55. Typhoon and Rainstorm Damages: The following repairs necessitated by the typhoon of 2nd September, 1937, were completed: Stanley Gaol—reconstruction of the roofs of the printing shop, kitchen block, bath house and assembly hall corridor, with reinforced concrete lantern lights; Arsenal Yard Buildings—roofs of two buildings repaired.
A temporary timber pier was built, at a cost of $16,898.00, to replace the Harbour Office pier, which was completely demolished by the typhoon of September, 1937.
Repairs were carried out to the pitched slope at the Green Island Gunpowder depôt. This work included the repair and strengthening of the pitched slope by substituting 2-ton stones on the face in lieu of the existing 12" pitching between the levels of O.D. and +14.00'D. and the repairs to the existing pitching from 14.0'O.D. to 27.0'O.D., along with extensive repairs to the R.C. Pier.
Repairs to and heightening of the North Point sea wall, which was rammed by a large vessel and partly demolished during the typhoon of September 1937, were put in hand during the year.
The defective sections of the live stock pier at Kennedy Town, which was extensively damaged in the typhoon of September 1937, were taken down, and the pier was raised to the level of 12.5 feet above Chart Datum. 180 lineal feet of damaged seawall was taken down and rebuilt.
Repairs were effected to the breakwater of the Causeway Bay typhoon shelter, damaged in the same typhoon.
During the heavy rainstorm in September, 1938, landslips occurred on Island Road and Babington Path, necessitating the re-erection of concrete walling.
Expenditure $74,760.28
56. Maintenance of City and Hill District Water Works:-The year opened with a constant supply, which was maintained until 14th August when, owing to the deficiency in rainfall, it was considered expedient to restrict the supply. From 15th to 31st August the supply was limited to 15 hours a day (6 a.m.-9 p.m.); from 1st to 25th September, to 10 hours a day (6-11 a.m. and 4-9 p.m.); from 26th September to 31st December to 8 hours a day (6-10 a.m. and 4-8 p.m.). A constant supply was, therefore, maintained for 226 days, as compared with 229 days in 1937.
The total quantity of water stored in the impounding reservoirs on 1st January amounted to 1,655.24 million gallons, of which 418.94 million gallons were in the gravitation reservoirs and 1,236.30 million gallons in the lower-level reservoirs requiring pumping. Storage reached a minimum on the 19th May when the total was 957.45 million gallons, 295.05 million gallons being in the gravitation reservoirs.
The reservoirs were at or over their permanent overflow levels for the following periods:
Reservoirs Capacity to permanent overflow level (million gallons) Overflow periods Tytam 361.79 Nil. Tytam Byewash 30.34 *50 days, from 9th August to 27th September. Tytam Intermediate 66.00 Nil. Tytam Tuk 173.23 †5 days, from 21st to 25th May. Wongneichong 106.89 2,2 Pokfulam .362.55 Nil. Aberdeen Upper Nil. Nil. Aberdeen Lower 1,406.00 Collected in Tytam Tuk Reservoir. Total † Recorded overflow=2 million gallons.