Omaha daily bee., 1883-08-15
SEWER SCENES.
Busy Times Along South Omaha
Greek,
The Work Progressing Rapidly To
Completion.

yesterday, Of that part of the city, east o
Ninth, along the bed of the old-tim,
South Omaha creek, to strongly attrac
the attention of the passer-by. Oh
either side of the once ordoriferou
stream was a huge bank of earth, while il
the intervening space, were busily NOV
ing men ssand heavily tuggingteams. The
former were delving in the bowels of the
earth while the latter were laboriously
engaged in bringing the result of the
digging to the high banks on either side.
a closer inspection resulted in the dis.
covery of other labsrers deeper in capa.
craftsmen we're busily occupied in laying
brick on the bottom of the work.
This scene of activity is one which the
visitor enjoys OF paying a call to what is
now the almost closing features of the
South Omaha sewer.
This sewer has n history, which may
not now be written. That will be left to
other times and other men. just at
present, all that is necessary tobc known
is that this conduit commences at st.
Mary's venue and runs to a point
forty feet east of the east
line of Eleventh street. Some time ago
the sewer was completed from the point
of commencement to n point east of
Ninth street. The present contractors
undertook the work at the legally APP
pointed terminus, above specified, with
the intention of building toward the end
- e Mill. .l..4 NNI-. H. d., 49,.
porter looked in upon the workers this
morning, the work had considerable pro-
crossed between 9TH and 9Th streets, to
that degree that but about $50 feet re-
NAMED to bring the job to a close.
Sewer building is a most interesting
occupation. 1t requires first the excava-
ton of earth to the required depth, which
latter is determined by engineer survey;
then the preparation of the bed, then the
laying of the brick to conform with the
specifications for the lower half of the
conduit and then the roofing of the same
which, not less than the lower part, is a
work requiring both skill and expertness.
When the lower half of the sewer is
upon its shoulders, and upon this the
sewer arch is constructed. The arch
frame is about twenty feet long, and with
the lower part, of the same length, coll
~stitutes what is known as a section"
Each part, upper and lower, consists of
three rings, that is, there are three courses
of brick to be laid. These when laid
describe an almost perfect circle, the
diameter of which, in this instance, is
from side to side eight feet and six inches,
and from bottom to top, eight feet seven
inches. The increase in the ""height is
because of an allowance for sinking and
contracting from s~uperimposed weight.
The workmen engaged in the excava-
ton were nearly thirteen feet below the
surface. They dug with difficulty the
clayey soil, the while standing to their
knees in a Shiny mixture of the former
and n softer earth, strongly mixed with
water, and, with long shovels,
threw the earth upon side scaffolds, con-
siderably above their heads; from which
latter, other laborers pitched it to the
banks, from which still other men threw
far upon the pile which lined the sides.
Following in the Shiny wake of the
laborers came the masons with the work
above outlined. A number of the
skilled artisans were engaged in
putting. the last ring upon one of the sec
tons of the bottom when the BEE man
reached the scene. The latter was cheer
fully impelled to the admission that the
brick-layers in sight were entitled to rank
as skilled workmen for the reason that
the surface of the ring, as it appeared to
him, was as smooth and as straight as to
l,,,n, ,,,l mr. a,,orr11,, E11nl ~, 10 ,,;,t,
as the walls of any of our best construct
ed buildings. 1t was the Utmost ring of
the sewer as has already been mentioned,
the surface upon which the water must
run. This last consideration made it I'M
p~erative that there should be no defects.
TO guard against the latter, the board of
public works appointed Mr.. j. f. Daley
as inspector. They defined
this gentleman's duties, and among the
desiderata, were the selecting of the best
bricks, the supervision of the making of
the mortar cement, and the symmetrical
construction of the sewer. So far as APP
pearances went, Mr.. Daily has done his
work well. The banks were lined with
bricks which he had rejected, and which
otherwise would have been incorporated
Vic CCilcllU Ctlllc III ColllIcSlIlpl u uNo
parts of sand to II of cement, when with
most contractors, a much more liberal use
of the former might be INDUCED; and in
connection with this was the supervision
of the brick work, which was so carefully
looked after, that every chink and corner
and ~crevice had to be filled with cement.
All this conduced to the splendid appear
ance which the work presented in the
eyes of the visitor.
Not satisfied with the inspection of che
work in hands, THE BEE man donned a
pair of alligator Wellingtons, and guided
by Mr.. Daley, entered the sewer at the
mouth east of Seventh street. Both
the guide and guided, dragged
their shiny footsteps through
the earth covered floor of the sewer care
fully examining the features of the work.
The arch was perfectly constructed, so
far as the observation extended, and the
work seemed to have settled with u
rigidity which promised to defy floods
and even Time himself. Although but
of recent construction the cement, of
which both Portland and Utica are used,
the former for the innerring and the
latter for the outer ones, had so congaeled,
that it was, indeed, harder than
the brick themselves, and much
more resolutely defied the heroic
efforts of the inspectors knife.
Certainly no force Of water which the
line of the conduit would seem to argue
might be brought against the sides, could
in any manner be supposed to affect their
strength and sol.dity.
just when the light of the first man