Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-07-31
FILLING CHINA SLOUGH.
A Speedy Method Proposed, with Esa-
r,,afad Cast

mated Cost, Etc.
A. j. Gardiner, practical mechanic o
this city, who has assisted in constructing
works such as described below, and ha.
| witnessed the operation of the machinery
referred to, and has seen the result.
| achieved in both England and Scotland
writes as follows to the RECORD UNION:
Permit me to suggest through your
columns few facts relative TO the proposed
methods of filling-in China slough. The
| system heretofore adopted for that purpose
| that of hauling dirt by means of teams. is
| the most expensive, as perhaps compare
son of the following figures will show
| The idea of dividing it into two parts, by
| filling-in the alley running north and south
| from Third TO Sixth streets between II and
| /, might prove q temporary remedy as q
sanitary measure, while fatal epidemic
| threatens our existence but the evil would
| still exist, if in less hideous form.
| The scheme of running fiume from the
| American river and drifting the slickens
into it, by the aid of n wlng-dam, might
prove success if the fall is great enough
| to carry the sand in sufficient quantities.
| Yet it would certainly take several wet
seasons to achieve any appreciable advan-
| tage, and the cost would be simply enor-
| nous. If it were possible to induce the
several property owners to pool their issues
| in this case, what is now the most serious
impeachment to the good health, progress
and prosperity of Sacramento might, by
little management, prove an inestimable
blessing to all concerned. The area of the
communicating pool is about four and
three-auarters blocks of land submerged.
The locality of the difficulty, and its close
proximity to a river which affords an mex
haustible supply of sand, naturally suggests
to those who have had the opportunity of
seeing the successful operation of the
methods adopted by other corporations in
similar cases the propriety of following
their example, and dredging the river bot
tom, say at point above the Pioneer Mills,
and drifting the material so lifted through
egg-shaped fumes, raised TO sufficient
elevation at the starting point TO insure
continuous flow of the debris emptied into
it to the place of deposit To show the
feasibility of this plan will present one of
the many official reports for your perusal,
in u somewhat abbreviated form
Mr.. Deas, of the Board of Trustees of the
city of GLASGOW, Scotland, reports for the
year ending June 80, 1871, that dredger
No. s, working 2,419a engine hours lifted
430, $40 cubic yards of sand, silt and gravel,
at the rate of 177.S0 yards per hour, at a
cost of 40 cents per cubic yard, which
was afterward conveyed in barges distance
of twenty-seven miles and dumped at Il
cost of IL cents per yard The working
cost of the dredger for the season, includ-
ing hire, repairs, wages of employees, coal
and stores, amounted to So, 5S7 81. OF the
four and three-quarters blocks i'll China
slough, the water on one or perhaps more,
is but four feet deep, yet the whole area
may average twenty feet in depth below
the level of the Easements in other parts
of the city
Thus, four and three quarters blocks,
800 feet wide and 20 feet deep equal
2,S15 cubic yards; and four and one
quarter blocks of street, north and south,
400 feet, SO by 20, equal los, III cubic yards
and three and one-half blocks, east and
west, 400 feet, so by 20, equal S2,963 cubic
yards-total, 571 ,555 cubic yards-which, if
dredged and thrown into the flume at
cents per cubic yard, would cost $2S.577 70,
whereas if it were hauled by teams it
would cost about 3Sl cents per cubic yard,
allowing s. for team per day, including
loading and emptying one load of one
cubic yard thirteen times a day. Without
entering into the minutia of the case will
simply leave the figures to speak for them
selves Total cost of hauling with teams,
$220,0 81; cost of dredging S2S, 81 70;
tume l 600 feet long s., 900. Cost of dredging
81 $50 cubic yards, at 5 cents per yard,
$2S, 577 70, plus one-third to replace water
taken up in transmission, $40 ,105.
You Will observe l have not estimated
the cost of wafer used for flushing, as |
consider the city would willingly furnish
that free of charge.