October 11, 1902.]
Looker appeared on behalf of the architects, Messrs. Leigh and Orange, and Mr. C. D. Wilkinson of the contractor, Loong Cheong.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
cause, if the rain fell vertically, it did not wat the external walls. Witness here pro- ceeded to read from the weather reports and the published list in the Government Gazette of collapses during the present year. By the weather reports it was shown that the wind relocity in June and July was the strongest in ten years. In witness's opiniou it could easily ; be seen that the weather and the collapses were closely connected. The rain started on 8th May and the first collapse decurred on 11th ; May; the Inst collapse came on 12th An, ust, on which day the rain stopped. S nee then there had been another collapse, not, however, due to the weather. There was what night be termed a typhoon period of three months, which coincided with the three months of rain. During the three months under review there were only 18 days without rain, and on these days there was practically no sun- shine and the humidity was great. In that period there had been three typhoons--ou 12th July, 18th July, and 2nd August. Mr. Leigh further proceeded to quote extensively from the meteorological and collapse reports, and pointed out that from 18th July to 12th August there had been 66 collapses. In his 2 years exporisure there had never been anything approaching this record, and he thought that five collapses a year would be about the average. None had occurred in any completed and occupied house of his before this year, and he had had no reasons for taking other than the usual precautions to keep the wet out of the walls of Chinese houses. Apart from the list in the Gazette, a very large nun. her of houses had been more or less seriously damaged owing to the wind and rain. There was an instance behind him, twenty yards or so away, in the compound of Victoria Goal, where the back wall of a cookhouse had fallen down. The unrecorded collap-es included Europeau as well as Chinese houses, and numbered about 250, Had there been a fu ther ten days' or a fort night's wind and rain after 12th August, witness should say that hundreds more houses would have collapsed; from day to day he saw wall cracking in all directions. The remedy for all this was to protect the external walls from the wet getting in; apart from that, be considers the provisions of the Building Ordinance quite sufficient for the purposes of public safety.
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accident there, and he could not say whether or not the mortar had squeezed out. The accident to No. 45, Praya East he atributed to the same causes as in the case of No. 3, Kowloon City Road in this case the mort r had squeezed up. All houses built by witness were put with the intention of withstanding the typhoons and the heavy raios,
The enquiry being resumed after lunch, wituess stated that so far as he knew no tie-rods had boons rected across any of the hons s on lots 1107 or 110% since their completion. As to the inspec. tion of a job, witness considered that it was the duty of the overseer to be on the work during the time that it was to ng carried on, though not necessarily continously and as for the con tractor, he should either personally or through a responsible foreman see to the proper carrying out of the work.. Witness presumed that the shoring at No. 6 (which he had stated to be useless and doing no work) was put up by the contractor. That, witness said, was not like the work of a competent and good contractor. The fact, however,
Mr. R. K. Leigh again we it into the witness box, and was examined by Mr. Looker as to the three qualities of Canton red brick already mentioned by him; their names, prices, and respective uses he specifled. Witness, had never
known of Amoy bricks being nsed in the building of Chines · houses, Under section 10 of Ordinance 25 of 1891 there was a reference to black bricks for use in the two uppermost stories; these black bricks woLO the blue bricks witness had alroady spoken of. The section had since been amended, and now permit ed the use of blue brick in the uppermost story only. Prior to sixteen years ago, there was no other brick in the Colony except blue brick. Loong Cheong, the con- tractor, had done other work for witness's firm, including the Pe k Hotel, Dr. Renny's house, Victoria Lodge, three large godowns for the Kowloon Wharf and Godown Co., and a large number of Chinese hous s.
Witness considered Andersen, the ove seer, to be a very fair overseer, as overseers went. There was usually no getting of good overseers in the Colony; they had to be brought out from home. Anderson could easily super. vise the houses ander his care, witness was of opinion, because the work was not going on in all of these houses at the same time. There probably would not be more than nine or ten places where work was going on daily, and that could easily be looked after. Witness himself inspected the houses twice a week; his commission only included general superintendence. The ordinary fire per cent, commission, both here and at home, covered general superintendence only, and that wa the rate of commission witness was being paid for the houses in question. In England, on work of this description, an architect would be considered to have done very well if he visited the houses twice a month. The architect, when he paid these visits, was supposed to see that the work was proceeding in accordance with the plas and specifications. It was not possible, nor was it his duty, ou these occasions to go thoroughly into every little detail of the construction and specification; if such were the case, he could only do one work at a time, as he would have to be on the job from daylight till dark. No overseer would then be required. By Mr. Wilkinson-In witness's opinion, In comparison with contractors in England, I oong Cheong was one of the best contractors the contractors here were not so good, and were in the Colony; that opinion was based upon far more difficult to deal with. It was the his experience of him in the work previously same in the case of the workmen-those here mentioned. That experience extended over a were not so good Most of the material, too, number of years. All the walls in blocks was inferior, and as a general rule one had 1,107 and 1,103 were of the same manner and to build with what labour and material material, both those that had developed cracks were at hand, Witness hid visited the since the collapse and those that were houses in Kowloon City Road since last he sound. It was customary, both here and in was in the witness box, and found one set England, for a contractor to have more than of slioring at the back of No. 60; it was one job on at the same tim, aand he was not useless shoring, and was doing no work. Wit-expected to be ou oue job alewys. ness had also been in the whole fifteen houses on K.I.L. 1,107, and saw a crack in the back portion of the party wall between N s. 6 and 8, and also a crack in the back of that between Nos. 14 and 16; the cracks were not serious, and would not necessitate rebuilding. No other cracks worth speaking of were visible. Except the two end houses, Nos, 2 and 30, What would you call the rainy season?- none of the houses were seriously damaged. From early in May till the end of September. Witness's experience of this
year showed
An the typhoon season ?—About the same him that something would have to be done The Cochrane Street collapse last year, wit- to keep the wet out of external walls. The ness contiuned. took place during the heavy thir een remaining houses on the lot were rains. No. 131, D s Voux Road West, which in no way dangerous, and in witness's opinion collapsed, according to the Gazette, on 2ud were stronger and better built than the majo- August. was built under the supervision of rity of Chinese hous 8. Previous to the en- Messrs. Ligh ̧ & Orange's architects, and quiry he had had some consultations with the was completed in November, 1930. That, Acing Crown Solicitor, and spent the best pa t however,
was uot & house collapse. only of two days furnishing him with particulars. A the top of the front wall and the verandah typhoon sign .I was up at the time of the collapse columns falling. Jo witness's opinion, shortly before six o'clock on the afternoon they were knocked down by the collapse of a of 18th July. Witness quoted from meteor similar portion of No. 129. No. 45, Praya ological reports to show the state of the weather East, also mentioned in the list of collapses, on that day, and said there was no doubt that was another house built under the supervision the typhoon was the ultimate cause of the of witness's firm, and Was completed in collapse; he attributed the primary cause to the February, 1901 Nos. 30, Kowloou City Road. wet getting in and softening the joints of the 131, Des Vœux Road, and 45, I'raya East were Lrickwork in the external wall. This was not almost the only houses in the list that were caused by the excessive and continuous rainf 1, combined with wind. It made a difference in the effect of rain upon a wall if that not accompained by wind, be-
rain was
Mr. Dennys-Do you say that the party walls ou blocks 1,107 and 1,108, which you have said are craokod, rre safe, sound, and substantial ?— I do.
During the 22 years you have been in Hong- koug, there have always been a rainy season and a typhoon season ?—Yes.
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that it was of no ns and doing no work showed that it was not required. Shoring work was not generally done by contractors; it was the special work of, witness thought, only two firms in the Colony. The reason that witness spent nearly two day in the Crown olicitor's office giving him particulars was to land him every assistance in the onquiry. He thought that from May. 1901, till May. 1902, from 600 to 1,000 honses were finished aud completed; of these house, so far as he knew, only one besides those which he built came down. Referring to the effect of the weather upon a wall, witness said it was a well-known fact that a dry brick would stand a great, deal more pressure than a wet one.
new and completed houses and that had yet fallen down; there were a few others. As to No, 131, Des Voeux Road West witness would not say that the wet had nothing to do with the
The whole of Wednesday and half of the forenoon of Thursday was taken up in the continued reading of the eviden o of Mr R. K. Leigh, who was also asked one or two ad ŝitional question, one, by Mr. Dennys, as follows:-
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Did the owners restrict you as to the design or specification of these buildings ou Lot 1,107? -Not in any way.
Tam A Ling, contractor, 56, Wellington Stroot, said he was one of the two partners in the Loong Cheong firm, and was originally a carpenter by trade. His partner, Ng Leung, was also a carpenter. For eight or nine years witness had been carrying on the business of a general contractor, in partnership with Ng Leang. He tendered for the thirty houses on K.I. Lots 1,107 and 1,108 for the sum of 888.009, and when Mr. Leigh told him that twenty more houses were wanted, he signed a contract for the lot for $145,000. Before fixing the price. witness calculated what the cost of labour and material would be. The calculation were in writing.
Mr. Dennys-And what did you calculate the amount of the stonework at?-. cannot tell now. They are in my book.
Witness was told to bring the book contain- ing the calculations after tiffin.
From memory. he could not give any idea of what he estimated the stonework would cost.
On Mr. Dennys's suggestion; the witness was cautioned that he need not answer any questions that might tend to incriminste himself.
Proceeding, witness said he could not say what he estimated the brickwork and the wood- work at. He had a s parate contract for levelling the site upon which the houses were built, but the site was prepared by somebody else.
le estimated beforehand the cost of the bricklayers' labour, but could not say from memory the figure he placed it at. As to the contract price of $145,000 for the fifty houses, he did not make any calculation as to the profit it would leave him. To another man were let out the cutting and laying of the foundations — Kwok Yee, a Hoklo man; there was no written contract. Kwok Yee simply being paid so much for one hundred cubic fort. His work was to lay the foundations, and he also ha to supply the concrete therefor. Only two sections, 36 and 38, in the specifications male r ference to the foundatious... Witness could not say how much Kwok Yee was to be paid pr hundred cubic feet of the foundations. Plas were supplied to witless, and after examining them he cal- culated how many cubic feet there were and the cost. The stonework was let out to Ngai Sam
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