484, ~ REPORT—1899, 
This comparison appears to be perfectly fair, as the depth on the lines 
of the several works of the two designs are practically identical. 
The contract for the Admiralty Harbour was let in 1897 to the well- 
known firm of Messrs. 8. Pearson & Sons, of London. 
Having generally described the works for the formation of the 
Admiralty Harbour and the original proposal for the Commercial Harbour, 
reference was made to the modified proposals for the latter (see Plate). 
In the year 1890, when the Commercial Harbour was designed, there 
was no expectation that the Government would, in the near future, con- 
sider it desirable to proceed with the large national work, and the design 
was consequently drawn up so that it might be complete in itself. It will 
be apparent that, as soon as the 2,000 feet extension of the Admiralty 
Pier was decided on, the smaller extension of the same work became 
unnecessary. As the construction of the East Pier had, fortunately, not 
reached the point at which it would have commenced to curve to the 
south-west, the Harbour Board were advised that by continuing the work 
in the direction in which it had been commenced, and by a short addition 
to its length, a more capacious harbour would be obtained without in any 
way interfering with the Admiralty scheme. 
The proposal being adopted by the Board, and sanctioned by the 
several Government Departments, the pier has been built on the line 
shown on the Plate, and is now rapidly approaching completion. 
The construction of the short western arm las consequently been 
abandoned, and, as a substitute, a short ‘spur’ will eventually be run out 
from the extension of the Admiralty Pier. 
The low-water area of the Commercial Harbour as laid down in 
1890 was 56 acres ; as now modified it will be 75 acres. This will be 
admitted to be a substantial increase, more particularly when it is noted 
that the addition is entirely outside the five-fathoms line, and that it will 
be obtained with little or no expense to the Harbour Board beyond that 
entailed by the original proposal. 
Such are the objects for which the various piers for both the 
Admiralty and Commercial Harbours have been adopted. 
Passing from the question of the design of the harbours to that of the 
method of construction of the several works by which they will be 
formed, it is proposed to describe in some detail the operations employed 
in the building of the East Pier. This particular pier is selected because 
the work is so far advanced that the results can be inspected, and also 
because the principle adopted for the solid portion forming the outer 
length is similar to that on which the several Admiralty works will 
be built. 
The pier is formed first by 1,260 feet of open iron viaduct, and second 
by a solid masonry work, 1,650 feet long. 
The open work was introduced chiefly to afford free circulation of the 
water in the Commercial Harbour, but had it been necessary to make it 
solid much additional expense would have been incurred, as the seas 
caused by heavy easterly and south-easterly winds would have been con- 
centrated in the re-entering angle between the new work and those then 
existing on the sea front, and would probably have caused much damage 
to the latter. It is almost unnecessary to say that the adoption of open 
instead of solid work represented a Substintidl detrease in cost. 
To carry the shore end of the yiadyct and to form a retaining wall 
