The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-07-02

Forty. sixth street; II was c1mmsOoed In August,
and finished in January, lasting two or three days
Of January; about two hundred feet were put in
after the first Of December; the average depth Of
the sewer to the bottom, from tho present grade Of
the street, was thirteen feet; from the old grade
about sixteen feet; 1t was generally rock to DO
blasted out; the work in that sewer was, In work
manship and materials, Of good quality, and was
Che thought) built according TO the regulations Of
the contract; the reason why il was not completed
before the first ofDecember was their finding 90 much
rock the portion built after the first December was
Of as good materials and workmanship, equal to the
other parts Witness was under contract to grade
that portion Of the street at the same time Twas
not urged by the Street Commissioner. Mr..
Smith has spoken about the necessity Of having Il
finished as far rs they could, so as to have good
travelling Mr.. Smith was the surveyor tor grad
ing the street Witness could net see Mr.. Craven
when be wished to get leave to finish it, working
the sewer he saw him, and not before. The hole
was open two weeks before Mr. Craven came to see
il. Was present at the meeting of the committee,
at the engineers Office. He asked Alderman Dem
man whether Mr.. Craven was there! and he (Ald.
d. said he could not find him-that he wished to
have him there. Was under the impression that
Alderman d. went to Mr.. Deans Office to try and
get him. Mr.. Craven told him he knew how he
would find the sewer; but be would 50 and look at
Cros-examined-Was on the work twice day
during its progress.
To Mr.. Tillou.-Thought he used all due dill
gence, as he was anxious to get it done account
0fitsef and the grading.
Cross-examined- of opinion that as good
work could be done in the winter as in the summer
if fair days selected He chose fair weather for
this, otherwise it could have been done in q few
days; had built sewer, larger than that, hum
dred feet in day; it was not so cold down in the
cut; it must have been very hard day to freeze it
there they carefully avoided putting any brick
in that frosty the mortar cement was well set ;
he had examined it. (The witness produced
xnfsx xybsn oh tab A,,fN
John T. Dodge, Street Commissioner. sworn
Was present at the Committee on Sewers, on the
subject Of the Tenth avenue there was contract,
at that tim< for grading the avenue could not
recollect the state of the avenues at that time !;
they were generally in the progress Of grading,
Sewering, and so On.
Cross, examined-Did not remember giving an
order that the work of grading should 60 on, not
withstanding the state of the sewer, but he was
anxious that it should 60 on; thought he had spoken
with Mr.. Smith on the subject. but did not remem-
Der all the conversations with inspectors; the con-
tract for grading the Tenth avenue was to be COM
pleted in four or five months; could only tell the
dates by his books
The Committee here took recess, no other wit
ness being in attendance.
On re- assembling, Benjamin NJ Clark was sworn,
and deposed-He had been mason since the
time when the war ceased; had used great deal of
hydraulic cement, and had been engaged in building
sewers under former Street Commissioners; intro
duced the Croton water across to 'Randalls Island;
works, in 1889, between Murray Hill and Manhat-
tanville; had been engaged in sewers all through
the winter, and he thought be could show as
good work done in the winter as any in
New York; understood they had endured well. but
had not examined them himself after they were sur
rendered; witness enumerated several sewers he had
been engaged on; the big one was on Twenty third
street; never saw any difficulty in selecting weather
to build good sewers in the winter; had been en-
gagged on gas works in the city; was working all
winter last year; it was work Of masonry, part by
draulic, some frework, and various kinds; they
thought they did good work there.
Gross. examined-The rule of operation on the
Croton water work was to stop on the 18th Nov,
but not sure it was not October; tho work was
then all above ground; in the tunnels it hot
enough, man would sweat there did not know the
general rule; the tunnels were not driven through
when he was there; they recommended in April
Direct resumed-Never apprehended any danger
in building sewer at any time, taking good day,
and covering it up as they proceeded.
Adjourned till Tuerduy morning at eleven o'clock.