The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-07-27
General Graham's Report Of The Work
Upon the Docks.
A VALUABLE DOCUMENT,
Precise Condition Of the Pro
jected Improvements.
NECESSITY FOR A CHANGE OF BULKTEAD LINES.

dered and supervised during the year which
| closed on April so last, has just been published.
1t is very interesting paper, giving. as 1t does,
| not only a statement OF the work performed dur
ing the time mentioned. but also histories and
descriptions OF each separate section OF the pro-
| teeted dock system that was labored upon from
It's inception. Space can be allotted here, how
ever to little more than a statement Of results
achieved by General Graham. Speaking OF the
new pier No. / North River, General Graham
reports that IL is TO be 500 feet long and
so feet wide, and TO have, consequently,
area OF 40 600 square feet. Its oesgn is that OF
series OF semicircuar arches, the first sprnging
from the bulkhead wall, faced on the sides with
cut granite and formed inside VITA concrete.
These arches rest on betOn blocks, which are sup
ported by masses OF concrete, contained in wooden
cribs, resting on the bed rock. After describing
tho manner OF building THESE piers and arches
General Graham says:-'This system OF construc-
tion mas been generally adhered TO, since my in
cumbeucy in office, and arches Nos. g. 6, 7, 8, 9and
10 have been completed" He adds that he had
thought OF employing wall or '.pte7Te perdue,"
instead OF wooden cribs, as he satisfied IL
would have given more uniform level and have
been more economical; but, "lor reasons which it
is not necessary to mention" he abandoned the
idea and followed General McCellan's plan.
CHRISTOPHER STREET SECTION
prosecuted with vigor on the river wall, on
the ferry platform ana on four new piers.
The bulkhead wall at this section, % feet
10 inches IN height. is built on foundation OF
piles, cut off IA feet 7-l6 inches below mean
low water, filed around the heads with broken
stone and concrete, thus making O solid level
platform, on which were placed two courses OF
beton blocks each6 feet high. On the top OF these
blocks rests a facing OF granite masonry, backed
with mass concrete, for height OF feet inches,
or up TO the coping, which, for the present, has
been simply backed with earth filing. the coping,
with rise OF feet inches, having been left out
in the wake OF the piers. The lower II feet OF the
wall has a batter OF "a inches TO the foot,
and the granite facing batter of one
inch to the foot. When the mud had
been dredged out in the line OF the
wall to a depth OF twenty feet below low water,
piles varying in length from 90 to 70 feet
with the character OF the bottom, were driven
until they gave an absolute refusal or would not
go down more than "a TO inches with 10 feet
fall OF ], 700 pound hammer. The wall being Tx
feet wide at the base the pile foundation extends
beyond IL ~ ieet in front and "a feet IN rear,
| making the foundation 27]6 feet wide. These
! pies were cut of by circular saw attached TO
! sliding frame in the ways OF pile driver, at
distance oil IA feet 7-l6 inches below mean low
/ water and, between their heads, stones OF about
inches cube were thrown from the deck OF a
| q
within or ieet OF the formation level. On
the stone thus arranged, and for the purpose or
binding the pies together concrete Was placed.
Gu the foundation mus prepared beton blocks
were lowered ana placed accurately in position
with the aId Of divers. the wall having Dee2 IN
this manner brought up TO Within 1eet
7-16 inches OF mean low water, the hrst
course OF granite, with an average rise OF leet
/ inch, was laid. Between the hrst course or
gran tie and the mould board mass concrete was
lowered until the top Of tue granite was reached,
W1en tie second course OF granite was laid and
| backed When the top OF the third course or
granite was reached bringing tue wall up feet
| 10 inches from the beton blscks, the mould boards
were set In toward the face OF the wall Two Feet
thus reducing the thickness at the top OF the
course next the coping 10 feet inches.
AT this point the coping was laie between the
piers In pieces feet long, with rise OF feet
inches and a width of A eet, and in tue wake OF
the piers a ruobie wall, feet incnes wide by IS
inches hign, built, TO protect the timoer OF the
piers from contact with the earth nling.
| AMOUNT OF WORK.
The work done on the Christopher street Sec
ton during the year ending Aprll 80 1915, was as
foilOWs:-
Dredging for the river wall cubic YARDS. go. soo5o
Dredging slips and oyter basin, cuolc yards. lUit22
Total cubic yards l3ig7l
Plies driven on aSl ieet ON foundati S625
Piles driven Ia the OF the wall Ll66
Piles cut of at the iormauon level. 4gy
Beton blocks laid. May 10 December 23........ ABS
tsnsS Of S % at ne base sS0i oS
Length OF granite facing, feet inches high,
Length Of granite coping GAS
queer Saeayl cubic sO4765
! Rip-rap stone IN front and of wall, cubic
-Four inch stone on the foundation cubic yards 1871
Concrete stone in foundation and wall, cubic 49,
Sand Tor concrete and mortar, cubic wards 1870
Cement concrete and mortar, barrels 65l2
| New pier NO. AZ was entirely constructed, with
the exception or 81 piles driven before May ].
square feet-was finished, tnree-lourtns OF 1T
| having been constructed before May /, 1874. New
piers Nos "A and a. were completed ana q con.
! outer ana inner ends were built and the inner
end connected with the wall. New pier No. AZ,
b0x2l5 feet, was built, IS feet OF the outer end
being supported by SO columns. platform, hav-
ing area OF q 2lO square feet ana 475 feet long,
ON the eastern side, was constructed TO connect
ne W piers Nos. 10 and AZ with West street.
The following temporary structures were built
| bridge, 40x170 feet, TO pier No As; bridge, 40
feet wide, from the north side OF the Terry plat
| form; bridge from the south SIDE oil the ierry
platform. These temporary structures were all
three box sewers were built-from the foot OF
West Tenth street TO the wall, from the foot OF
Christopher street TO the wall and one rom Bar
row street $50 feet south along the old buikhead.
Deliveries Of filing began on the I'd or July 1874,
aud SOO93 carloads were received. Between
January IL and February %, 1875, lO4 scowloads of
| Department., containing $3.50 CUBIC yards. The
filing now reaches from old pier No. 50 70 about
I 20 eet south OF new pier No. as. The money
| ceived Tor dump tickets at THIS section amounted
A SMART DOCK COMMISSIONER.
The wall having been finished up TO the coping,
between new piers Nos. A. ana As, there remained
IN 'front.' OF and about thirty feet rom II the old
block forming the north l. OF old pier No. 81. The
sop OF This block mad been removed aud pat Inside
the wall by handbarroWs, and dredge No. was
brought IN TO complete the work, wnen one Of
the Commissioners, thinking that the operation
OF placing the stone dredgcd from the block on
tue deck of the scOW, TO be alterWard thrown or
by hand, TOO SLOW, ordered the superintendent or
floating property 10 Orlng the dredge alongside
the wall, 40 TO throw the material over and let
IL all on the inside. In obedience to orders this
was done, ana thus, at each St oke OF the clipper,
a mass oil mud and stone weighing from three to
four tons, was taken rom The front OF tRe WALL
carried over and let Ial on the In
side, through distance OF twelve TO hfteen
J 1eet THIS immense batterlng-ram had
made about fifty blows, when tue wall yielded ana
was broken about the middle OF the stretch, be.
tween new piers Nos. "a aud A.. the strength Of
the wall was shown by the TACT that 10 was not
curved, but preserved stragnt line from the
point ofrupture 10 each end. Az the break IL was
moved out OF line 10 Inches.
CANAL STREET SECTION.
m 10 IL n or Nov