A Treatise On The Principles And Practice Of Harbour Engineering

128 HARBOUR ENGINEERING. gale. In faet, the diagram recorded by the local hydrographie bureau indi- cates that the minimum pressure was attaiued on the night preceding this great storm, which exceeded all previous memorable storms in intensity. The break water at Genoa is somewhat of the shape of a slightly distorted Z, and is divided into two sections, known as the Nuovo mole, adjacent to the shore, and the Galliera mole, further out. The Nuovo mole is 2950 feet long, Fig. 106. while the Galliera mole comprises two arms 2155 feet and 2765 feet long respectively. In all, the breakwater is a mile and a half long. The damage wrought by the storm was as follows. Of the Nuovo mole a length of rather over 800 feet flanking the deepest portion of the sea had its foundation laid bare, both the natural and artificial protection blocks being swept away and the front apron demolished, so that the foot of the wall lay exposed to the full effect of the waves. The nature <5-0°M 10.(10 . Fig. 107. — Part Section of Nuovo Mole. of this transformation is indicated in fig. 107, which shows the section of the mole both prior and subséquent to the storm. The Galliera mole had never suffered in any way from the frequent south- westerly gales to which it had been exposed.during the ten years of its existence preceding the storm of 1898. All that had been necessary was to renew from time to time the cement coating which had been applied as a preservative to the artificial blocks lying above water. When, therefore, the storm broke, every part of the mole was in perfect repair.