Shanghai, 13th October, 1873.
GewTLEMEN,—I beg to hand you a report of the proceedings &e., of this department, from the Both August to the 30th September lst, Bridges.—Timber protectors have been placed round the centre piles of the Garden ridge, in order to prevent damage from boats &e, The iron brackets to carry the telegraph wites over this bridge have been fixed, and the wires removed from the late Wills's Bridge to the Creel, ab the end of the Bundy is being The bridge crossing the Yang-king-pan,
strengthened so as to last 10 or 12 months.
The tender of Sung-yuen to purchase Wille''s Bridge for Tls. 610 has been accepted, and he is now removing it. Small Tobaire have been made to the bridges on, the Bubbling Well, Siccaway, Sinza and New Cemetery roads, as required.
Buildings.—Two of, the servants' offices attached to the Council House building, have been converted into rooms for the use of the The large iron safe ordered from England, has been fixed in the Board Room.
Bundings.—The bunding of the west side of the Hongkew Oreck is being proceeded with. Owing to the very high tides lately ex-Perionced, and the Toud filling not bei9g_completed, come damage was caused tot." piling; which has now been rectified. of old stone bonding near the Ruben Road Repairs are being made to a small piece
ridge, on the Yang-king-pang Creek.
Cemelerics.—The Cemeteries and. Church compound have been kept in good order. the Pootung Cemetery, damaged by the recent Rey been made to the footpaths at
old_bamboo fence round a portion of the new Cemetery having rolled and fallen has been made with Tsang-I would strongly advise that a line of tele-ta-yuen to cent some months ago, some 37 chang. During the conte the wooden fence put up ggeph be carried from the Victoria Engine.
three months, the burials in the new louse to Hongkew Police Station, to complete tthe first system of fire-alarms. cemetery, as compared with former years, are The ing of this line will complete a run-as follows ning system of Electrical Fire Alarms og follows Drainage—Drain pipes have been laid in the Whampoa Road, from the Woochang to the Tsingpoo Road, and in the Taewan, from the Fuhkien to Chihli Road.
Drain pipes are now being laid in the Kiukiang Road, between the Fabkien and Hoopeh Roads.
The sinks have been repaired and cleaned as needed.
Firewells are in good order.
Foreslore.—The mud filling at Heard's Wharf is being proceeded with, Landing Accommodation.—The pontoons at the end ofthe Nanxin, Foochow and Hankow Roads have been repaired.
Repairs have been made to the Cemetery jetty at Pootung. been repaired and (or) dressed from time to Public Garden.—The paths and slope have
time as needed.
The whole of the stone for the piers and coping required for ti wall abutting on the Garden Bridge toad, as arrived. from Ningpo, and the work is being proceeded with as rapidly as possible. The iron railing to tame la alto being fixed.
Roads.—The usual number of day coolies have been engaged repairing, dressing and metalling the roads in both Settlements. The chips yard at the end of the Honan road has been bricked sanded and rolled, and a bamboo fence has been put round it. The Honan road from the Foochow to the Canton road has been graded and metalled. Granite chips continue to arrive according to contract.
The outside roads under the care of this Municipality are in good condition. Curb and jechannel have been Inid each side of the roads, and in the Shantung from Nan} Kiukiang road.
Carp and side channel have also been Laid on the west side of the Szechuen road between Nankin and Ningpo road.
The Rifle Range has been weeded &c., and the marker's butt repaired. The ricochet mound, at the request. of the Lieutenant Instructors of Musketry, has been shifted to the other side of the Chinese pathway: aceilents during firing, in his opinion, being less likely to occur than in the former position.
(Sd.)_C. B. Crarx, Officiating Engineer Of. C.
Revorr ox THe Tevecrara ap Fine ALARM Systems oF THE SuaNcHal Muicrrautry.
The fire alarms from Central Station to the French Settlement, to the Chief Engineer D., and to the Victoria Fire Euginewere erected at a time whi from of proper material and apparatus, the ph instruments were the only means of worl ing them.
This, however, interferes with the utility of the Telegraph during a fire, and throws work on the instruments which they were not made is undesirable.
Separate currents for working the Alarms independently of the Telegraph instruments are absolutely necessary, and the apparatus necessary for this purpose has been applied to the Central and Victoria line, and within the last month to the Hongkew Police. and Chief Engineer's line.
This last was imperative, and alterations to Mr. Blethen's house, which necessitated the removal of the old bells, were availed of to put up the new apparatus. These tivo lines are now always free and independent of the telegraphs, and the material for their alteration is included in the account before you.
The line.from the Central Police to the French Municipal Hall is however svorse than useless as it is at present fitted. I suggest therefore that the same alterations be made in that line, material for which is also provided in the account before you.
Enst Gate to French Municipal Hall by Telegraph.
French Municipal Hall to Central by Electrical Alarms.
Central to Victoria Engine by E. Alarms, Victoria to Hongkew by E. Alarms.
Hongkew to Hongkew Hook & Ladder Ca, and No. 2 Engine-House and through to Chief Engineer. F. D.
The whole of these will be capable of being rang, in case of fire, from any one of the above. named stations, by any police constable or Chinaman in charge, The whole of this scheme is provided for in the account before you, and has been urged and recommended by me many times, and im. ported for this purpose The adoption of this scheme is, in my mind, not only expedient, but absolutely necessary to obviate the possibility of false alarms to the Fire Brigade, and as a matter of economy in the wear and tear of the telegraph instruments, which are very expensive.
Telegraph Wires.—I_ recommend the. removal of the lines from the Old Soochow Bridge to the new one, when completed, in order to obviate the dangerous angle at present quired.
Phe sooner the old three-strand wires are abandoned the better. I consider them unsafe being of different guages, contacts are fre-ey often break. I recommend substituting in windy weather, and in clearing them the wire recently arrived for that purpose from England, as soon as possible, The account before you includes everything necessary for the completion of the whole scheme as above, Poles.—I would recommend also, that, a opportunity offers, the Louza and the French Maniei al Line in the Honan Road be removed from its old wooden poles to the new iron po'es—enough of which now lie in the Municipal Godowns, and that it be comprised in the scheme above, (Sd) J. D. Bisnor.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.