Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-08-06
THE ISLAND IMPROVEMENTS.
The Three Appropriations Which I n
Gle sam Promises TO Make for His
Fortress in This NiciRty--The Pier
The Dam---The Hospital

10 proceed with tht extensive M" "
sary improvements upon and about the \
arsenal as soon as the bill for spproprla- il
tons which. now before congress, has '
passed and received As they will without
doubt. the presidents signature. The :
prosecution Of this work will not only 5
involve n uch more than years time, but Y
will give employment to hundreds more Y
Of laborrrs and mechanics than the island :
operations have required in the past ten /
wears The plans for these new and nee
essary enterprises on land aud river are
already completed. and the drawings and :
specifications are in the hands Of the war
department, at Washington.
\ large and important part of the I'M :
drrtaking under the appropriations will
be the Replacing Of the present wornout :
arrow pier by new and more substan-
tl4 one Thu, frame work was put in
about eighteen years ago, and nearly all
of II above low water mark IS in state
OF decay The distance from end 10 end
OF this frame pier is 3t0 feet and that is
the length Of the stone walls which are to
take its place. Thus. there will be two
walls, north and south ones, each 800
feet IN lcngth-s0id masonry OF the best
character. These walls viii be twenty
six feet high planted On he'd rock. They
Will be seven feet thick on the river bot
tom and three feet wide at the top. Each
viii run outside the round pier in the
center on which the turntable rests.
The work Will involve the placing Of |
Golfer dams 10 each Of the present draw |
channels The south channel will be
occupied first for the purpose-and after |
that wall is completed the north channel
Will he cotfered, the south being clear for
navigation. This Golfer dam work will
be done in time Of low water. OF course
The outside of the walls will be smooth
dressed blocks. and wood aprons will
pend from the tops for their protection.
II Is not likely that the work Of construc-
ton will De entered upon this season, for
the appropriation IS but $50 900, while
Col BaylOr's estimates are $4,000. 1t
appears that the war department had the
idea at first that the c, K. ! & P. rails
road company would pay half the ex~
peuse. but the company agreement with
the government provides that they shall
share half the expense Of the superstruc-
ture only. So, Col. Baylor, with the
consent Of the department, will use all of
the appropriation necessary to purchase
the stone and prepare it for placing rely
ing upon S36 500 more in the next APP
preparation bill for the work of construct
ing the pier But the preparation of the
stone viii give employment to a good
number Of stone mas0ns.
Another important and very necessary
enterprise to be provided for under these
appropriations is the water dam wall,
which is to take the place Of the one
swept away by the May floods. The Ole
wall the Davenport Democrat Gazette ha'
learned, is to he entirely removed for E
structure which Is on a wholly new
plan The Improvement Is To CONNIE nc,
with the puily house The present hous
Is Is by 45 feet The new one will b
Al by So feet A long sloping wall is /
b. erected thirty five feet southeast 0
the house The space between the hous
and wall will be filled with earth
Carpeted with grass md ornamented b
shruDbery and trees 80 as To be attrsctiv
and pleasant The wall will be proteC
ton for the pully- house shore 1t will b
built partly of stone from the old wal
The dam wall proper, will be G95 fec
long and will extend some distance int
the present dyke at the east end, tb
necessary portion of which will be It
moved for the purpose In that porto
wash gate eight feet wide will be ia
serted The new dam wall will be twrn
ty-fOnr feet high, or seven feet hlghC
than the old one. The couuterfor
which are to support the main We
will be twenty eight feet high or 70,
feet higher than the old ones. They q
also eight feet LONGER which gives the
length Of eighteen feet Tn
length is to do away with the IRON part
tons and the penstocks which are part
the old structure. A solid iron back is
So put in to stiffen them The wine
pits will be deeper than the prese
ones. There will he provision for fort
one wheels, forty regular power and o
for electric lighting for it is the int
ton to provide for The electric light
of all the shops in the arsenal domai
Eight wheels will he put in place as sO
as possible after the wall is complete
The appropriation of $3.50, 900 is for t
wall proper only. The stone used in I
wan " III " 2lhlltif ~ iHt nest tludllIN
sandstone. Sixty-tve horse power c
be developed from each wheel So I
shops will be supplied with $50 hol
power on the completion of the wal
and when the arsenal and armOry
wanted for army supplies in times
emergency there will be 1865 no
power for the vast plant Of machinel
There is an Appropriation of $25, 900
repairs of the old wall for temporary p
poses.
The new hospital for which there is
appropriation of S37 $50, will be an i
posing structure Ii will be located
tween the river drive and the park DR.
short distance northeast Of the barra
on the crown of the slope 1t will be
A -.