THE MADRAS HARBOUR, 



69 



the energy and skill of Mr. Lowe, the chief foreman, and 

 I am hound to say also to the activity, willingness and amphi- 

 bious nature of the native workmen, and the convenience of 

 the national costume. I doubt if it could have been done, at 

 least in the way it was done, by English labourers. 



I must dwell a little on those first 300 feet, because they 

 illustrate, in a very interesting way, the difficulties incident 

 to the transition from the flat slope system to the deep-water 

 upright face system. It was built, as I have said, in the first 

 three months of 1877. For a reason which I shall presently 

 explain little or no advance was made in April and May, and 

 in the latter month a cyclonic sea attacked it. The result 

 was precisely what might have been expected from the 

 principles I have explained as to the conditions necessary for 

 the security of an upright face. 



The blocks themselves were too heavy for the sea to move, 

 but the rubble stone on which they lay was at too high a 

 level for stability under the action of the waves. For the 

 first 100 feet where the rubble slope had already been well 

 washed by a previous sea into a very wide flat bank, which 

 itself spent the waves, the blocks did not move, the sea had 

 already done its worst on the rubble ; but for the second 

 100 feet where the bank was newer and narrower, though its 

 level was lower, and in that respect nearer the condition of 

 stability, the rubble was disturbed, the blocks undermined, 

 and the outer edges dropped some two feet. Beyond that 

 again in the third 100 feet the rubble base was still lower, 

 and within the limit of stability for that storm at least, and 

 the blocks were unmoved. There could be no better practi- 

 cal proof of the principle that security may be attained 

 either by an ample flat slope of rubble, or by keeping the 

 rubble down below the action of the waves. The part in 

 which these conditions were only imperfectly fulfilled suf- 

 fered. The rest did not. 



