The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-09-25

utpoHleu NO moro phlltls uhNo
ment to date Is l2-i0O OF aioot, the m3vemth
has also examined about forty feet OF the rear |
of the wall At & mai street and found " IN pretty
eoUd otuer ,o, thp,e feel long twelve inches TO
hftecn inches wide, and SIX inches thlck ,u nnu
fallen OIL and was brought w ny mn, ,r,' Inls
piece u all that has been obtalneu ~ yet IRON
below low water mark. IL L. q very poor sp"ci-
men 81 whit concrete should be; mere ls,Nery
little remeut to he seen IN II, and u has so ltttle
cohesion that II broke into several pieces by
tenr rolled over. AMI could he readily crumbled
and broken to pieces bv the hand. IL Is pre-
sei we'd In the Canal street onice.
The King street section lD feet long, was
completed as It now stands before INV accession
to the ofiicc. II built ON the same general
principle as the Canal street section, but much
more e re has evidently been taken In its con-
structipn aud details than AT Canal street sec
ti1n. Diver Mcdonald was kept unner water
aud tri lped every bux of concrete. aud saw that
1t was placed in it, proper position. Its faults
and failures are, therefore, IN INV opinion due
Co. its being constructed on a wrong PRINCIPLE.
This wall was cxan,ined Ia three panels OF its
face by Diver Mcdonald; one plncl near tho
southcrly end, one at the northerly end, and one
about the middle of tho section.
AN ASSISTANT ENGiSEEWs EXAMINATION.
Mr Kid, assistant engineer In charge OF tho
work also went Gown In armur ana exnmined
the same three y nes. They reported the tNo
southcrv panels smooth aud soft, but at tho
north ry panel the concrete face Of the wall
had fllcn away from TOPIC bottom to depth
into the face Of the wall Of from uino inches to
fifteen inches, and that tho concrete was soft
where the f.ce of the wall had fallen away. This
wall having been recently completed, su pend
ed the removal of tue panels for several weeks,
In older To give the cement time To set II 1t
would do so.
An thc shutters or panels on the rear Of tho
wall were then removed, and most of those on
the front. DIVER Mcdonald went down aud cx-
| aniucd the wall, panel by panel coming up aud
reporting tho condition OF each one before going
tie reported the whole of tho concrete wall
soft, 40 that ne could pull cut stones with his
| hands, and various imperfect places, but not Of
great depth, except IN one or two pl cea In
. slu In l4N Ihtaft Iar
Diver Gilihan, employed at tho Battery. and
! directed him to ~ down aud examine the whole
| face Of the wall. front and rear, when tie could
get "A; IT, His report agrees generally with that
| Ut McDonhd. lio described the soitness such
| that hc could dig into the wall. almost any
whcrc. 10y pulling ont the stones II the concrete
with his fingers, and that he did 80 dig in ABOUT
| lie differs about tho details of roughness and
| holes in tho concrete wall, ana 1t must he fe-
membcrcd that the diver IS un bio to see any
| thing while under water ton account ot tho
! fOulucss and muodincss Of the water and his
! eXfmin tion can only be made hy feeling with
| his hands under water and IN tot; dafl ness 4
! complete agreement Of rcporis of cx minntions
| made under such circumstances - therefore not
In regard t. the plan Of driving piles to such
depth inst their heads should toe fourteen feet
| under low w ltcr mark. ly follower. ana placing
| suuaiing their tous thought 1t impossible that
| niiv pil,-, driven 80 hard as they must be for
! sirl, "a nnrnrsn could he in "A nj cunditton In
! beer the weight Of the wall | therefore pro-
cured. a rilc-ruttcr and mad tne he1ds Of the
| plies just driven IT ti rhsOn street section cut
oG Al cepth Of about fifteen feet uolow low
TIMELY DISCOVERY.
The result proved az had Anticipated The
pile heads as they clue vi when saw ed Of were
! srlit Into several pieces. oroumed MP ana dam
aged 50 as 10 hc unit Tor tearing any weight
VIII ttyer. \ record was kept Il q lch pile head,
showing the position Of tie lile from which II
was cut nj its conuition a. 10 being spft OF
bro0Wcd up. the pie portions were one -half IN
yet, had condition indeed, onc-sixth IN tad
cohditiun aud tnc relnpining onc-ihrJ OF the
whole IN passlble oder, Tho pile heads were
az .yCd ard n be -. en- al - lisOn and lso at
Canal street so !th OF Pier No.3. wS@ro Ihey naye
ju.t tc cut on In q siniil.r manner 0nd with
the samc Jesuit. There Is no doubt whatever
tuat tine pile heads must bc cut on In all CHscs
before p."cing any wei-nt upon them 70 good
w,ll may rtst upon firm ana solid
henring. The ficis ascertained IN my exanina-
/ ~ ms tnH' tar' as de7ciln.h auuNc' ana consist
! in- titicruily II the sofincss md wan of Cos
h,a,on of lnc concrete IN the King street sec
| ZION; tn falling oil of whole panels to taC
dcptn, Oh the face of the wall Of from nine
iDCne5, 70 ittsn in,heS ltont l,p 10 noit9in
tne falling on ~ ihe lower NM of the w.il /,
the dc vth, ON ia face. ot two feet az the Cana
street section, and the condition of the piece o
concrete hf 1uFit ~ from inc rehr oi the ma
street scott in, IN iiCatr Gle ry that the plan OF
bu.dinr thu wiii of concrete pl ccd uude aiel
"on mas e. 90 in stu" cannot tc rolled upon e
prnluc' a permanent. staul'. md dur ole vail
ana am under the necessity Of reccmmcndina
doumcnt of such plnn. No wall has been bull
upon his ulan since my Accession 10 once cX
cert that part of the Canal street section ieguI
! k1fore was appointed, aud since then com
Ilated.
1he work of huiliing the bulkhoad wall Is
now suspended by my orders, ana snail dcsir'
to have thc approval oi the board OF my action
la con n-ilcrltlon Of the tact tnat THIS plan o
building the wall II highly commented IA IN
rrpoit uf the late r-iuor--tn-c ctief of this de
partn out, dated June |. l,1j. and That such re
! port has been made public. and extracts from /
7 nrinted In the newspapers and IN Van Nostrand'
! ! Engineering Magazine, hcg loaye 10 suggc-t q
the ilard II COmni- siurcrs, through your com
utiee. the propricty. for the justification q III
Commissioners and ~ my.eif, of calling to on
I o ssistlnce tho united wisdom and experience 0
| disiuterc-tcd engiucers to examine the condl
=, lion If that portion Il the wall referred to d
> this req n, md aiSiss what remedy. N any
, should he applied TO II. Very respectfully you
ODedicnt servant, q. > 6KEEHE. Jr,
uglneer-n-C Chtef.
Mavor Wickham will appoint Gen. Quincy
. Gilmore. Gen. John Newton. and Air. AHA
Campbell " examine the sea wall and report
| him.