In this pit, a crowbar, about 1"
diameter, was, without special effort, pushel by a coolie a depth
of 3 feat into the ground, the coolie simply resting his weight
on it.
A pricker (apointel iron bar) was then tried in the pit
and, except when passing through thin layers of sand, was easily
pushed down a depth of 10 feet by 3 men. The entire process occupied about 10 minutes.
As the result of my inspection, I consider that, if the
bridge be carried to completion with its foundations as at
present, serious subsidences are bound to occur and its safety