Page 65 - Bulletin 18 2014

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Construction

On 24 February 1913 Mr. Furlong was appointed Engineer-in-Charge and was instructed to
start work and to reside at Kalk Bay. Preparations were immediately set in motion. These

included securing a lease over the whole of the Point (2.5 acres) from the Kalk Bay Fish and
Land Company (in liquidation and bought by Irvin & Johnson in 1916) and making a Works

Construction Yard, including a standard gauge 3' 6'' rail spur across the Point to the Simon’s

Town line for bringing in the concrete blocks that would be railed down from the Table Bay
Blockyard, a block storage and cement-mixing area, a large timber and corrugated iron shed

for storing cement and stores, and providing workshop space, the engineer’s residence, water
and electricity connections, etc. (Fig. 2.18.) The first ‘shovel of sand’ was turned on 6 March

1913 and the works yard was ready to operate by the end of May.

The Breakwater

Work on constructing the root of the breakwater on dry land, and using square blockwork,

commenced on 28 May. Ten days later, at 2.10 pm on Saturday 7 June 1913, the Hon. Mr.
Henry Burton, the new Minister of Railways and Harbours, laid the inscribed 12 ton

foundation block using a silver trowel presented by the Municipality. (This block resides

today somewhere invisibly inside the Live Bait restaurant and the trowel is the possession of
one of his grandsons.) A large and representative assemblage of government officials, guests,

residents, fishermen and others was present. It is probable that Mr. George Pilkington, later a

St. James resident and noted marine water colourist, was also present as he was Mr. Burton’s
private secretary. (Figs. 2.19 – 2.22.) Immediately after the event Mr. Burton and his

entourage left by train to open the new Muizenberg Railway Station at 3.30 pm.

The serious work of constructing the breakwater then proceeded. It was a structure with

vertical sides and comprised of 10½ ton concrete blocks 10 ft. x 4 ft. x 4 ft., resting on

bedrock, inclined at an angle of 20° from the vertical, and running straight into the sea on a
roughly NE alignment. Three blocks 10 ft. wide made up the 30 ft. width of the structure,