The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-02-03

city OF the sewer. 1t has been rebuilt on heavy
The Fulton street sewer, between West street
and Hudson River. also INSTRUCTED at its mouth,
sunken and filed with mud, has been rebuilt and
Alteration and extension of sewers in Eighth
avenue, Thirty-ninth street. Ninth avenue. For
tieth street and Tenth avenue.
The SEVERN Thirty-ninth street, between Eighth
ana Ninth avenues, receives the drainage from
some 100 acres OF surface, in addition to the
now and discharge from the distributing reservoir
The owners s6S occupants of houses on Eighth
avenue frequently complained OF overflow rom
the sewer, during heavy storms, nooding the Gel
lars to the injury OF their health and property.
On survey and examination OF the whole
sewerage district the overlooking OF the Eighth
avenue sewer was ascertained to be owing to the
lncapacty OF the main SEVERN Thirty ninth street.
between Eighth and Ninth avenues, and In Tentn
avenue, between Fortieth and Forty
streets. to carry OF the water contributed by the
branch sc wers of the large area drained.
10 remedy these defects, and to save rebuilding
the entire main sewer from the F0rty-secend
street outlet to Thrty-ffth street and Eighth
draining the entire area Included in the district
was constructed from the outlet sewer IN Forty
sree 5oSs The asd
streets sewers, and leaving the original sewer in
Tenth avenue to do the work for which 1t was first
Next, the sewer in Fortieth street was extended
across Eighth avenue, taking in the Eighth avenue
Of Eighth avenue. Some forty-seven acres Of
drainage was by this alteration diverted from the
main sewer at Thirtynnth street and was carried
direct to the new sewer in Tenth avenue, and
thence to the main outlet in Forty-second street.
No complaints have since been made although
very heavy rains have tested the suiiciency OF
The sewer in West Nineteenth street. between
sixth and seventh avenues which mad been 10 nri ~
lower than its outlet at Sixth avenue, has been
rectifed by connecting the depressed end with the
deeper sewer west OF Seventh avenue.
DRAINAGE OF WASHINGTON MARKET.
For long time 1t had been noticed that wash
ington market was exceedingly damp, and very
disagreeable Odors arose from the floor, although
a t was said 10 exist neheatn H. an hain
broken in some places and stopped up in others,
and the whole OF the ground upon which the market
stands was saturated with the waste from the
fish stands and others using ice boxes forming with
refuse which had accumulated, putrld mass OF mud,
The matter was taken in hand immediately, and
the whole market has been recently sewered-the
work having been rapidly prosecuted, mainly at
night. The condition OF the market now gives
great satisfaction and the difference in the state
OF the atmosphere has been noticed by numerous
frequenters, who are not aware OF the improve
Outlet sewer in Seventeenth street. at Hudson
River, and IN Eleventh avenue to Twenty third
completed, is designed to give a direct outlet OF
proper size to the large district lying between
and the Hudson River The contract for this work
also includes the alteration and rebuilding Of the
defective sewers in the adjoining streets.
numerous sewers having independent outlets
along the river front the foul state OF the water
around the lower portion Of the city will be con-
A similar work has been completed for the dis
trict extending from Twenty-sixth TO Fortieth
street and from Fifth avenue TO the East River.
This, together with the overflow lately built in
the large sewers in that neighborhood, have re-
moved the causes Of hooded cellars, formerly COM
planned OF in that district
The outlet is located in Thirty-third street at
the East River, with collective sewer in First
nj nln
water in the slips as on the other side OF the city,
and plans are prepared for extending this work In
A large portion Of the large sewer, six by eight
feet, In Thirty-iourth street, between First and
Second avenues which had caved in from bad
form and Workmanship, was rebuilt; ana, sim
iarly the sewer in Seventy-fo street, between
Fifth avenue and the East River.
During the past year have also been rebuilt the
and Seventy-ninth Streets Flfty-sixth street. be-
tween Filth and Sixth avenues and between Tenth
First avenue and the East River, and others OF less
extent, owing partly to defective materials and
been laid a the Paf cue eraded
The original surface of the ground being at q
greater depth below the established grade than II
was possible to put the sewers, the weight OF the
filing when thrown in to grade the street had the
effect Of crushing or otherwise injuring them.
While the first cost OF laying is less before the street
is filed in the ultimate cost will be much greater;
and, for the reasons just stated the sewers must
eventually be taken up and relaid.
A large number OF tmperfect.y constructed re-
ceiving basins and culverts Lave been repaired
and rebuilt. In 1872 seventy nine basins have had
substituted for the old sGyle Of head, in several
pieces. Almost all OF the old square man-hOle
heads built Of several : pieces Of stone, covered
with iron plates, which were always liable to dis
placement, and continually falling into the sewer,
have been replaced by solid iron heads and covers
Plans have been made for the alterations now
most needed which are principally in the business
streets and crowded thoroughlares and the work
should be done systematically and not by piece
m nj IN IVnr
directly assessabie upon the property benefited.
Under the present contract law the award would
work, who might be wholly unit for the undertake
ing, and there would be a repetition of the great
Inconvenience and vexatious delays which the
public has experienced for the last three years by
the alterations in progress to the old sewers be-
tween Fourteenth and Twenty-tnird streets, Tenth
avenue and North River.
| In ali repairs and alterations to sewers it is
| found almost impossible to estimate the extent or
| cost OF such without mourning preliminary ex-
pense nearly equal to the final cost Of the improve
ment, and no responsible contractor cares to bid
| on such work without first knowing exactly what
is to be done. 1t is advisable that the present law
| should be changed so as to allow the work to be
done by days work or by contract only to respon-
| sible parties.
THE COST OF CLEANING SEWERS.
| The usual price OF cleaning sewers by hand Is
about 81 SO per load, and while under good sewer
system solid deposits should be carried of with the
$4,000 per year to remove them. 1t is Notorious
| that persons who. under the old Tammany regime
nad the contracts LOT cleaning JneSe sewers, uuu-
ing it profitable to the deposits at So SO per
load, were in the habit Of putting instructions IN
the sewers with view of creating solid deposits.
| The present Commissioner OF Public Works has,
| however, put stop to all this and last year re-
duced the cost OF cleaning the sewers to S14, 4l2
against $4,000 for the year 1871. The following
table furnished by Engineer Towle shows the com.
parative cost OF cleaning brick and pipe sewers
from 1867 10 1871 inclusive. The water supply
having increased last year, the department has re-
sorted to the flushing process, and two or three
nights per week the water from the hydrants have
been let INTO the sewers, reducing the expense O.