Dr. Chatley stated that for the last fourteen years: the Whangpoo Conservancy Board had had under consideration the dredging of the Bar of the Yangtze which forms the principal obstacle to the approach of deep draught ships visiting Shanghai. As far back as 1876 a former Eng-Ineer-in-Chief of the Board, Mr. Derijke, called attention to the ces sity of improving the Bar but until 1915 no new studies were made, At that time, in conjunction with the Chinese Maritime Customs, special investigations were made and in 1920, Dr. Chatley prepared a report for Mr, Von Heidenstam on tae possibili-Hes of dredging the Bar with the drag suction type of dredger. This report was adopted by the International Commission of Consulting Engineers for Shanghai Harbour Investigation in 1921, and the Government was advised accordingly, With the assistance of Mr.
Soong, Chairman of the Board, aproyal was obtained from the Executive Yuan in 1990, authorising the Whangpoo Conservancy Board to do the work, In 1981 tenders were called for the first dredger. Owing to various causes, economic and political, no [decision was then taken and in 1933, the sixteen firms which tendered were invited to revise their offers. In July, 1993, ten firms made revise ed offers and these firms Included almost all those having special experience in building this particular type of dredger, which is quite different in its operation from ordin~ ary river dredgers. The most fav-curable offer, combined with large experience of this particular type, was that of the German firm of Schichau.
The drag suction type of dredger is the result of an invention made about 1908 by an engineer named Fruchling. Its peculiar feature is that it is not anchored but travels under its own power at a speed of about two knots and scrapes its suction pipe along the bed of the river, thereby forcing the mud into the pipe A powerful pump draws mud /mixed with water up the pipe and delivers it into special containers from which it may be afterwards discharged through doors in the bottom, or by pumping.
Proceeding much slower than her contract speed of 10% knots per hour, the huge dredger is expected to arrive off Shanghai early in April.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.