Chapter 515 - 42: Harbor Wharf_3
Although it was not yet the day when the Spanish plundering ship encountered the storm in "Robinson Crusoe", he couldn’t wait to obtain the vast wealth of the Inca Empire.
This project was the first step on his path to endless treasure.
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The project was a small harbor pier, and the selected construction site was at the mouth of Rock Beach. The terrain here was exceptional and could utilize the natural topography to reduce wave impact, making it an ideal location for building a pier.
Before construction, according to the old rules, Chen Zhou led several "foremen" of the construction team to inspect the geological conditions around Rock Beach.
The island’s geological conditions did not disappoint him once again.
Due to the long-term erosion by the tides, the soil at the bottom of Rock Beach was basically washed away by the seawater, leaving only a layer of silt.
Beneath the silt, except for a thin layer of fine sand, was solid rock, entirely suitable for building a stable and reliable gravity-based pier.
...
After completing the geological survey and confirming the geology was stable enough to support the stone structure, under the supervision of Chen Zhou, this grand engineering project commenced immediately.
After a simple groundbreaking ceremony, new islanders, led by experienced personnel, engaged in their work.
Among the familiar dark faces were several young boys still bearing traces of innocence.
They were recent graduates, interns from the school’s "Construction Department", the oldest of whom was only 15. They were here not as laborers but in supervisory or safety-related roles.
Working by the sea was highly risky, and manpower on the island was scarce; every worker was extremely valuable.
Chen Zhou couldn’t guarantee that accidents wouldn’t occur on the construction site, but he had to do everything in his power to minimize the probability of mishaps.
Sending out this group of "interns" was a key measure taken by Chen Zhou.
When he was not on site, these young boys served as his eyes, managing the situation on the construction site and eliminating hazards.
As early as a few months ago, when the idea to build the port pier came, Chen Zhou had compiled specialized teaching materials, prepared targeted courses, and selected suitable native boys for learning.
Now, these boys who had been studying for several months were verifying the knowledge they gained from books against real-world situations, thereby gaining experience and moving toward more practical and mature directions.
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In building the harbor, the first thing the workers did was to dredge the river to prevent siltation.
To this end, they brought a large quantity of stone bricks that had been stored for over a year, stacked them at the river’s mouth, and dammed the Rock River to create a muddy area.
It was drought season, with low water flow, so the project progressed relatively smoothly.
After damming the Rock River and dredging the river, the natives moved the pre-cast cement blocks to the appropriate positions and stacked them to form paved roads elevated above sea level.
These heavy cement blocks relied on their weight to withstand the water flow, slower to construct than sheet pile piers, but much more durable, able to last for a century once completed.
If it weren’t for the ample building materials provided by the fifth-anniversary reward, Chen Zhou wouldn’t have chosen such a material-intensive pier.
However, since the Space-Time Administration Bureau was so generous, he had no intention to cut corners.
Materials left on the beach won’t multiply; turning them into solid structures is the most cost-effective approach.
The drought season had just begun, and the construction period was very long.
After the cement blocks for the gravity-based pier were all piled up, workers would need to build a sloped road between the shore and the sea for connecting the coast to the pontoon to adapt to changes in water level.
By then, a few loading and unloading areas would appear at the entrance to Rock Beach.
The pulley systems Chen Zhou dismantled from fitness equipment would come in handy. Once made into hoisting frames, they could be used for loading and unloading goods in the operational areas.