March_1965 — Page 40

Giant Winch Will Aid Piling Projects

20 TON MACHINE FROM AUSTRALIA

THE biggest pile-driving winch yet seen in Hong Kong was unloaded at the docks last month. It weighs over 20 tons.

Built in Australia by Alfred T. Harman and Sons, Pty., Ltd., Mel- bourne, the winch will be used by Zeissl (Hong Kong) Ltd.

Mr. Martin Yuen, manager of Zeissl, said that the winch was be- lieved to be bigger than any operat- ing in Europe on piling work. An identical second winch was due to arrive any day.

"We have no immediate projects for the winches", he said, "but it is planned to use them for supplying power to drive piles for the founda-

tions of domestic and factory build- ings. They will assist the driving of piles of a larger diameter, which will be more economic for property

owners.

The Harman winch is a triple drum winch with a main drum of 50 tons capacity on a split main extract- ing drum. It will take a full load of 200 tons to extract a 24 in. casing. There is a secondary drum of 15 tons capacity and a third drum actualy a hammer winch of 7 tons capacity.

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The whole unit is pneumatically controlled by a Westinghouse system and is fitted with a Cummins NH 6 diesel engine.

Full length view of the Harman winch showing rear engine

Japanese Road Experts Arrive in Thailand

THREE Japanese highway experts arrived in Thailand last month to set up a centre for highway construction mechanical devices at Amphur Haadyai, Songkhla Province.

The centre is being established under a recently signed Japanese- Thai agreement whereby the Japanese Government will provide mechanical equipment worth 22 million baht while the Thai Government builds the necessary personnel residences, offices and workshops at a cost of ten million baht.

A 62 kilometre highway, the Samrong-Jana-Na Tawee, is to be constructed in Songkhla. It will have a 5 metre wide road surface and will be 50 centimetres above flood level.

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Japanese and Thai technicians will survey and design the highway and hope to have 10 kilometres of the new road completed by the end of the year. This stretch will include a reinforced concrete bridge and a 60 metre tunnel,

Mr. Shigeru Yamataka, leader of the three-man team, said at a con- ference in Bangkok that another team of seven experts would arrive at the end of March. They would all stay for three years to supervise the construction and give training to Thai engineers. The construction and training centre would be opened at Songkhla.

Equipment now on its way to Thailand from Japan includes trac- tors, bulldozers, rollers and surfacing machines.

TAIWAN DAM PROJECT

Design by French Expert

TAIWAN Central Government has decided to embark on a US$150- million dam project at Tachien to develop water and power resources in central Taiwan to meet the growing need of economic development.

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The Tachien project, when pleted, will provide water supply for the Tachien power plant and five other power stations in the lower reaches of the Tachia river. It will increase the irrigated area of farm- land by 52,738 hectares and this will raise rice production by 57,000 metric tons per year.

The dam will also serve flood con- trol purposes and provide water supply for industrial plants in a pro- jected industrial zone in the lower reaches of the Tachia river.

Two phases

The huge project will be split into two phases: construction of the Tachien hydraulic power system and construction of the Tachien dam, The blueprint of the project, design- ed by French arch dam expert A. Cogne, is now under study by the Harza Engineering Consultative Cor- poration in the United States. A report on the study will be submitted sometime this summer.

The projected dam will be located in the upper reaches of the Tachia river. It will have a volume of 310 million cubic meters, or twice the size of the Sun-Moon Lake, a scenic spot in central Taiwan and another im- portant water reservoir for Taiwan's power plants.

HYDRO-ELECTRIC

SCHEME CONTRACT

A BRITISH firm, Cementation, Ltd., has been awarded contracts worth M$3.2 million for drilling operations at the Batang Padang hydro-electric scheme, Malaya.

Work will include drilling near the the main dam and in the tunnels, shafts and underground chambers.

The Batang Padang scheme, the second phase of the Cameron High- lands hydro-electric project, will cost about $147 million.

EAST RIVER OPENING

TEN Government officials from Hong Kong attended the inaugural cere- mony of the East River water scheme (see last issue) at Tongtauha on March 1st.

The party included director of public works, Mr. Michael Wright: Mr. D. C. Barty, commissioner for resettlement: Mr. J. P. Hewitt, director of marine; Mr. G. P., Norton, Mr. T. O. Morgan, Mr. E. P. Wilmot Morgan, all of PWD; Mr. C. Hulse, assistant director of marine; and Mr. Suen Te-hau, waterworks engineer.

Far East Architect & Builder March, 1965

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