APRIL— JUNE, 185T.] Iron Pile Pier at Madras. 135 
more than establish the fact that a Pile Pier would suit the locality, 
and in the vievv of the Committee no such mere experiment is ne- 
cessary. If no other work of the kind had ever been attempted, 
the Court Town Pier on hollow iron piles carried through a heavy 
surf on the coast of Ireland by the most simple means, would have 
shown the perfect pract^'^ability of spanning the breakers of the 
Madras beach by the aid of Mr. Mitchell's screws. But there are 
many such Piers in existence now, piles have been planted secure- 
ly in water 50 feet deep, and cases are recorded of their having 
been screwed into the sandy bottom of the sea to a depth of five 
and forty feet. The successful results of such trials prove more 
than is required, and the Committee feel confident that if the ob- 
ject were only, as Captain Taylor says, to carry water to ships' boats 
outside the surf, a double, or perhaps a single line of iron piles 
would efi'ect the purpose more securely and more cheaply than the 
Jetty proposed. 
While thus giving their opinion against Captain Taylor's propo- 
sal, the Committee must be allowed to notice the great value of 
such suggestions ; though the plan proposed may not be consider- 
ed suitable on investigation, any reasonable project may be sug- 
gestive of the work required ; or at all events give life to the sub- 
ject ; and in this case, if it had not chanced that a proposal from 
England had brought the matter before Government again, this 
project of Captain Taylor's would have done so most opportunely, 
and the Community of Madras is not the less indebted to him for 
the efibrt to supply this essential desideratum in the Port. 
Report of the Committee appointed to examine Messrs. Saundeks 
anc? Mitchell's project for erecting an Iron Pile Pier at Madras. 
The undersigned Members of a Committee,* appointed to re- 
port upon a Pier projected for the port of Madras, having examin- 
— ■ . B . 
• Fred. C. Cottox, Lieut Col., Engmeers. 
Chris. Biden, Master Attendant. 
R. Kennedy, Assist. Civil Engineer. 
J. GOOLDEN, 
Wm. Burtox Wright, Locomotive Supl. Railtoay. 
