Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-11-16

BE COMPLETED.
The work of the PotomacGats, under the presen,
contract Of Ross Sanford, will be completed the
last OF December 1t Is expected that by that time
over one hundred and fifty acres oG land three feet
above high water mark Will have been reclaimed
! Ills VIII be about two-thirds OF the work con-
udCteu TO Dc done by that time, and the con-
tractors VIII then ASK fGr az extension OF time tC
enable them 10 complete the work undertaken
The work OF NIing u1 the flats and Gredgina,
out the channel IS g stupendouS undert Tx az,
and countless difficulties have been net with
during the progress OF the work Besides the ele-
1nelS which frequently have conS!irei to retarh the
work. the nature OF the soil 10 be handled has
proven very different from what WIS calculated
unon. Instead OF the sandy lnucky soil eX-
pe;ted to be found at the bottoIn OF the river The
dredging machines have struck immense powders
lmpedied In stin hard clay. This soil has been
ubyietdlng and almost un,na aageaDe. When
dumped upon the fats it would not settle I'm place
nut remained IN lGose rugged piles. and had to be
saturated With water by means OF hose attached tn
out over the Hats This involved u great deal OF
labor.
MEN AND MACHINES.
For the work of dredging. filling in and ,eveling
there are employed eight ponderous dredging ma
chlneS, thirteen mud scowS, two large steam loco
motives forty cars, each with a capacity OF ten
cubic yards; two largest sized pile drivers, two
steam tllgboats, two steam pumps attached to half
q
the unyielding masses OF hard clay; and a force of
two hundred and twenty men. With this force the
work Is carried on night and day, and nearly a
claimed ana over three niles and half OF tram way
completed. To light them for the night work an
electric light OF Thousand candles power has been
attached 10 one OF the dTedges the electricity being
generated from the engines used IN the work. and
other lights Will soon be in operation rendering it
as easy 10 work 10y night as by day.
RECENT EISuAPS.
During mast month 1birtaan aoroC ~ c,,.o,,ra
have baen reclaimed, the flats being raised six feet
above the lOw-water mark. The work has been
greatly retarded this week owing to the stormy
weather, and considerable damage has been sIls-
tanned by the company. on Monday Tie wind broke
five OF the scowS from their moorfngs and drove
them against the abutmentS OF the Long bridge
damaging them seriously. One scow, having on
board hundred tons OF coal for the use OF the en-
gneS. was sunk. and the coal, valued at over $500
was entirely lost Owing to the severity of the wind
storm all work was rendered Impossible for three
days. Yet. to see the amount OF work that has
been done IS astonishing and I'm the long row OF
piles and stretch OF black earthworks looming up
out OF the mud OF the malarial fats is seen beau
ufui National park" In its infancy.
MAJOR HAMS VIEWS.
"How long will 1t be before we shall be able to
drive out there!" asked a STAR reporter OF Major
Hams
"You can drive there now" answered the engi-
neer. "rhere are acres and acres OF ground on
EasDy's Point over Which youcan drive drive out
there every day.
"IIow are you satisfied with the work." asked the
reporter.
"Wtth the work that has been done / am very
we'll satisfied. / should like 1t IL the work could
have been done faster, but there has been an i'm
mense amount of labor performed and very formid-
able obstacles have been met on every hand. 1t
has been great ndertakng, but it will prove per-
Is all DONE it Will be one OF the finest In the con
try, and in the place OF the mucky. marshy flats.
which osstl uct navigation and njure The heat b.
liable property"
"Hs "How long viii 1t take to complete the work."
"0r the park, do you mean? That would be i'm
possible TO say. But the work OF filling in the flats
so as to convert the entire area into solid ground,
extending from the monument park, could be COM
the amount mentioned In. my last report
s1,O00,0G0"
ANOTHER CONTRACT AWARDED
Bids for the contract for constructing an enlbank-
ment along the outer edge OF the fats were opened
at Major Hains Office on the 9Th, and on Monday
Philadelphia, for the River and Harhor Jmproye-
ment company, at 10 $40 cents per cubic ward the
contract amoHn,ing to about ss5 600. The bidders
were: Frank c. Somers, Philadelphia. 10 $40 cents:
ii. NJ. Herbert, New Jersey, III cents: Atlantic
cents: George c. FobeS & Co., "a cents The work
will be commenced on Monday.
WHAT THE CONTRACTOR s.vs
A STAR reporter stopped In the Office OF pcss &
Sanford last night, and found Mr. Sanford and a
corps OF engineers and bosses, just returned from
the flats, covered with clay and weary. Mr.. San
ford said that he was well satisfied with the wOrl,
they had DONE and declared that, after the dificu
ties they had met with he was surprised at the
way they had progressed. He said that by the
last OF December they would have completed over
two-th1rds OF their contract, and that they hoped
10 have the time extended three or four months
They had gotten over the hardest part Of the work
now, and are probably able to work five times as
fast as at first He said that they had had to go to
very much greater expense than had been dreamed
OF, either by them or the government engineers
when they began, and On the contract they would
probably lose TIVE or three thousand dollars but
the work would all be done satisfactorily without
regard to their own loss He said that the channel
was now clear of all ObStTuctiOnS.
The last OF December a new contract will be
OF War decides, and the work Will continue
throughout the winter IL the weather admits By
that time the outline OF all the work will have been
completed, and the balance will be divided up
proceed rapidly.
I1ooA I