The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-03-05

his annual report of operations in his depart
ment from March 20, 1871, to March 4, 1872
says that early in the month of April, he ad
| dressed to the City Council several communica
tions on the subject of street grades, recon
| mending adherence to the old grades in man,
cases where changes had been adopted by th,
council of former years, but where the wdfl
contemplated had not begun. These recommen
dations met with the approval and the OLE
grades OF the following streets were adopted, t;
wit-Spring from High to Emery, Carleton
from Bracket to Congress, Cumberland from
Green to High, Congress from Vaughan t.
~, hampshire from Congress to Middle
Oxford throughout, Pearl from Congress tt
Lincoln, and Spruce from Emery to Clark HI
is still of the opinion that no change of grade o.
thickly settled street should be made except
for reasons affecting the safety or convenience
OF the street itself-the most important of these
reasons being imperfect surface drainage
Inc only change of grade the past year which
involved expense occurred on Carlton street, be
tween West and Bracket. This change was
aHeeted to secure a more effectual drainage OF
the corner of West and Carlton streets and OF
the westerly sidewalks of the latter street, and
In effecting this, practical benefit has been Sc
cured at reasonable costs.
Several local changes of sidewalk elevatio
have been made, where the bringing up of the
sidewalk to the exact grade of the street would
have involved the raising of buildings or the OBJ
struction of doorways and windows. and conse.
quently considerable claims for damages The
saving OF damages effected by the slight change
at the corner of Portland and Green streets was
at least 81, 500. a ir%
The grades of the following named streets,
winch had been partially graded, have been
modified SO as to avoid as far as possible future
works on the present surfaces-viz:
High street from Deering to Portland, State
from Deering to Portland and Melen through
out. Grades have been adopted for the follow
ing streets for which none heretofore have been
yaff
Morning, Poplar and Howard.
by the terms OF the contract for the construc-
ton of the Marginal Way, part of the requis-
lite earth for filling is to be taken from the ex-
tensionso of North street, northerly from Walnut
street, and from the city lot between Washing
ton street and the Eastern Promenade. This
has required the adoption of a system of grades
for present purposes at least, in this part of the
city, and in devising the same the commissioner
has kept in view the plan submitted by the
commissioners to whom was referred in 1869, the
subject of improvement of the easterly slope of
Munjoy Hill, contemplating however, for the
present, the reservation of the Promenade in it's
present condition, instead of the parks proposed
to be substituted therefor
Levels have been taken and profles of streets
made during the year, as follows:-New High
street, part of India, part of Congress, New
State, part of Stone Wilmot, Poplar, Vesper,
Morning, Bracket, part of Hanover, part of Ce-
dar, Fox, extension of Oxford, Preble, part of
opIiuSs part VI Nortn, tne Guy cut from w ASH
ington to North and Washington streets
cut on the Marginal Way. Grades have been
given to builders and others by instrumental
observation in one hundred and three instances,
apart from works on West Commercial street
and Marginal Way.
The following named points upon street lines
have been determined, viz:-The easterly corner
OF Lincoln and Chestnuts streets, easterly cor
ner of Lincoln and Pearl, angle in easterly line
OF High street near Cumberland, both corners
OF High and Portland, easterly corner of Mellen
and Cumberland southerly corner of Mellen
and Portland, southerly corner of Quebec and
Howard, northerly corner of Ellsworth and
Congress, and the angles in the southerly line
of Congress West of Ellsworth. Monuments
have been delivered at those points but have
not been set. The lines of a large number
of streets have been located.
A proposed street from Deering to Cumber-
land. ard the extension of Oxford street from
Washington to North street, have been survey
ed and descriptions of them submitted. The
lines of the Marginal Way from Gould's Wharf
to the Grand Trunk bridge have also been de-
termined. .u4 a
In accordance with the direction of the Coun-
Gil, Pearl street has been numbered throughout
and the conditions of the ordinance relative to
the numbering of the streets have been fulfill
A survey of the Libby estate recently annex
ed to the cemetery has lately been made, and
levels have been taken to ascertain the best
method of draining the southeast corner of the
cemetery. XIII -.'ai 't -uA t
The last of September contract was entered
into with Messrs Shanahan & Dolan for the
grading of West Commercial street and the
building of a retaining wall. On the 9th of
February after the work was partially complet-
ed it was stopped by the Street Committee in
view of the location of the Boston & Maine
Railroad along the northerly side of the street.
Marginal Way.-On the 4th of October a
contract was entered into with Col Edward
Moore for the construction of that portion of
the way between Gould's wharf and the Grand
Trunk bridge a distance of 1890 feet, to be
forty-fve wide at grade and to be protected by
pile and plank bulkhead outside. Relying on
the ordinary means Of sounding and on the ex
perience of those who had driven piles in the
cove, the engineer had no doubt but that the
first crust, which occurs at a depth of from six
would prove stable enough to sustain the
pile work, and that the flats were
firm enough to bear the embankment
without much displacement. He therefore en-
dorsed the estimate which was submitted to
him for revision, knowing nothing of the pro-
ject beforehand and having no time before the
occasion for which it was required, to make an
estimate or thorough personal examination. 1t
has been found that the piles must be driven
from IL to 16 feet before they bring up on i'm
penetrable hard pan or ledge and that the mud
is capable of sustaining the weight of the EN-.
bankment. a.... 10 agr
After about three hundred feet in length of
the pile work had been driven and fitted above
Turkey bridge severely cold weather set in,
and the cove has ever since been frozen over,
making it impossible to continue work ON the
bulkhead except at intervals
The embankment was begun directly against
the bulkhead. In future it should be carried
out at first on the inner line of the proposed
filling SO that the greater part of the displaced
material shall come up inside the bulkhead 1t
lmDOSSIhla ST w w ha no
suit OF the pressure OF the embankments on
the mud beneath. If the displaced material
shall come up within the line of the bulkhead,
as facts already developed in the case would in
dicate, it will go far towards making the en-
bankment, and the form of bulkhead can, in
my opinion, be SO modified as to sustain the
pressure. If it should be disposed to come up
outside, wall, unless it was founded on the
solid bed beneath, would not retain it and would
probably lead off in the consequent disaster. Pile
work has surely retentive effect as far as it
goes, and the result in question mEst be effect
ed with such work or not at all - H
The contractor has prosecuted his work with
great vigor and spirit against many discourage
ments incidental to the performance of such a
work during an unusually unfavorable season.
A trestle work bridge has been built over the
Marginal Way at the cut through Washington
street near Tukey's bridge, having three spans
of Is feet each at the grade of the Way and
two spans on each slope of q and 19a feet re-
seats of 119a feet, with clear width between
the rails of 20 feet, and a clear height of 16A
feet at the span, to be devoted to railway pur-
poses.
A retaining wall is in process of construction
ON Monument street between Mountfort and
Warren streets. The draining of the swamp
lands in Ward has been commenced and sew
eral bitches drained.
SUPERINTENDENT OF SEWERS.
The Superintendent of Sewers. reports that
during the past year sewers have been construct
ed on Anderson, Beckett Cedar, Danforth,
Emery, Franklin, Hanover, High, Oxford
Smith, Spring, Thomas and Carroll, Winter
and Gray, Carleton and Portland streets, and
two on Gray street. A plan of each of the
above sewers has been made on which are laid
down the boundaries and areas Of the several
adjoining lots. Repairs have been made on
sewers on Green, Spruce, High, South, Con-
gress, Commercial and Bracket streets. The
sewer on Preble street has been extended 35
feet, that on Chestnut IS feet, that on Myrtle
20 feet and that on Boyd So feet. Culverts
built or repaired have cost 81 ,413.20.
The following shows the expenditures of this
department: s.-
Total expenditures, $4,000 70
Ctys proportion of new sewers, ss,195 Y
Cost of culverts, 5,345 81
Cost of repairs, 1,1O4-73
12,645 II
sum assessed on AUDITORS, 1924 OF
Appropriation, 81, 900 90
Brief Jottings.
That snow storm has arrived
The U. s. Circuit and District Courts came il