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this. Fully one-half of the extent of the new Naval Yard will be bounded on the East by the War Department ground, which will afford ample protection, and the rest is bounded partly by land still in the possession of the Government and partly by one or two leasehold lots that can easily be acquired. This furnishes the required belt.
The question of the shifting of the Man-of-War Anchorage need not be discussed at present, although I think that as a matter of convenience it may have to follow the Naval Yard. There are no reasons why the anchorage should not be moved.
I do not propose to enter upon any detailed consideration at the present time of the payments to be made by the Colony to the Admiralty in the event of the removal being carried out. It seems premature. It may, however, be noted that while the Admiralty would have a fair claim to be reimbursed the monies expended, within the last few years, in alterations and extensions to the Naval Yard or in preparation therefor—expenses necessarily thrown away if the Yard is removed—it is not so easy to see that it would have any reasonable grounds for asking that the Colony should bear the expenses of the new installation.
As to the Commodore's last suggestion that it is the city which should be transferred to Kowloon and not the Naval Establishments, I am afraid that is out of the question. The money sunk in land and buildings in Victoria and at the Peak is too vast to permit of such a change. Time may give us a Birkenhead on the other side of the harbour, but then there will be two cities, one on either side, and not one.
To pass from the Commodore's letter to that of Mr. Ordish, Superintending Civil Engineer in charge of the Naval Yard Extension, I propose to deal with the questions raised by him in the order in which he puts them forward.
In the first place, it is clear that he recognises fully the disadvantages of the present site and its inability, even after the proposed extensions and with the addition of Military property not now in the possession of the Admiralty, to satisfy the demand for a Naval Establishment in Hongkong sufficient to supply the requirements of the fleet in the Far East. It is congested now. It will be equally congested, he says, after the proposed extensions have been made. The Military ground is needed even now, if proper provision is to be made for the concentration of the stores scattered through the Colony. Even the acquisition of the Military property will only suffice for present needs and will leave no room for further extensions, the necessity for which can, even now, be foreseen.
Mr. Ordish admits that the area offered at Kowloon is ample both for the present and the future.
In my remarks on the Commodore's letter, I have, I think, sufficiently dealt with the question of the relative exposure of the two sites to damage from storms and typhoons, and need not repeat myself here. I only call attention to the use by Mr. Ordish of the phrase "open sea." The waters of this harbour are so completely landlocked in every direction that it is difficult to understand in what sense he uses the phrase. It may be noted that very little damage was done ashore on the 10th November last and no damage would have been done afloat but for the very unexpected nature of the blow coming so late in the year, no preparation whatever having been made to meet it.
Mr. Ordish must, I think, have failed to study with sufficient attention the character of the shores in the immediate neighbourhood of the proposed site. From Kowloon Point to Mount Cochrane, there has always been deep water close inshore on the West side of the Kowloon Peninsula. That shore and the Southern side of Stonecutters is being eaten away rather than being filled up.
It is only immediately in front of Yau-Ma-Ti and in the bays to the North of that village that deposits accumulate and the water tends to shoal.
A comparison of the earliest and latest charts of the harbour will show this clearly. Dredging will have to be done undoubtedly, in front of the site of the proposed Naval Yard, but by no means to the extent suggested by Mr. Ordish. Dredging has to be carried out in front of the present Naval Yard and forms part of the present scheme of extension. A larger superficial area will have to be dredged at Kowloon, but owing to the nature of the material, I doubt if it would be as expensive as that required for the present Naval Yard. The Naval authorities want a uniform depth of 30 feet. From an examination of the chart sent herewith, it will be seen at a glance that, except in the portion coloured pink, there is already more than that depth of water. The area coloured pink, which will have to be dredged to give the Admiralty a uniform depth of 30 feet at the least, is 19.25 acres, the average depth of excavation being 6.4 feet only. The quantity to be removed is say 1,860,000 cubic yards, and I am assured that, with modern dredgers and local labour, the cost should not exceed 50 cents per cubic yard, or $1,000,000. Several deep borings have been made over this area and neither boulders nor sheet rock has been met with.
In any case, it is fair to say that, so far as dredging and maintenance to the required depth is concerned, the Admiralty will be put to no more expense at Kowloon than they will be at Hongkong.
Maintenance will cost nothing. The depth of water in front of the Wharf Company's premises has been unaltered for many years, nor is there any appearance of any silting up, although the Company's Wharves would, at first sight, appear likely to facilitate it.
Further, I have the authority of Mr. Gillies and of the Manager of the Cosmopolitan Dock at Sam-Shui-Po for stating that, during the many years they have known this Dock and site (and that is since it was constructed 28 years ago), no silting of any kind has taken place to their knowledge, either in front of the Dock or between it and the West side of Stonecutters' Island.
Mr. Ordish's point as to possible future overcrowding of the neighbourhood of the new Naval Yard by Chinese dwellings can easily be provided against as already indicated.
Mr. Ordish questions the statement, in my original letter to you of the 2nd of May on this subject, that much of the work at the present Naval Yard will have to be done in the solid rock. I have made close inquiry and am assured, on very competent authority, that my original statement was well founded. I also pointed out that docking large vessels in the dock now under construction would probably be attended by danger from the strength of the currents running backwards and forwards along the face of the Yard. This statement is denied. I am assured that, whatever markings may be found on the chart, the currents will be found decidedly strong on the line of the northern face of the Dockyard extension, carried out some considerable distance, as it will be, into the harbour, and I may remind you, Sir, of the difficulties attending the repairs to H.M.S. Victorious at The Dock, Hongkong, because of the currents across the entrance to the Dock. The Company refused the work because of the great risk, and the Admiralty, rather than assume the risk, sent the vessel to Japan to be docked in the Imperial Dock at Yokosuka.
Mr. Ordish, in his letter, proposes two alternative sites for the new Naval Yard—one just inside the entrance to the Lyee-moon, the other in Hunghom Bay. As to the first, I am sure that the Government would deal very liberally with the Admiralty if it determines to move the Naval Yard to that position, but it is needless to consider the question in detail as the Commodore, I have no doubt, for very good reasons, does not approve of this suggestion.
As to the alternative scheme of a Naval Establishment in Hunghom Bay, there are two patent objections to it. First.—There is no spot in the Colony more exposed to the ravages of a typhoon. The strength of the wind is in most cases from the North-East. A tremendous sea rushes in on that beach through the Lyee-moon. Secondly.—A Naval Yard in that position would seriously interfere with the Dock Company's premises and with the facilities for access to the existing Docks and Slips. The front of any Naval Establishments there would have to be carried out to the Cust and Rumsey rocks at the least, and would cover nearly half of the frontage of the Dock Company. Neither, in the interests of the Navy nor of the Colony, is this proposal within the limits of practical politics.
Lastly, I have to deal with Mr. Ordish's estimate of the liabilities to be incurred by the Admiralty should it be ultimately decided to accept the proposed transfer to Kowloon and to the question of the payments to be made by the Colony in aid.
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this. Fully one-half of the extent of the new Naval Yard will be bounded on the East by the War Department ground, which will afford ample protection, and the rest is bounded partly by land still in the possession of the Government and partly by one or two leasehold lots that can easily be acquired. This furnishes the re- quired belt.
The question of the shifting of the Man-of-War Anchorage need not be dis- cussed at present, although I think that as a matter of convenience it may have to follow the Naval Yard. There are no reasons why the anchorage should not be moved.
I do not propose to enter upon any detailed consideration at the present time of the payments to be made by the Colony to the Admiralty in the event of the removal being carried out. It seems premature. It may, however, be noted that while the Almiralty would have a fair claim to be re-imbursed the monies ex- pended, within the last few years, in alterations and extensions to the Naval Yard or in preparation therefor-expenses necessarily thrown away if the Yard is removed--it is not so easy to see that it would have any reasonable grounds for asking that the Colony should bear the expenses of the new instalation.
As to the Commodore's last suggestion that it is the city which should be transferred to Kowloon and not the Naval Establishments, I am afraid that is out of the question. The money sunk in land and buildings in Victoria and at the Peak is too vast to permit of such a change. Tine may give us a Birkenhead on the other side of the harbour, but then there will be two cities, one on either side, and not one,
Το pass from the Commodore's letter to that of Mr. Ordish, Superintending Civil Engineer in charge of the Naval Yard Extension, I propose to deal with the questions raised by him in the order in which he puts them forward.
In the first place it is clear that he recognises fully the disadvantages of the present site and its inability, even after the proposed extensions and with the addition of Military property not now in the possession of the Admiralty, to satisfy the demand for a Naval Establishment in Hongkong sufficient to supply the requirements of the fleet in the Far East. It is congested now. It will be equally congested, he says, after the proposed extensions have been made. The Military ground is needed even now, if proper provision is to be made for the concentration of the stores scattered through the Colony. Even the acquisition of the Military property will only suffice for present needs and will leave no room for further extensions, the necessity for which can, even now, be foreseen.
Mr. Ordish admits that the area offered at Kowloon is ample both for the present and the future.
In my remarks on the Commodore's letter I have. I think, sufficiently dealt with the question of the relative exposure of the two sites to damage from storms and typhoons, and need not repeat myself here. I only call attention to the use by Mr. Ordish of the phrase open sea." The waters of this harbour are se completely landlocked in every direction that it is difficult to understand in what sense he uses the phrase. It may be noted that very little damage was done ashore on the 10th November last and no damage would have been done afloat but for the very unexpected nature of the blow coming so late in the year, no preparation whatever having been made to meet it.
Mr. Ordish must, I think, have failed to study with sufficient attention the character of the shores in the immediate neighbourhood of the proposed site. From Kowloon Point to Mount Cochrane there has always been deep water close in- shore on the West side of the Kowloon Peninsula. That shore and the Southern side of Stonecutters is being eaten away rather than being filled up.
It is only immediately in front of Yau-Ma-Ti and in the bays to the North
of that village that deposits accumulate und the water tends to shoul.
A comparison of the earliest and latest charts of the harbour will show this. clearly. Dredging will have to be done undoubtedly, in front of the site of the proposed Naval Yard, but by no means to the extent suggested by Mr. Ordish. Dredging has to be carried out in front of the present Naval Yard and forms part of the present scheme of extension, A larger superficial area will have to be dredged at Kowloon, but owing to the nature of the material I doubt if it would be as
expensive as that required for the present Naval Yard. The Naval authorities want a uniform depth of 30 feet. From an examination of the chart sent herewith it will be seen at a glance that, except in the portion coloured pink, there is already more than that depth of water. The area coloured pink, which will have to be dredged to give the Admiralty a uniform depth of 30 feet at the least, is 192} acres, the average depth of excavation being 64 feet only. The quantity to be removed is say 1,860,000 cubic yards, and I am assured that, with modern dredgers and local labour, the cost should not exceed 50 cents per cubic yard, or $1,000,000. Several deep borings have been made over this area and neither boulders nor sheet rock has been met with.
In any case it is fair to say that, so far as dredging and maintenance to the required depth is concerned, the Admiralty will be put to no more expense at Kowloon than they will be at Hongkong.
Maintenance will cost nothing. The depth of water in front of the Wharf Company's premises has been unaltered for many years nor is there any appearance of any silting up although the Company's Wharves would, at first sight, appear likely to facilitate it.
Further, I have the authority of Mr. Gillies and of the Manger of the Costuopo- litan Dock at Sam-Shui-Po for stating that, during the many years they have known this Dock and site (and that is since it was constructed 28 years ago) no silting of any kind has taken place to their knowledge, either in front of the Dock or between it and the West side of Stonecutters' Island.
Mr. Ordish's point as to possible future overcrowding of the neighbourhood of the new Naval Yard by Chinese dwellings can easily be provided against as already indicated.
Mr. Ordish questions the statement, in my original letter to you of the 2nd of May on this subject, that much of the work at the present Naval I have made close inquiry and am Yard will have to be done in the solid rock. assured, on very competent amhority, that my original statement was well founded. I also pointed out that docking large vessels in the dock now under construction would probably be attended by danger from the strength of the currents running backwards and forwards along the face of the Yard. This statement is denied. I am assured that, whatever markings may be found on the chart, the currents will be found decidedly strong on the line of the northern face of the Dockyard extension, carried out some considerable distance, as it will be, into the harbour and 1 may remind you, Sir, of the difficulties attending the repairs to H.M.S. Victorious at The Dock Bunghom because of the currents across the entrance to the Dock. Company refused the work because of the great risk, and the Admiralty rather than assume the risk, sent the vessel to Japan to be docked in the Imperial Dock at Yokosuka.
Mr. Ordish in his letter proposes two alternative sites for the new Naval Yard-one just inside the entrance to the Ly-ce-moon, the other in Hunghom Bay. As to the first I am sure that the Government would deal very liberally with the Admiralty if it determines to move the Naval Yard to that position, but it is needless to consider the question in detail as the Commodore, I have no doubt, for very good reasons, does not approve of this suggestion.
As to the alternative scheme of a Naval Establishment in Hungbom Bay, there First.-There is no spot in the Colony more exposed are two patent objectious to it, to the ravages of a typhoon. The strength of the wind is in most cases from the North-East. A tremendous sea rushes in on that bench through the Ly-ee-moon. Secondly-A Naval Yard in that position would seriously interfere with the Dock Company's premises and with the facilities for access to the existing Docks and Slips. The front of any Naval Establishments there would have to be carried out to the Cust and Rumsey rocks at the least, and would cover nearly half of the frontage of the Dock Company. Neither, in the interests of the Navy nor of the Colony, is this proposal within the limits of practical politics.
Lastly, I have to deal with Mr. Ordish's estimate of the liabilities to be incurryi by the Admiralty should it be ultimately decided to accept the proposed trausler to Kowloon and to the question of the payments to be made by the Colony in aid,
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