78 



THE MADRAS HARBOUR. 



afterwards drawn out from the mass of concrete, leaving two 

 vertical holes through the block, the use of which I will 

 presently describe. 



After the block has stood for 24 hours, the sides of the box 

 are removed from it, and it has now nothing more to be done 

 to it except a little watering till it is hard enough to be taken 

 away. A month is the minimum time required for the 

 process of hardening, and two or three months are preferred. 

 "We have room for 1,200 of these blocks. The greatest 

 number carried away in any one month (September 1880) 

 was 776, so that there is about six weeks' supply at the maxi- 

 mum rate. 



Now, suppose the block to have performed its six or eight 

 weeks of hardening process, it is' now ripe to go forth to its 

 final destination in the breakwater. First two strong iron 

 rods called lewises with spade-like feet are passed down the 

 vertical holes from which the planks were drawn out. They 

 are then turned round a quarter of a circle, which the spaces 

 within the boxes at the feet of the lewis holes enables them 

 to be, and the shoulders of the spade-like ends then prevent 

 their being withdrawn. Then a lifting machine, termed the 

 Groliath, is brought over the block. It is slung by means of 

 the eyes in the heads of the lewises, lifted 2 or 3 feet, and 

 placed upon a strong truck ; the locomotive engine is attached, 

 and it is drawn away slowly and carefully to near the end 

 of the pier. Here is a siding into which the engine now 

 runs, drawing the block after it by means of a rope. But 

 after the engine has passed into the siding the points are 

 turned to the main line on to which the block is drawn. 

 Then the engine runs back behind the block and pushes it 

 under the Titan. 



The Titan consists of an elevated platform running on rails 

 laid on the breakwater. Part of this platform overhangs 

 and carries another set of rails, on which runs a travelling 



