Sessional_Paper_1890 — Page 303

No. 172.

HONGKONG.

REPORT ON PUBLIC WORKS.

299

No. 16

90.

Laid before the Legislative Council, by Command of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government.

SURVEYOR GENERAL'S OFFICE,

SIR,

HONGKONG, 10th July, 1890.

Owing to my recent appointment and other causes, I was prevented from making an annual report on the operations of the Public Works Department for 1889, but I have now the honour, by direction of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government, to submit an intermediate report. I propose in future, although such does not appear to have been the practice in past years, to send in at the close of each year a full and exhaustive report on the works executed during the year.

Repairs of damage done by the great Storm of 29th and 30th May, 1889.

2. With the exception of the bridge on the Kennedy Road and minor repairs to the bridle tracks to Stanley and Cape D'Aguilar these repairs are now com- pleted, and but for the scars on the hill-sides which are not yet altogether recovered by vegetation, hardly a trace remains of the ruin wrought by this storm. been found necessary to defer the reconstruction of the bridge over the Albany Nullah on the Kennedy Road until the training channel for the nullah already commenced has been brought down to this point. It is very desirable that this training channel should be completed by this Department as far as the commence- ment of the Military property near Mr. KENNEDY's stables, and I am glad to learn that the Military Authorities contemplate carrying on the work through their lands to join the masonry channel below. When this work is completed the nullah will be effectually protected from the harbour upwards as far as the Tytam filter beds above the Bowen Road, a distance of about 1,222 yards. I may add that the whole of the repairs of storm damage have been completed considerably within my estimate, although much more work than I had originally contemplated in the training of the Albany Nullah has been executed. The length of nullah now finished from the service tank northwards is 216 yards, about 353 lineal yards of masonry channel have yet to be constructed by the Colonial Government, and 203 lineal yards by the Military Authorities.

Gap Rock Lighthouse.

3. During the North East Monsoon but little work could be done on the Gap Rock owing to the extreme difficulty in effecting a landing. All preliminary arrangements were however completed in time to allow operations to be under- taken and vigorously prosecuted immediately the more favourable weather of the South West Monsoon set in. Since the 21st March a body of workmen have been working continuously on the rock. At first it was necessary to limit the number, owing to the difficulty in providing lodgings, and ensuring an adequate supply of water, but as soon as these obstacles were overcome by the erection of substantial