aprtl— june, 1857.] Iron Pile Pier at Madras, 135 



more than establish the fact that a Pile Pier would suit the locality, 

 and in the view 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 practicability 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 effect 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 effort to supply this essential desideratum in the Port. 



Report of the Committee appointed to examine Messrs. Saunders 

 and Mitchell's project for erecting an Iron Pile Pier at Madras, 



The undersigned Members of a Committee,* 4 appointed to re- 

 port upon a Pier projected for the port of Madras, having examin- 



* Fred. C. Cotton, Lieut. Col., Engineers. 

 Chris. Biden, Master Attendant. 

 R. Kennedy, Assist. Civil Engineer. 

 J. Goolden, 



Wm. EuEToar "Wright, Locomotive Supt, Hallway. 



