CO129-410 - Governor Sir May - 1914 [3-5] — Page 141

OP Y.

140

9

'મ 18 12

Hon. Colonial Secretary,

I have made an inspection, in company with the

Manager of Railway and Engineer of Way and Works, of the banks which suffered damage during the typhoon of the 17th. August last.

2.

In a few cases, the banks are entirely compos-

-ed of rubble, faced with pitching, and, in such cases, the damage caused was slight. In the other cases, the banks are composed of earth, protected merely for a certain height, by a facing of stone pitching, and in these cases serious damage was caused.

3.

The defects in the construction of the latter

class of banks are as follows:-

(a). The mound of "pierre perdu" which is invariably, in the

case of important works, incorporated in earth banks exposed to the action of the sea is either entirely absent or is of far too limited dimensions.

(b). Little or no "berm" has been provided to support and

protect the toe of those banks which extend below low- -water level.

(c). The pitching has not been carried sufficiently high. (d). The stones forming the pitching are, in some cases, too

small.

4.

of work to attempt to re-construct the banks on the above-mention- -ed lines and I therefore recommend that the following works be carried out with a view to affording protection to the existing work:-

It would be too troublesome and costly a pisce

(1). Where the sea-bed at the toe of the bank is below Ordnanos Datum, "pierre perdu" should be deposited in front of the existing toe of the pitching to form a 15 foot berm at 3 feet above Datum, the berm and outer slope to some being

faced with large stones weighing not less than 1 tons each.

Where the foreshore at the toe of the bank is above Datum,

no berm need be formed, provided that the beach is not liable

to erosion. If, however, erosion is liable to occur, the

1