New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-02
DRYING PILES FOR FOUNDATIONS.
WHY AND WHERE THEY ARE UsED-PILEs THAT
COST $50 APIECE.

WHY AND WHERE THEY ARE UsED-PILEs THAT
COST $50 APIECE.
A few sharp, asthmatic puffs of steam. fol-
lowed by n heavy thud the block OF iron, toms
weight falls the long spruce pile. driving 1t into
tho solid earth In this manner the foundations OF many
NewYork buildings are laid-not exactly rock, but
practically nearly II a solid wall was built
up from the gravel the hnrdpan which he pile
penetrated and each successive blow tina pe-often
sixty seventy feet in lengh-sinks deeper and when
1t has last touched the hard bottom, the heavy iron
block rebounds with ring II IL had struck al anvil
From that point there ia no driving the pile
would be splintered easily q In those por-
of the city where the original bollows In the land
have been hled 10 the surrounding grade pile founda
tion Is always driven when tho building Is OF any con-
siderable weight; or the filling 10 carted away and the
foundation wall started on the bedrock In the lower
portions OF the city, which once swamp bottoms
and where the rocsratum is far beneath tie surface
piles also be used. and they then frequently
driven through q foot of water For building
now going up in sprucest, sx.soricd brick structure
the pies are driven to depth ranging from twenty-five
to forty feet tie longest OF them would mike very
ofthe Brooklyn Bridge, opposite the spruce-s building,
was constructed IL considered best to begin
gravel bottom and the Foundation stones laid fifty
feet below the street Under the spruoest structure
800 OF these piles have been placed. with calculation
each pile will sustain weight OF six TONS though
the supporting capacity Of eacn Is muca greater They
arranged IN sections double row In each section.
with mathematical accuracy the is filed in
with concrete, and floor OF heavy panks spiked the
piles prepares TO receive the layers. The
woodwork covered with earth that II Is mpervous
the air. and will last till long after the walls above
have crumbed In another large warehouse going
In Green wichs, near Desbrossesst, yet greater
number Of plies used and their average length
fifty feet.
When tho piles do not exceed afty feet in length the
cost comparatively small for such foundation. An
inferior grade Of spruce used such Is deemed
straight enough, or that Is too full OF knots
for ship-spars. Tho cost Is placed at about
$40 q pile, exclusive Of the stonework.
There are many buildings In the city where the piles
have coat much In the foundation OF the Wander
bt Elevator the large elevator In jersey City and that
recently erected at the mouth OF the weehawken Tun.
nel none OF the piles was less than seventy feet
long. They had to BIO specially selected In Michigan
forests and the first $50 each. Under the Wee
hswkep Elevator 5000 piles were driven and manyof
them were fifty feet onE
"Ips curious thing" said Robert Brown, old pile
driver now those piles behave. We start them In with
blunt end and II you should pull one OF them up you
would flnd the point sharpened like leadpenci Aud
there's no wear them when they got into the mud
pulled old snag ont OF the East River IN 1868 that
had been driven In 181 l. and where the mud covered IT,
there were green leaves sticking to 1t yet They are
solid, too, any foundation When was doing some
work for the Government In the harbor few years ago.
the engineer made calculation on SONS plies had
driven about forty feet and no said they would sustain
q weight Of $50 tons each"