19
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT,
473
18. I have not deemed it necessary to touch in this Despatch on the many minor provisions that have been stipulated for in local correspondence, both by the Naval and Military Authorities with regard to buildings, piers, fences, walls, roadways, gates, &c. in connexion with the scheme. Suffice it to say that I have met all these requirements, and that no pains will be spared to make the plan acceptable in all its details both to the Naval and Military Authorities. A strenuions effort, however, will yet have to be made to obtain from the Naval Authorities some reduction of the great height of "headway" which they demand under the bridge over the entrance to the Naval Yard basin, as this "height" if adhered to will involve unduly steep gradients in the new Praya roadway.
19. In conclusion I would remind Your Lordship that the Colonial Govern- ment has been now ten years endeavouring to effect the realization of this most important undertaking, that in these ten years of fruitless effort and disappointment, and of almost interminable correspondence with the Imperial Departments, the population of the western town has bad time almost to double itself, and to become congested to a dangerous degree, and that in consequence of a situation s full of grave anxiety, it is of vital importance that the War Office as well as the Admiralty should be moved to an early decision. For even if, through Your Lordship's efforts in that behalf, a satisfactory result should be arrived at, and I should then be enabled to cause this much needed work to be commenced during 1889, we can scarcely expect to have the embankment finished before 1993; and only then will it be practicable to establish the tramway communication with the eastern suburbs, so urgently required to lead the population in that direction, and to thus afford a remedy for the evils of overcrowding which at present threaten the health of the Civil community, the Garrison, and the Naval Establishment alike.
I have the honour to be,
My Lord,
Your Lordship's most obedient,
humble Servant,
G. WILLIAM DES VŒUX.
HONGKONG, 2nd January, 1889.
RECZ
SIR,
In connexion with the project for a proposed junction between theR 39/
Eastern and Western halves of the city by means of an embankment carried along the front of the Naval Yard and Military Cantonments, I have the honour to report that in consequence of the rapid silting up of the sea-bed along this portion of the foreshore I have found it necessary to discard all former maps and plans and to incur the expense of an entirely new survey from the Cricket Ground to the Blue Buildings.
2. By the light of this new survey I am now able to lay down the best position for the proposed embankment, and to recommend a design which if carried out will, I trust, render further reclamations outside the new sea-wall un- necessary for a great many years to come.
3. The foreshore having shoaled up in places as much as two feet and a half since 1880, it is now necessary to push the proposed breasting further out into the harbour along deeper water, a change which will tend to maintain present depths by promoting the scouring action of the tide along the sweeping curves of the proposed wall. The alteration, also, by giving a greater depth of water to craft coming alongside the quays will be a great improvement ou previous plans.
4. The change into deeper water will of course add largely to the cost of the work, but it will also so greatly increase the area of new land to be reclaimed, as to more than compensate for the increased cost, as the figures will presently show.
5. There is nothing in the plan as now submitted to which either the Naval or Military Authorities have taken exception. The changes proposed, in fact, add to the extent of the military reclamations, and equally benefit Admiralty interests by enlarging the size of the proposed boat-basin as well as of the naval reclamation in front of the Steam Factory so that this acquiescence on the part of the Imperial Departments is only what was to be expected.
The new.
6. Beginning from the west, the plan shows the new Praya placed at a distance out of 300 feet from the present shore-line, so as to bring it into allign- ment with the embankment to be made opposite the City Hall and the Cricket Ground, under what is popularly known as "Mr. CHATER'S scheme." position now selected for the breasting at this point will give the North Barracks an additional 26,385 square feet of land, and will increase the total area to be recovered from the sea for the benefit of the War Office in front of these barracks to 134,215 square feet.
7. Crossing the Albany Nullah over which a granite culvert will be built, and passing on to the Admiralty frontage, the plan shews the present Naval Yard foreshore converted into an inland boat-basin about 400 feet long by 200 feet wide, designed to afford under the lee of the embankment ample shelter for the Naval Yard launches, lighters and boats for which there has never been any protection on this side of the harbour during rough weather. In addition to this commodious basin of 12 acres, the Admiralty will get a reclamation (shewn tinted yellow in the plan) of 52,264 square feet in front of the Steam Factory. This reclamation will be available for future naval buildings.
8. In compliance with the requirements of Commodore MAXWELL, R.N., Superintendent in charge of the Yard, a headway of 14 feet above high water park has had to be left under the bridge which spans the entrance to the boat-basin. This high headway has necessitated the adoption of rising gradients of 1 in 30 in the approaches to the bridge, which I fear will prove inconvenient to the future tramway and traffic of the embaukanent, and it is to be hoped that some reduction of headway may be feasible, and so render possible less steep approaches to the bridge. The rise and fall of the tide being 8 feet 9 inches, so large a headway as 14 feet 6 inches at high water would be increased to 19 feet at half tide and to over 23 feet at low tide, dimensions which seem unnecessary as the largest craft entering the basin will only be cargo boats.
9. In addition the Naval Authorities have stipulated for two Admiralty quays to be built for the exclusive use of the Naval Yard outside the frontage line of embankment, one on each side of the entrance to the boat-basin as shown in the plan. These quays which are to be inaccessible to the public, will be con- nected with the Yard by means of subways passing under the embankment. The Honourable F. STEWART, LL.D.,
Colonial Secretary.
T
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