Tímarit Verkfræðingafélags Íslands - 01.06.1918, Blaðsíða 8

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TÍMARIT V. F. í. 19 18
The harbour extends from south to north about 900 m
and from east to west about 1000 m; these dimensions are
generally considered as the largest extension, which is
allowable for a liarbour basin which is to be used by
large and small sliips and boats at the same time. But
considering the heavy hurricanelike winds, which fre-
([uently blow in lceland, there is no doubt that the basin
is too large. Therefore it is to be hoped that the basin
will be diminished by new works inside the harbour,
which at the same time might provide more mooring-
places. — I wish to mention that there was suggested
such a partition of the harbour in Monberg’s tender, but
it was not carried out on account of tlie Iarge expenses.
After Monberg's tender was accepted the collection in
one place of the working plant for the building of the
harbour was commenced. But owing to the considerable
([uantity, the plant liad to be searched oul and brought
together from dilferent working-places in Denmark and
Sweden and it took much time to bring this troublesome
cargo on board. About New Year 1913 a Norwegian stea-
mer of 1200 tons was chartered, but it was not before Fe-
bruary 15th, that she was clear for loading at Aarhus. It
had been necessary to direct some of the heaviest machine
parts as locomotives, crane foundations etc. to this place,
in order to have a sufficiently powerful crane at disposi-
tion for the loading. — The bulk of the material had been
brought together at Odense, and there the loading of the
steamer wras completed. Therefrom she sailed on February
25th 1913, and after a dangerous voyage she could cast
anchor at Ileykjavik Road on March 8lh. — It was very
difficult to unload such a cargo into small open lighters
and, as a heavy northern gale was raging, I ]>referred to
have the ship unloaded at the steamship-pier of Viðey,
and this all the more, because near the hárbour there
was wanting a suitablc place for the storage of tlie plant,
which consisted of locomotives, cranes, tip-carts, raihvay
material, scaffolding etc. — Together with me there ar-
rived on the steamer a Danish foreman and a machinist,
who was to erect the machines. After having performed
this, the latter departed, and later there arrived a Danish
foreman for the forge together with a foreman and a
machinist for the dredger. — After the steamer had been
unloaded, we began immediately to build a track west-
ward and southward of the town to Öskjuhlíð and Skóla-
vörðu-HilI, where stones and gravel should be taken from;
later on the track was continued eastward round the
town to the harbour. At the same time a smithy and a
workshop were built near the road to Hafnarfjörður,
about in the middle between the gravel-pit and the stone-
([uarry, and the locomotive and the cranes were erected.
— The plant was brought from Viðey on 2 pontoons 12
X 6 m, each of which had a capacity of 50 tons; on the
one of them there was later erected a steam-rammer and
a pair of masting sheers with a lifting-capacity of 8 tons.
In the middle of May the track-laying was completed. —
Its entire length was 12 km, its gauge 900 mm, tlie weight
of tlie rails about 22‘/s kg/m, the maximum grade of the
track was 1 : 40 and the minimum-radius 55 m. — For the
transportation of stone and gravel there were used 2 16-
tons locomotives and 60 waggons of 3'/» cbc.-metres capa-
city, some of which were adapted as trollies for the trans-
portation of the biggest stones; all these waggons were
side-tips.
On May 17th, the very same day on which the contract
was signed, the transportation of stones to the mole be-
gan. — During the first summer the gravel was loaded by
hand, but Iater a steam-shovel was used. — The stones in
the quarry were loaded by two steam-cranes, with a capa-
city of 10 resp. 4 tons, and a number of hand-driven
hoists. — The stones were blasted out of the side of the
hill, along wliich the track was running. During the first
summer the drilling was done by hand, but later on by
pneumatic tools. A little upwards on the slope of the hill
an air-compressor driven by a locomobile had been in-
stalled and from there the compressed air was conducted
by a pipe-line along the hill-side and by branch-lines
down to the quarry. 2 pneumatic hammers and drills with
tlie usual star-shaped cutting-edge were in use. Each of
these hammers could drill 25 to 30 m a day. — The depth
of the holes was usually 2'/s— 3 m, the blasting-charge
2—21/* kg. The eflect was about 7 cbc. metres of stone for
every kg of explosive. — 3 dillerent kinds of explosives
were used: During the first year Gelatine-Donarite, then
Dynamite and at last Aerolite. Of these Gelatine-Donarite
was best suited for the soft and splitted stone-formation,
because its ellect was not so violent, but more of a lifting
kind. Dynamite has a disadvantage, especially disagreeable
on Iceland, it freezes very easily, while Aerolite is sen-
silive to dampness and too solid, to be easily compressed
into charges.
As the distance from the ([uarry to the harbour was so
long, 5 lo 8 km, the trains were made as long as possible
with 16 to 22 waggons, if the weather conditions per-
mitted. At the harbour the train was driven on a scaffold-
bridge and the cars were tipped.
The sca/Jold-bridge consisted of pile-piers at a distance
of 3,3 m from each other; eacli pier consisted of 2 vertical
and 1 diagonal pile, the 2 vertieals being rammed at */«
m’s distance. Originally only one verlical pile was planned.
But soon after the beginning of the work one pile was
broken by a big stone and therefore the construction was
changed to the one mentioned above, which is shown on
the drawing.
All the molcs were built in the same manner: The
stones were tipped and the slopes paved by hand, with
exception of the Grandi-Mole, wliere the masses were very
small per meter run. Therefore only the inside slope
could be paved during the moving of the material, while
the outside slope and the top were paved by steam-crane.
— The building of the moles ])rogressed principally irt
this way, that in 1913 the material was transported for
the Grandi-Mole, in 1914 for the Battery-Mole, and at the
same time the outside slope and the top of the Grandi-
Mole were paved. — During 1915 and 1916 there was
chieíly brought the material for the EiTersey-Mole and for
fdling up the harbour and 1917 l'or the extensions ol' the
moles mentioned before. During summer 1916 and 1917
the masonry of the parapets of Battery- and Eflersey-
Moles was accomplished. — During summer 1915 the quay
at the Battery-Mole, which is shown on the drawing, was
built. The piles were rammed down by a floating pile-
driver, after which the pier was erected by the black-
smiths; in 1916 the coal-crane, which was built in Den-
mark, was erected.
During summer 1916 the steel pile planking at Hafnar-
stræti was rammed down and grappled. The piles of this
wall, system Larssen No. 2, were aboul 13 m long and be-
fore being rammed down, they were cleaned from rust and
tared. Then they were linked together to pairs on a small
slipway at Ell'ersey and brought on a pontoon to the pile-
driver, which was 14 m high and stood on a scall'old-
bridge. Its monkey weighed 1250 kg and was lifted by an