Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-30
THE BIG WATER MAIN.
The Work Takes start Forward and
Will Now Go Ahead,
LAYING THE HUGE PIPES ON R sTREEr-How
THEY ARE SWUNG INTO PLACE, cAULKEp AND
BuRIED-THE SCENE ON TIE GROUND.

BURiED-THE SCENE ON THE GROUND.
The big water main has shaken of the
lethargy incident to the operation Of getting
started, and is now headed westward, crawling
along at slowly increasing pace. The pipes
have been laid along R street across New Jer-
sey avenue, and the mountain range of clay
piled up in front of the houses be-
hind the present head Of the line
is being attacked by gang of
men armed with picks and shovels, and trans
fered into the trench. About thirty lengths of
pipe had been put under the surface when a
SrAR reporter visited the scene of operations
this morning. The air was filed with the
sound Of hammers clanking against the iron
pipes. Eight men were rolling a big black
tube TO the side Of the ditch, and half square
behind the derrick which straddled the trench
about score OF shovelers were busy
COVERING THE IRON.
Between them and the derrick were the
caulkers and earth hammers. The former were
Struggled down underneath the main poking iute
into the joints and filling the air spaces Others
were banging lead on top Of the jute, and the
gang nearest the derrick were arranging to
pour the metal into the last filed joint
long piece Of rubber, tired with thin
Joint by the side of the big fange of the
pipe Soft red clay was spread around the
edges to make a tight fit, and big lump was
nodded into dam at the top, where the ring
was held tight by screw clamp. great
melting pot which had been simmering over a
coke fire on the pavement, was let down into
the trench by the derrick, and taken by two
men below in a skeleton ladle Inside hum
dred pounds Of molten metal glimmering in
the sun.
POURING IN THE SOLDER.
A few careful movements and the silvery
stream poured into the opening, sending up a
thick sulphur-like smoke as it burnt the clay.
The lead in the dam dubbed and boiled as the
air escaped from the joint, the pot was hoisted
from the hole and the clay and ring removed,
leaving joint filed with lead and jute and a
great lump Of metal on top weighing about Is
pounds where the dam had been.
Meanwhile the fve-ton tube has been rolled
across the trench on skids and the derrick
worked over it. sling is put around the
black, corpulent body of the pipe, and four men
bend to the handles. The mass is first lifted a
little, so as to free the skids and, then, lowered
inch by inch, the leviathan goes down into its
grave, slowly, carefully, until it rings against
its neighbor. A little handling, lifting and
lowering. and the pipe finally rests on the
leveled wooden blocks that have been placed
for it, its bell-like fange fitting around the end
of the one last laid. little scoop il made in
the trench on either side at each joint TO per-
NIT the caulkers to get around and under the
pipe. They have about eighteen inches play
half way around, and the operation of
PLUGGING THE JOINTS,
welding the hammers. and ramming the iute
is not an easy one. After the lead has been
poured it is pounded hard into the joint, the
rough edges and the COB cut off and the joint
painted black.
Then the hammers begin, placing the earth
carefully and systematically under the pipe to
prevent settling and breaking. until the tube is
covered. Water is then turned on until the
sections of trench, about twenty-five feet
long, that have been marked off by small dams
look like lakes. More earth is thrown in and
rammed, more water is turned on, and so on
until the trench is flled solidly. This leaves
quantity Of earth still on top, but not as large
volume as the space which the pipes occupy,
even harder than il lay before, 20 allow for
settling.
PRoaRrss OF THE WORK.
The progress made by the work has % far
been quite unsatisfactory, but it is quite likely
that, once started, it will 60 ahead at q more
rapid rate. The dirt excavated is still being
thrown on the sidewalks the contractors claim
it win be in the way of the pipe layers.
A Small swindier.
This morning colored man met two news
boys at the court, and buying q paper from
each, borrowed what money they had az cents),
telling them to wait for him and he would give
them quarter. They waited in vain for some
time and finally concluded that they had lost
their money. About II o'clock there appeared
at the court house Q colored waiter with Q
basket Of lunch and pot Of coffee and stated
that he was from Addison Days, on ~ street,
below Pennsylvania avenue, and had brought
up the lunch and coffee for the Jury. No one
could tell him where TO find fury, for there
was none in session. He produced Q paper
purporting 70 be an order from the marshal
Tor . lunch for twelve, with coffee for eleven.
the building went down 70 Days, and ascer-
tanned thst the lunch was ordered BY Q colorsd
man answering the description Of the man who
had deeced the newsboys, who at the time Of
expense Of NJ. Day e . oommission on the