84 ANNUAL REPORT 
Texas coast, or one storm for each three and one-half years. If Galves- 
ton was to prosper, ample protection must be afforded against these oft 
recurring dangerous storms. 3 
The commission proposed and the city is now building a great sea . 
wall three and one-half miles long of solid concrete, the monolithic 
character of concrete suggesting a safer wall than block masonry, besides 
being very much cheaper in first cost. 
This wall is being built upon a pile foundation, the heads of the piles 
extending about 2 feet above mean low water. The wall is 16 feet wide 
at the base, 16 feet high, and 5 feet wide at the top, with a curved water 
face. The base of the wall is one foot above mean low tide, resting on 
and enclosing the top of the piles. Extending the toe of the wall there 
will be 27 feet of stone rip-rap 3 feet deep, protecting the wall from under 
wash by wave action. Behind the wall the land will be filled to the height 
of the wall for a width of 95 feet; the 35 feet next the wall being paved 
for road and walk purposes, the remainder being well sodded. 
It is estimated that the complete wall will contain 127,000 cubic yards 
of concrete and that the entire protection will cost $3,500,000. 
Figure 30 gives a section of the wall,and improvement as it’ is being 
built. 
Lincoln Park Shore Wall.—The concrete shore wall along the lake 
in Lincoln Park, Chicago, is another example of first class concrete work. 
Like the Havana wall, the Lincoln Park wall is protected from the direct 
assault of the waves by an intermediate pavement, which in this case is of 
granite blocks firmly set between a strong curbing at the water’s edge and 
the wall. On the inner or land face of the wall is a concrete gutter or 
bicycle path. The illustration in figure 31 shows the general appearance 
of the improvement which has been in for ten or fifteen years. 
At Jackson Park, Chicago, similar improvements with a broad con- 
crete walk were constructed previous to the World’s Fair. 
BREAKWATERS. 
Concrete breakwaters have been constructed for many years, and by 
nearly every country having a sea coast. Concrete superstructures upon 
random stone substructures have been built in India, Turkey, Russia, 
Austria, Holland, England,and the United States. They range from 24 
to 50 feet high and from 12 to 38 feet wide on top. 
At Newhaven, on the south coast of England, a plastic concrete break- 
water 1,500 feet long and 30 feet wide, 10 feet above high water, was con- 
structed in 1880-85. It was 50 feet wide at the bottom some 15 feet below 
low water, at spring tide. The foundation up to 2 feet above low water was 
laid in large jute bags containing 100 tons of concrete. They were dropped 
into place from the bottom of a patent steam hopper barge. When in 
