The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-07-27

stone blOckinR removed ana mdue OF use oy DeluK
transported 20 The CHRISTOPHER street section and
deposited behind the Dulknead wall az tnaI point.
by tins change in Old pier NO AZ the SIP 10 the
sOnrn OF new pier No. "a Is maternity wldened.
The bulkaead wall ON thls sectlon, ITO leet OF
which has been flushed, foundation up 10 stone
facing for distance OF eighty feet 0ullt ana pile
work for sixty Ieet more ready for coneretlng, Is
SUBJECT on which VIII have 20 dwell AZ sOmo
Iengtn, az the method OF CONSTRUCTING ~ G,ners
materially rom tnat used at the Battery and Chris
topner street sections. On this section. as wen as
the King street section. the piles are puncheu
Work OF timber, which is subsequently re-
moved. In Great Britain ana the Conu
mental countries or Europe where the dlcta
OF science are as unhesitatingly received as
the truths OF Scripture. 1t would be considered
lualcrous lor an engineer to give his reason "
ertefSO Tor the adoption Of any particular system
OF constructions bur IN this liberal country, where
the people are sovereign, and every newspaper
reader Is transformed into remorselesS critlC, IL
~ unsafe TO originate any plan without giving I'M
answerable reasons therefor, particularly when
the plan must necessarily extend over period or
many years, and involve in It's completion an out
lay OF from $4,000 600 10 $50 GEO. This must
be my excuse or the collation. OF the following
excerpts, whca are familiar 10 every well read
engneer.n General Graham here quotes from
tue works OF Thomas stevenson and sir CHARLES
hartley concentrations ana Instances OF the good
use oil concrete.
he also cues other engineering authorities,
Among them Mr.. Daniel MIler, OF England ana
General H. G. Wright. OF the United states Corps OF
Engineers, the latter of WHOM used concrete TO
construct the foundations OF several lorts IN the
Southern waters; and he backs them all with
brief statement OF the results oil MS own e1-
perlence.
THE WORK DESCRIBED.
The WALL up TO within feet 7-l6 lncnes OF
mean low water, Is made OF huge mononth 0!
concrete en- nldSSe manufactured on the spot ana
deposited in Situ. Toe site for Lhe wall was nIst
thoroughly 0redged TO mean depth OF 20 feet pc
low mean low water; piles were then driven, eight
in a cross SC elton or II feet inches, and OF an
average distance OF feet idches from centres,
exec pt the two front rows, which are centred
leet; loneitudnally the outer and inner rows
were driven as close as could be done without III.
reference; they were punched to about mean
dtqVa M faat
means OF heavy oak follower &c feet in length
and u inches in section, armed al the bottom
strengthen against fracture; this punching OBJ
waited the cutting on OF any otner tnsn
distance of $50 feet; this uneven punching
Afforded good grasp to the concrete around
their heads. Broken stone measuring about Iour
cubic inches was then filled In between the pies
and allowed to take bearing. The false work
for receiving the concrete was then erected. yell
low pine square piles twelve inches ny Twelve
inches IN section aud OF an average lenRth OIlorV
feet were driven IN front OF the westerly row OF
punched piles at a batter OF one and three-quar-
inches the foot, ana on the back ~ batter
OF one-haf inch to the foot, centred Longitude
naly eight feet. To the inside OF these square
piles, previous to their being driven, battens OF
four inches by two ana One-halt inches spruce
We're nailed on firmly and on these further pieces
OF spruce, twelve inches by two inches were last
ened, forming grooves for receiving constructed
wooden shutters or gates which were sld into
place after the pile alignment was perfected.
These piles were then capped crosswlse by square
twelve-inch timber braced lateraly by wal1ng
pieces Twelve 19eb Oy Six lhCnbS. Inc COuCTele
mixed on a platform in the rear. constructor on
the stay piles driven IN the rear OF the wall,
wheeled to the car, dumped into the buckets or
tuos, and then lowered into the caiSson. The
door OF the bucket Delng opened from ABOVE by
trap rope, dld away with the necessity OF employ
ing divers. Concretlng was commenced on the
oath OF December last and continued until the 6tn
OF January, 1875, layer or TWO leet being spread
over the bottom soaking into the broken stones
at the bottom and binding the pie heads nrmly
together. The quantity OF ice by TINS tune prov,
ing very troublesome, concretlng was suspended
March fLlOupl lurLuer pllluG
for the wall was continued throughout TIE winter
with scarcely any lntermlssonl ana Vigorously
mass necessary was placed, In the hearting
of the calsson One-hth OF granite spawis,
placed and thoroughly grouted, preserving the
stability OF the wall and lessenlng the expense.
In laying the backing TO the granite facing nave
introduced a change from That at Christopher
street section, which has materially lessened the
expense, while preserving the STABILITY OF the
wall. Books OF about three cubic yards capacity
were made at the seventeenth street yard out OF
old granite spaws and Portland cement. Wnen
sufficiently compact they were transported 10
Canal street ana placed in position with great ra-
pldltY over seventy lineal leet being laid during
one tide. on the removal Of the shutters and
square pies-the false work oil the caisson--whlch
had been down nearly tnree months, Mr.. Nc
Donald carefully examined the SIDES OF the mono
lith ana reported that ne found it as smooth and
compact IN appearance as any blocks lie had ever
seen which were manufactured on land, and no
sim OF honey comb. A great saving mas been ef-
fected by this system Of construction over that OF
the block system, including coping not as yet re-
QulfeQ on LDlS Section kbuc wall SOHSuuCteu DcluB
In the wake OF the pler). The savlHg amounts TO
$67 n per loot run, over $350000 per mile. the
cost per foot run being $Sll 81. BY having long
stretch of work, Judcious use OF labor, aud
using made rubble blocks surmounted by granite
cope, instead OF cut facing, | am OF the opinion
that the cost can be reduced At least twenty per
cent.
KING STREET SECTION.
The dredging for the river wall between old
piers numbers As and AZ was begun November l6,
1874, and amounted to $500 cubic yards. The
foundation Is to oe III by l4l ieet and 67S piles
structed in Lhe same manner with tina: at Canal
street. and CPS cubic yards OF fourinch stone nave
been thrown In, and ,225 cubic yards OF rip-rap
stone have been placed in front and rear Vi The
calsson.
GENERAL MATTERS
General Graham here devotes space TO report
Ing the changes MADE IN the GanseVOort and East
seventeenth street WORK yards; the condition Of
tRe noatlng property OF the
DOCK DEPARTMENT;
the general repairs made to aocks enfeebled by
age or by the attacks OF ice during the winter
months, ana the number OF temporary pla'ioln
docks winch nave been constructed lie tnen
goes on TO speak OF
THE HARLEM RIVER,
ana says 1.-THE great difficulty which mas thus far
prevented the Improvement OF the Harlem RIVER
has been the clasning OF authority delegated by
the Legislature to the different commissions.
Apri 49, 1871, an act was passed giving the Depart
ment Of Public Parks full power TO build or con-
sJruct by contract or otherwise, any and all I'M
provements IN The navigation OF Harlem River and
Spuyten Duyvll Creek, winch SAID department
mirht plan or locate.' Three days alter the pas
amended the act creating the Department or
Docks and provided That the plans OF this depart
ment, when confirmed by the Commissioners OF
the Sinking Fund, should constitute the sole
authority Tor the solid nlnng in the waters sur
rounding the city OF New YORK, and repeating al
otner provisions OF law regulating solid nlllng and
pier and bulkhead lines IN said waters" The
new enarter was passed April 80, 1873.
winch rescinded the authority previously
delegated 10 the Department OF DOCKS, and In the
following language, II is claimed by toe DEPART
ment OF Parks confirmed their lines There
shall be Department or DOCKS, the head OF which
snail be board consisting OF three persons,
who shall possess such power and per-
form such duties as are now possessed Dy the eX-
isung Department OF Docks, but sald board shall
not nave the power TO change the exterior line of
piers ana Dulkheads as now established by law"
The cnarter, by taxing away the power from inc
Department OF Docks to establish PIE, ana bulk
head lines enectuallY susDends the Improvement
o. the Harlem RIVER, for no improvement OF per-
manent character ana based upon knowledge
OF The tidal laws IL this and the HUDSON River
can take place untll the existing lines in this To-
cality are changed, or Ia other WORDS, until the
section OF the improved river, instead Uf being