Sessional_Paper_1897 — Page 531

HONGKONG.

525

No. 34"

97

No. 97.

REPORT ON THE PRAYA RECLAMATION WORKS FOR THE FIRST HALF-YEAR 1897,

Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor,

PRAYA RECLAMATION OFFICE, HONGKONG, 13th September, 1897.

SIR, I have the honour to submit, for the information of His Excellency the Governor, the statistics and report on the Praya Reclamation Works for the half-year ending 30th June, 1897.

Section No. 1. Eastern Portion.-Contract No. 18. The work under this contract was suspended on the 18th April, 1896, pending the construction of the pipe sewers, laying the gas and water mains, and the erection on the reclaimed land of the new buildings authorized by C.S.O. No. 495 of 1896.

Section No. 2.-Contract No. 13. The work under this contract was suspended on the 23rd February, 1895, pending the construction of the new buildings on the reclaimed land authorized by C.SO. No. 1448 of 1894. The buildings having been sufficiently advanced to allow of the works under the said contract being completed, a notice was sent to the contractor on the 1st June request- ing him to proceed with the work still remaining to be executed under that contract; the work was resumed on the 11th June, and is now being carried on, but in a dilatory manner.

Section No. 3-Contract No. 23 for the completion of the upper portion of the sea wall, landing steps and landing pier, above the concrete blocks, constructing storm water drains, reclaiming the land, forming, channelling and concreting the roads, etc. was made with TSANG KENG on the 4th March, 1895. The setting and weighting of the concrete blocks of the landing pier and por- tions of the sea wall on both sides thereof, at the bottoin of Wing Lok Street, were completed on the 27th March last, and notice given to the contractor to proceed with, and complete, the work under the said contract on or before the 11th April, 1898. During the six months under review 34,923 cubic yards of earth have been filled, in the Reclamations, 855 cubic yards rubble stone hand packed, 210 cubic yards cement concrete, and 168 cubic yards of lime concrete, have been laid, backing of sea wall, ring bolts, etc., 10,572 cubic feet granite ashlar in sea wall and storm water drain, 2,102 feet of rubble stone in retaining wall, and 177 lineal feet of stone-ware pipes have been laid, 2,742 superficial feet granite paving taken up and relaid, and 14,917 cubic feet of granite ashlar and rubble backing of old sea wall have been taken up, cleaned and stacked on the reclaimed land in front of the Sailors' Home.

Departmental Work, done by divers, etc., viz., 560 superficial feet foundations of sea wall levelled. and concreted, 110 lineal feet of concrete blocks set containing 3,911 cubic feet, weighing about 244 tons, and 61, cubic yards rubble stone band packed backing of concrete blocks.

Section No. 4.-The work on this section during the half-year under review has been done departmentally, viz., foundations levelled and concreted by divers, 1,442 superficial feet, blocks set on a length of 237 feet, containing 8,243 cubic feet, and weighing about 515 tons, backing of concrete blocks with rubble stone hand packed 82 cubic yards.

On the evening of the 7th March last a portion of the rubble stone foundations on a length of 314 feet, whilst being weighted with 85,248 cubic feet of concrete blocks, weighing about 5,328 tons, suddenly, and without warning, subsided to a maximum depth of about 28 feet, 26,175 cubic feet of these blocks weighing about 1,636 tons have been taken up, and the remaining portion as far as practicable will be taken up as soon as the divers can be spared for that service.

Section No. 5.-Contract No. 36, for the construction of the rubble stone foundations of sea wall and storm water drains, etc. was made with TSANG KENG on the 11th February, 1896, the work to be completed on the 1st February, 1897. The work was being carried on in so slow and dilatory a manner, therefore with a view to getting the work completed to allow the upper surface of the foundations being levelled and concreted, and the concrete blocks forming base of sea wall laid during the low tides of May, June and July, an agreement was made by the Crown Solicitor (C.S.O. No. 517 of 1897) with TSANG KENG and his security TAI SUN FAT, to complete and hand over the work in three instalments. The first, or Eastern portion, to be handed over on the 23rd April, the second portion on the 23rd May, and the last, or Western portion, on the 8th June. The several portions were not however completed and taken over until the 16th May, 30th May and 2nd June, the whole being completed on the 17th June.