The Portland daily press., 1877-05-22
CITY AFFAIRS.
Special Meeting of the City Council.

Special Meeting of the City Council.
A special meeting of both branches of TIL
City Council was held last evening.
BOARD OF MAYOR AND ALDERMEN.
The bond of John Brown as liquor agent wa
approved.
Pote & Henry were granted license to keel
a fish market on Congress street. L. D. Cole
and Frank Bennett were licensed as vic
tuallers.
The Committee on the Auditors, Treasurer
and Collectors re ports, reported them all COZ
rect. Report accepted.
The report of the Committee on Drains and
Sewers on certain petitions was accepted and
the following order was passed:
Ordered, That the Committee on Drains an,
Sewers.be and hereby are directed to caus
sewers to be constructed on the followin,
streets: Mellen, York, Portland, Dow, con
tInuation of Mellen street sewer. NeWbury
Congress, Fox, Lafayette, continuation of sew
or on Quebec street.
An invitation from the Grand Army to TAX
part in the services of Memorial Day was re
ceived and accepted.
The Committee on Streets submitted the fol
lowing report on the Fore street wall:
The Committee on Streets, Sidewalks ant
Bridges, who were authorized by order ap
proved April IA, 1877. to cause examination t.
be made of the condition of the Fore street re
tanning wall, aDd report thereon as soor
as practicable, recommending what course
should be taken in respect to said wall, have
attended to that duty, and beg leave to report
IN brief, that they, on examination of sale
wall, found it bulged out in several places, and
many of the stones composing it cracked, and
seemingly crushed from the weight above, anG
generally exhibiting such signs of weakness
that 1t was deemed necessary for the safety oil
the Portland Company's workmen in the shops
below, and also to ascertain the defects in the
wall, to remove a portion of it in its worst
places, and the filling behind, to get at the
foundation. Having done so, it was found thai
the wall was defective in the following par.
ticulars in our judgment;
1st-A portion of the stones composing the
wall were unsuitable and defective, and ought
to be replaced by others.
2d-That the wall was not bonded and tied
together as it should have been, and as was
provided in the contract for its construction
Too much attention seems to have been given
to the face of the wall, and in many parts i,
presented the appearance of two walls without
being bound together.
3d-The wall was not thick enough; in some
places not exceeding 10 feet. when it ought to
have been Ii feet.
4th-When the wall was built, there had
been long continued drouth, and the material
on which the wall was built, and behind it,
was dry, and exhibited no signs of accumula
ton of water. Now it appears that very con.
siderable quantities of water from springs above
percolate the earth, and are likely to gather be-
hind the wall, and tend to soften the founda.
ton, making it necessary that there should be
proper drainage constructed.
5th-Ihe filling hahind the wall wao mt in
late in the season, and was not of suitable ma
terial, nor suitably packed.
Fortunately, from the best evidence, and
from the opinion of the majority of experts,
the foundations of the wall have not started,
and the City Engineer gives it as his unquali-
lied opinion that such is not the case.
In view Of the foregoing defects, the Com
mittee have to recommend:
1st-That all defective parts of the wall be
replaced and relaid; the work to be done by
the day, under the general direction of the
Committee on Streets, Sidewalks and Bridges.
2d-That in so doing, all rounded, defective,
and otherwise unsuitable stone be discarded
and replaced by sufficient number of lare
headers and stretchers, so that the new wall
may be thoroughly tied and bound together.
3d-That the wall be made thicker; in the
highest portion not less than - to Is feet
thick.
u 4th-That suitable wall be built inHfrontl of
the main wall, at the bottom of the slope ex.
isting there, to keep said slope in place, and to
serve to balance in measure the pressure on
the main wall.
5th-That suitable blind drain of broken
stone, oyster shells and the like, be laid in rear
of said wall, to collect the water to be carried
OF by cnlverts to proper place of discharge.
6tn-Ihst suitable material be used for pack
lng behind the main wall, and especial care be
taken that the packing is we'll done.
7th-That the City Engineer be directed to
prepare proper plans and specifications, en-
bracing in detail the foregoing recommends.
tons, and designating particularly the kind of
material which ought to be used and the
manner in which the work should be done, in
order to accomplish the object of said recon-
mendations, to wit, to make the wall when
rebuilt, secure and permanent. And also that
the City Engineer shall constantly, under the
general direction of the Committee on Streets.
Sidewalks and Bridges. as aforesaid, supervise
the work as it goes on, and see that his plans
and specifications are carried out and executed
as they should be.
Sth-That to carry out the foregoing recon-
mendatons, the accompanying order be passed.
Mayor said the total cost of tearing down and
rebuilding would be $780,
In answer to query by Mr.. small, the May
or said he had to depend upon the opinion of
experts for the above estimate.
Mr.. Cunningham called for the report of the
experts who examined the wall. REPORT in
substance has already been published.I
The order was then passed.
james H. Barton was appointed special po-
liceman without pay.
Alderman Cushman presented the report of
the Committee on Finance in regard to bank
deposits, and presented the following order,
which passed:
n,J,
deposits remain with the City Treasurer, and
that he deposit the same where in his judg-
ment it is for the best advantage of the city,
due regard being had to their safety.
Ordered-That the Committee on Streets,
Sidewalks and Bridges be and are hereby au-
thorized to cause to be rebuilt the retaining
wall on the southeasterly side of Fore street ac-
cording to the general recommendations cou-
tanned in their report herewith submitted, the
expense thereof and also the expense of taking
down portions of said wall and removing the
earth behind it heretofore incurred to be charg-
ed to the appropriation therefor when made.
Petitions presented and referred-Of the Over
seers of the Poor to discontinue part of Wey-
mouth street, of Frank Symonds to discontinue
part of Federal street; of john G. Hayes and
others that portion of Market Square be paw
ed with stone blocks; of G L. Bailey for au-
thority to erect magazioe for gun powder on a
lot at the northerly extremity of Washington
street; of Lorenzo Taylor & ais for street lamp
on corner of Congress aud Quincy street.
COMMON COUNCIL.
Matters from the Board of Aldermen were
passed in concurrence.
Ordinance relating to the transportation Of
dead bodies was laid over under the rule.
Order for the grading of Grant street was
taken from the table, amended by restricting
the part to be graded to that part of the street
running through the city's land lying between
Chase's line west of Grove street and Wey.
mouth street, and passed.
The order relating to Fore strest wall was
passed in concurrence by vote of u to 6.
LIMERICK HIGH SCHooL.-The spring term