10 SEVENTY-SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 11907-1908.
Kingstown Harbour.
On Wednesday, the 10th July, 1907, Their Majesties the King and Queen, accompanied by Her Eoyal Highness Princess Victoria, arrived at Kingstown Harbour, landing at Victoria Wharf, where the necessary arrangements had been made for their reception.
On former occasions when Their Majesties visited Ireland the Royal Yacht had to be anchored outside the Harbour, but on the present occasion, owing to the improvements effected by the dredging operations recently carried out, the yacht was able to lie inside the Harbour at one of the Admiralty moorings.
It was found desirable during the past year to plant some low shrubberies at the south end of the open space which forms the Victoria Wharf, in order to define the alignment of the road and improve the curve of approach from the wharf road to the road in continuation of it belonging to the Kingstown Urban District Council.
The shrubberies as laid out have the effect of directing and confining vehicular traffic within specified limits; they facilitate the control of the wharf on occasions of exceptional public interest, and they have the incidental advantage of continuing the improvement of the sea front, for which at oilier parts of the Harbour the Urban District Council have done so much in recent years.
In March, 1908, the Commissioners of Kingstown Harbour authorised the running by the London and North-Western Railway Company of a day service of express passenger steamers between Kingstown (Carlisle Pier) and Holyhead, but this did not involve the execution of any works by the Commissioners of Public Works either at the Carlisle Pier or in any other portion of the Harbour.
New Royal College of Science.
As indicated in our previous reports, plans and specification were prepared in bections in order to expedite the works.
Section No.
1 for clearing and excavating the site, was completed in 1905-6.
Section No.
2, for laying the concrete foundations, was completed in 1906-7, and Section No.
3, for erecting the lower ground (or basement) floor, was finished during the financial year 1907-8.
The plans and specification for the main contract (No.
4), for the erection of the remainder of the building, were prepared during the year, tenders were invited, and a contract for the works was entered into in January last with Messrs.
M'Laughlin and Harvey, of Dublin and Belfast.
Considerable progress was made by the Contractors with the preparation of the stone and other materials, and the laying down of plant before 31st March last, and the progress made to the date of this Report has been quite satisfactory.
As stated in our Report for 1906-7, the new Mechanical Engineering School will form a separate building, contiguous to the new College, on a site available at the rere of Nos.
2 and 3, Kildare-place.
Since the date of that Report, the general design of the Engineering School has been the subject of further consideration by the Department of Agriculture, and some improvements, including the provision of a smithy and foundry, have been introduced and approved.
The Architects are now engaged on the preparation of the working drawings with a view to early commencement of the work.
Science and Art Museum—New Workshops.
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The existing workshops in connection with the Science and Art Museum are ia direct contact with the latter buildings.
The operations carried on in these shops include smithy works, and a considerable quantity of timber and other inflammable material is at all times stored on the premises.
The Board of Visitors to the Museum have repeatedly urged that the present arrangement involves serious risk of fire to the Museum, and have suggested that new workshops should-be erected elsewhere.