Stn,—In the paragraph in your issue of the 8th inst.
report- ing and commenting on the address delivered by Sir Thomas Brooke-Hitching before the United Wards Club, you ask three questions in the interest of the public, to which, as engineer to the scheme, perhaps you will permit me a reply. (1) " Wbat amount of interruption to commerce there would be while it was building? "—There will be no interruption at all to commerce during its construction, as it will be built in sections, and a sufficient waterway always kept open. All vessels now have to wait an average of seven hours at Gravesend for tides. (2) " What would be the expense of keeping it in repair ? "—The cost of repair will be quite nominal, there being no wear and tear on a barrage or dam, but only the ordinary current repairs to lock gates, sluices, and their motor machinery. (3) " How long will the barrage take in building ? "—The time occupied in construction will be about three years.—I am, Sir, &c., T. W. BARBER. 17 & 18 Tuthill Street, Westminster, S.W.
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