The following important Bridges were also erected during this period:- Rock River near Falmouth. Flint River between Montego Bay and Luces. Rio Minho at May Pen. Middle River at Annotto Bay. Warner's Pond at Port Maria. Black River at Linstead. Bodles Gully near Old Harbour. Sulphur River at Bath. Caneside River near Port Antonio. Orange Hill, Moore Hall, Dunder Gully, Williamsfield, in St. Mary. Mighty Gully near Old Harbour. The most important of these bridges is that over the Dry River, which was completed in the year 1874. The necessity for this structure had long been felt. The river had been known to rise as high as 37 feet above the bed within a few hours. The bridge consists of three spans, the centre span being 150 feet in the clear and the two outer ones 75 feet each, the underside of the girders is 46 feet above the bed of the river, that is, nine feet above the highest known level of the flood water. The cost of this magnificent structure was £16,901, exclusive of the cost of land and of approaches. The main roads were also in many parts widened and otherwise improved The average annual cost of maintenance was £35 per mile. The average annual expenditure on new works during this period amounted to £4,914, all provided out of general revenue. By Law 7 of 1881, power was given to raise a loan for building Bridges over the Yallahs and Morant River in St. Thomas and the Rio Grande, Buff Bay, Spanish, and Swift Rivers in Portland, but this power remained for several years in abeyance. By Law 33 of 1887 power was given to apply a portion of the above-mentioned loan to the building of Bridges over Roach's Gully, the Devil's River, and Harbour Head River in St. Thomas, Priestman's River, and White River in Portland, and the Dry River and Pencar River in St. Mary. In 1888, His Excellency Sir Henry Norman, with the approval of the Secretary of State, ordered the construction of all the Bridges in Portland and St. Mary named in the above Laws, and of the Bridges in St. Thomas named in Law 33 of 1887. The works were begun in the Spring of 1889, and the several Bridges were completed and opened to the public on the dates set against them in the following list: Harbour Head River, August, 1890 Devil's River, December, 1890 Rio Grande, May, 1892. All these bridges have wrought iron superstructures, capable of carrying the heaviest loads that can come upon them, and, with the exception of the Harbour Head Bridge which is carried on cast iron screw piles 18 inches in diameter, all are carried on concrete piers and abutments. The bridges over the seven rivers between Annotto Bay and Port Antonio are all of one type, differing only in the number of openings which are all of 76 feet clear span. The foundations of the piers are laid in wrought iron caissons 24 feet long and 6 feet wide sunk in the bed of the rivers and reaching to low water level. Owing to large boulders being continually encountered in the river beds, the great depth to which many of the caissons had to be sunk, and the dangerous floods to which these rivers are subject, the difficulties to be overcome were very great. The impossibility of transporting the heavy pieces of ironwork by land over the hills between the sea ports and the sites of the bridges, and the consequent necessity of carrying them by sea and landing them on various dangerous beaches on an inhospitable coast, formed another formidable difficulty which had to be overcome. The Rio Grande Bridge, the last of these Bridges to be completed, is the largest in the island, being 520 feet long, and having six openings. The eastermost pier is founded at a depth of 33 feet below low water and has a total height of 48 feet. Its completion was hailed with great rejoicing by the inhabitants of the Parish, who had suffered greatly by the frequent interruptions of communication caused by floods in these dangerous rivers. In addition to the above the following bridges have been built from funds provided by the general revenue : Orange River at Sutherlands Fording, Dry Gut Gully in St. Mary. Pear Tree Bottom in St. Ann. Duppy River, Leith Hall River, Hog River, (three crossings) Pompy River, in Saint Thomas. Annotto River in Portland. By Law 17 of 1890 revenues were appropriated for the maintenance of additional main roads, sufficient to provide for a length of nearly 1,000 miles, and a loan of £180,000 was authorized for the reconstruction of the parochial roads to be taken over under that Law. The following list gives the number and the aggregate mileage of roads in each parish which have been so taken over and reconstructed : In addition to the above the following new main roads have been added to the roads maintained out of General Revenue:— The aggregate length of the main roads of the island is therefore now 1,735 miles being an increase in the past two years of 120 %. By Law 1 of 1891 authority was given to spend a portion of the Loan to be raised under Law 7 of 1881 in constructing a new main road from the 11th mile on the Windward Road through the interior of the Parish of St. Thomas to Morant Bay. This road passes over Cambridge Hill through Llandewy, Ramble, Windsor Forest, Monklands, Cedar Valley, Trinityville, Coley, Serge Island and Morant. It is now in course of construction. The expenditure on new works for main roads during the past year, 1891-92, has been as follows: On the inauguration of the new Constitution in 1866, the Director of Roads also assumed the charge and supervision of the Public Buildings. But no new perma nent buildings were taken in hand until the year 1870. The following are the most important new works carried out during the period of 22 years ending the 30th March, 1892 : Lepers Home at Spanish Town Lazaretto at Green Bay Ten new Court Houses Twenty new Police Stations Eight Public Hospitals Enlargement of the Public General Hospital at Kingston 66 66 46 66 66 Lunatic Asylum "St. Catherine's District Prison Extensions and improvements at King's House, St. Andrew at Boys' Reformatory at Stony Hill Girls' Reformatory at Admiral's Pen 66 66 "Shortwood Government Printing Establishment. The annual expenditure on repairs and maintenance of Public Buildings has averaged £9,154, and on New Works, £17,500. Among the other important works carried out by the Department are the establishing of the extensive Irrigation Works in connexion with the Rio Cobre; the erection of a large and convenient Market in Kingston, with public landing places in the harbour; the enclosing and laying out of the Square as a Public Garden, which improvement has done much for the embellishment and convenience of the city; the erection of Gas Works in Kingston; the purchase of the rights of the Kingston Water Company and the improvement of the works, whereby Kingston has been given a constant water service which is excelled in few places either for quality, quantity or pressure; the erection of Slaughter Houses for Kingston; and the establishment and working of a system of water supply for Spanish Town and Old Harbour. LIGHT-HOUSES. The Light-houses of the Colony are by Law 8 of 1866 under the control and management of the Director of Public Works. MORANT POINT.-This Light-house is situated at the east end of the island, and is elevated 100 feet above high water, and can be seen at a distance of 21 miles at sea in clear weather. The illuminating apparatus was, until recently, on the catopric principle, consisting of 15 lamps with large reflectors. The light is a revolving light, and revolves once in every three minutes, giving a bright flash once every minute. It was designed by Alexander Douglas of London, and erected in 1842 by Mr. George Groves, C. E., now Sir George Groves, who was sent out for the purpose. A third order holophotal revolving light, with flashes at intervals of one minute, has been erected in place of the original apparatus. Paraffin oil is the illuminating material used at this and the other Light-houses, a saving of about eighty per cent. on the former expenditure for cocoanut oil being effected. PLUMB POINT.-This Light-house stands on the Palisadoes at the entrance to Kingston Harbour; the tower is constructed of stone and iron, and is 70 feet in height. It exhibits a third order dioptric light from a single Douglas burner lamp, arranged to shew a red light over one arc and a white light over another. The white light is visible at a distance of about 20 miles in clear weather. The position of the Light-house is in latitude 17o 54′′ north, longitude 76° 47′′ west. FOLLY POINT, PORT ANTONIO.—This Light house was built under the powers of Law 17 of 1886, the mercantile community having guaranteed the Government that the revenue from dues would suffice to meet the cost of maintenance, and the interest and sinking fund in the first cost. The tower is constructed of masonry and is fire-proof throughout. The optical apparatus is dioptric of the fourth order, shewing a red light, visible at 13 miles distance over an arc of 153°, the backward rays being reflected by a dioptric mirror. The Director of Public Works and Assistant Director of Public Works and the District Engineers are reimbursed travelling expenses according to the scale at present in force. The First and Second Class Superintendents of Roads and Works receive travelling allowances in addition to their salaries. M L. Hendricks receives £40 per annum as Superintendent of the Spanish Town Water Works. LANDS. SHORTLY after the commencement of Sir John Grant's administration a Survey and Lands Division of the Public Works Department was established and the Director of Roads was constituted its head. The officer in charge of the division was styled the Government Surveyor. The necessity for such a department had long been felt, for there was no officer before the appointment of the Government Surveyor whose special duty it was to look after the lands belonging to the Government, and these were scattered about in every part of the island, most of them neglected and many unknown. These lands have all been classified, their histories and titles inquired into (most of which were previously unknown) and surveys made and possession taken, in cases where, formerly, the lands had been either unpossessed or in adverse possession. In addition, the titles to lands held by trustees for certain Government purposes and those strictly parochial have been enquired into and verified, and the lands have been surveyed and placed upon stable and certain tenure, and those not required for Government purposes have been leased at fair rentals. There were also at the time of the establishment of the Lands Department numerous properties all over the island in the possession of squatters, and there were vast tracts on which the ordinary quit rents had not been paid for many years. Much of this land was either unowned or unrepresented. To correct this state of things the Legislature passed Law 37 of 1867, whereby persons in possession of lands without any legal or equitable title could be proceeded against by the Government as squatters. Under this Law, amended by Law 22 of 1874, further amended by Law 43 of 1887, the Government became the trustees of all lands acquired thereunder for a period of seven years. During that time the owners may recover the lands upon payment of the expenses incurred by the Government, but after seven years the Government have the power to sell. In this way 26,504 acres have been recovered from 1,440 squatters. These lands are situated in various parts of the island and consist chiefly of abandoned estates and plantations, whose owners were either not known or who had so neglected their properties that they fell into the hands of squatters. Of this land much has been restored to its legitimate owners, much has been sold after the expiration of the seven years trusteeship, and the remainder is still in the possession of the Government and leased to various persons. The annual rents from these and some other lands average about £1,200. Law 5 of 1871 (amended by Law 14 of 1884 and further amended by Law 32 of 1888) declares that all lands in arrear for quit rents for a period of ten years previous to the passing of this law, and all lands in arrear for five years after the passing of the law, shall be liable to forfeiture if the arrears are not paid, after certain legal formalities, extending over a period of eighteen months. Under this law the particulars of no less than 740,710 acres have been investigated, the areas and boundaries ascertained, and the lands advertised as liable to forfeiture. Of this nearly 80,000 acres have been actually forfeited to the Crown; the quit rents on a great deal of the rest have been paid and much remains in process of forfeiture. These forfeited lands are located chiefly in the interior of the island and much of it is very advantageously situated and suitable for new settlements. A large part of it extends over the northern portion of the Parish of St. Thomas and the southern part of Portland. All this region consists of virgin lands and is well watered with numerous springs and rivers. It possesses a most salubrious climate and ranges from 2,000 to 6,000 feet in height, and it embraces some of the finest coffee land in the island. The geological formation is chiefly of trappean and metamorphosed series, and it is of the same character as the once rich coffee lands of the Parishes of St. Andrew and St. Thomas; but as these are getting worn out this land is the only remaining coffee land of a first class character in the island. It is rich in minerals-copper, cobalt, lead and manganese having already been discovered in several places. The climate in the higher parts is extremely cool and is suited to the labour of white men in the open air. European fruits have been cultivated in some of these localities, and the Government Cinchona Plantations are situated on portions of this land, which have already proved that cinchona bark can be successfully produced in Jamaica. |