, 1893-04-08


inst. in Frederiksted had caused some damage
TO the pier, he had considered 1t necessary to
inspect the damages sustained and to meet the
council to explain tie extent 10 winch
the pier had been damaged. The da-
images done by the ground-sea are that the
wooden beam fastened on the front-side Of
the pier had been torn loose and the iron an
chors holding it had been broken or bent in
their places. On the old part of the pier. that
which had been co etlrCttd FIST, tire damage
was trihing; the masonry and the whole BODY
Of the pier had not been damaged. In one
part of the new masonry namely the south
western corner, where the pier was not fin
ished, a space of IA square feet having been
left empty, that is to say not filled with ma
sorry but with sand, for the foundation Of the
crane, which space formed a hole separated
from the sea by q masonry wall 81 feet thick,
there the wooden beam by being torn loose
had through the iron anchors shaken the ma
sorry, which had then been broken by the
force Of the ground-sea; also the foundation had
been damaged there. The whole damage
sustained can be repaired and the pier put in
complete condition without causing any excess
OF the sum Of S., 600 granted. The crane had
arrived now, it had been damaged on the voy.
age somewh at, one of the wheels having 90 t
broken, but the wheel can be IL paired or re-
newed and the foundation of the crane can
new be laid in such a way that the pier can
be completed. On the whole there is no rea-
son to doubt that the pier when finished will be
a solid and good structure and be hoped able
to withstand ground-sea.
Ord Member for Frederiksted's Country
District (Hewit) said With regard to that
Pier and His Excellency's remarks to-day on
the damages it has sustained, it will be
remembered that a great deal of discussion
had taken place ID the Council when the
matter of the grant of the money was before
us q great deal was then said about the
manner in which the work of building the
pier was to be done. We have to do with an
open roadstead in Froderiksted, and we know
that occasions do occur when heavy ground
seas set in and we must be prepared with
sOmething to withstand those seas. Now, the
occurrence of which His Excellency spoke
to-day and which happened some days ago,
was not any real ground-sea; we had a
Bouthwesterly wind not a gale and the sea was
not running high but now if the pier can't
stand that much, if it could not resist that
tr;1ing rush, how is it to be when VIC do get
heavy seas. such as frequently occur in West
End ? But the principle on which this wharf
is built is wrong; the means spent on building
it is a perfect waste of the public money to
a very great extent. Now, there is another
thing, the crop is in there are sugars to be
exported how are they to be taken off
Already now there are vessels ready to be
loaded. And why was the old bridge torn
down before we were able TO put something
substantial instead Of it 1t was a very good
bridge, and we saw that a good deal of labour
had to be spent in breaking it down. Now,
to any man of common sense it must be
evident that the pier can never become solid,
do what you dol to it, because the foundation
itself is all cracked and gone the whole
thing must be taken down and rebuilt ; and
with the present system with the water
surging constantly into the wall work,
nothing can stand; it will always be money
thrown into the sea to build as it is COM
menced.
The GosernSr said he would merely reply
to those of the last Speakers [Hewitt's re-
marks which treat of the wooden wharf for
Sugar Shipping, and then he would beg to say
that the Bridge that has recently been re-
moved was no wharf for the expectation of
Sugar, it was the Passenger Wharf; the so
called Molasses Wharf was used for shipping
Sugar, and it can and will be used for that
purpose now. The damages to the pier under
construction will be repaired and the pier
completed as soon as possible and he hoped
it would be ready in tiIAe for.the greater part