262 



PLYMOUTH BREAKWATER. 



PART VII. 



neers l who were called upon to make an inspection of 

 the work, and to report as to the best means of rendering 



**? 



PLYMOUTH BBEAKWATEB. 

 [By Percival Skelton, after his original Drawing.] 



it permanently secure, it was determined to make the 

 permanent slope of the same inclination, and the works 

 were so carried out accordingly. 2 The total quantity of 



1 These were Mr. Telford, Mr. 

 Josias Jessop, Sir J. Rennie, and Mr. 

 G. Rennie. For more full particulars 

 as to the history and construction of the 

 Breakwater, we refer the reader to Sir 

 John Rennie's elaborate work entitled 

 'An Historical, Practical, and Theo- 

 retical Account of the Breakwater in 

 Plymouth Sound.' London, 1848. 



2 The slopes were paved with 

 blocks of the largest stone, firmly 

 wedged together ; the centre line was 

 removed 36 feet further seawards ; 

 the top width was reduced 5 feet ; 

 a strong binding course of dovetailed 

 granite masonry was built at the bot- 

 tom of the sea slope, which was laid 

 one foot convex from the bottom to 

 the top ; whilst the land slope was 



laid with close-fitting rubble at the 

 inclination of 2 to 1. It was, how- 

 ever, found, in the course of the work, 

 that the rough paving of the rubble 

 alone was scarcely strong enough to 

 withstand the violence of the waves 

 without a certain degree of yielding; 

 and Sir J. Rennie, having been con- 

 sulted by the Admiralty, recom- 

 mended that, in addition to the gra- 

 nite basement binding course, there 

 should be another similar course both 

 in the centre and at the top of the 

 sea slope; and that the remainder 

 should be paved with rough-dressed 

 limestone ashlar, set in courses at 

 right angles to the slope, about three 

 feet deep on the average each course 

 binding bond well with the one ad- 



