192
xtract from the South China Morning Post of April 1, 1930.
MORE WATER FOR HONGKONG.
NEW SUPPLY FROM MAINLAND OPENED BY HIS EXCELLENCY YESTERDAY.
AN
IMPORTANT
ACHIEVEMENT.
His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government had the pleasure of performing a most interesting public duty yesterday, when he officially opened the Harbour Pipe-line, as a result of which Hongkong itself will be supplied with water from the Shing Mun Valley.
Yesterday's ceremony crowned twelve months' unstinted effort on the part of Mr. Henderson, the Assistant Director of Public Works, and his staff, who have much cause for congratulation on the success of their work. Tributes were paid to them by the Hon. Mr. H. T. Creasy, the Director of Public Works and H. E. Mr. W. T. Southorn.
The first part of the ceremony was carried out at Queen's Pier, where Mr. Southorn was met by the Director of Public Works, and Mr. R. M. Henderson, his Assist- ant, who is in charge of the Water Works. His Excellency was ac- companied by Mrs. Southorn, to- gether with Sir Henry Pollock, Sir Shouson Chow, Hon. Mr. E. D. C. Wolfe, (Inspector General of Police), members of the P.W.D., and Legislative Council.
A Proud Achievement. The Hon. Mr. Creasy then pre- sented Mr. Henderson and his staff to His Excellency, in the course of which he said:
Your Excellencies, Mrs. Sou- thorn, Ladies and Gentlemen,- Before having the honour of pre- senting to you Mr. Henderson, the Assistant Director of Public Works in charge of special Water Works construction, I should like to say that Mr. Henderson, during the whole of his service, has been engaged upon the many schemes of Water Works extensions carried out during that period and for the last ten years he has been in charge of the Water Works of the Colony.
F
He was particularly associated with the first section of the Shing Mun Scheme which was sanction- ed by the Secretary of State in June, 1924, and of which the Har- bour Pipe Line formed an import- } ant part.
Many portions of the Scheme have already been completed viz: -The Intake Reservoir, The Tunnels and Conduit, The Recep- tion Reservoir, The Mechanical Filtration Plant, The Land Pipe Line conveying the Shing Mun River water to Kowloon Point, The Service Reservoir now under con- struction and lastly the Harbour Pipe Line now completed and con- nected with the Hongkong City Mains.
To have brought works of such magnitude to a successful comple- tion is an achievement of which any Civil Engineer might well be proud.
Difficulties and Delay. Though other portions of the
Scheme were proceeded with there was considerable delay in decid-1 ing the method that should be? adopted for the Harbour Pipe Crossing, more elaborate and ex- pensive schemes were proposed and indeed it was suggested that; the Pipe should be laid in the often proposed Tunnel under the Harbour if, and when, construc- ted.
Mr. Henderson's proposals for the Harbour Crossing were re-
to commended and referred
the Consulting Engineers to the Crown Agents.
Henderson Early in 1929 Mr. proceeded Home to consult with both Prophet and Sage and he "heard great argument about it and about" with the result that his method was approved and he hurried back to put the work in hand.
In spite of difficulties augment- ed by the late delivery of mate- rials (the prompt delivery of which had been promised) this work has been brought to a suc- cessful completion at a cost of $260,000 which is considerably under the original estimate.
The Pipe Line.
The total length of the Harbour Pipe Line from Kowloon to Hong- kong is 5,914 ft., or nearly 1 1/8 miles.
The internal diameter of the Lapwelded Steel pipe is 12.265′′ or approximately 1914", it is 7/16" thick and is protected by double Hessian wrapping impregnated with hot bitumastic solution. The Pipe Line is made up 63 sections with 66 Albion loose'
manufac- flange joints and was tured by Messrs. Stewart and Lloyds, Glasgow.
of
There are 23 flexible ball and socket joints and 4 valves, these specials being provided by Messrs. Glenfield and Kennedy.
Fifteen anchor blocks each weighing 17 tons and 11 pairs of Reinforced Cement Concrete an- } chor piles have been fixed along the Pipe Line.
+
The total length of the rubble foundations (in various portions) > is 1,370 ft.