Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-07-30
uire heavy expenditure for strengthen

| ut VI lit SupcIlHltnutnl lOI
| current year are nearly sJOO,UO. His sal
AIRY is s2,40O. Vltritied fire. brick used for
lnverts cost s25 per 1000, and ordinary
| brick about $40. You will see by samples
| send You that these brick are very snpe-
riOr 10 those used IN New York and Bos-
ton. The vltrilied brick, | am informed
were horned In kilns with down draught
same as that usually used for burning
sewer pipe.
The city cleans all sewers by day work
| ilushes with hose, has no automatic tanks
and pays ordinary labor sl.5O a day. This
labor Is almost all colOred All the
smaller Jobs Of sewer work are also done
by city force. The city permits no sewer
work TO be done by private parties. Even
| where they pay in full the work Is done
| by city force. Preservation Of the public
health has made this necessary. Proba-
bly, three-fOurths of total work done is
| contracted. Such work Is carried on with
| an Inspector on each section who Is paid
a per day.
| Returning through New York, | exam
| ined the construction OF brick sewer on
lower Broadway and obtained sample Of
brick used. You will see IL is inferior to
either Boston or Washington. 1t
work. | also obtained copy Of
report OF board OF public works
which has charge Of these improvements
| The report Of the engineer In charge Of
| sewers, shows that much rebuilding and
| repairing Is necessary and has been done
This has been due, principally, TO two
| causes wearing out OF bottom OF sewers
| under the action Of sewage and settlement,
| with consequent distortion Of sewers, Of
streets built over marsh or flats. Outlet
sewers TO deep water are generally
through piers which serve TO protect the
pipe.
The city had 434 miles of sewers at the
end Of 1859. Nearly all construction and
cleaning is by contract.
| AT SOmeryile, Mass, population 10000,
! gathered these facts: City has 4jL
miles OF brick and vitriiied pipe sewers
that cost $7s2OOO. City engineer has
charge Of them, reporting TO the council.
tract and AUDITORS pay cost up TO 20 cents
per front foot
Intention is TO have sewer nine feet be-
low grade, though many have been laid
at six and seven. A small amount Of
cement uipc has been laid by private par
ties. Sewers are cleared by regular city
gang and flushed occasionally by hose
from hydrants. Vitrlied pipe is sold TO
the city at IS per cent. of list prices.
This is also the case In Boston. Good,
hard burned brick are used at a cost vary
ing from 800 TO 5000 per NJ, In all large
sewers. Masons get from Sl.OO to 800;
inspectors, 500; labOrers, Sl.7j 10 s2.Ot
per day.
At Boston / examined the details OF
work being done by the state through the
Metropolitan Sewerage Commission for
the benefit Of a large number Of towns In
the vicinity Of Boston. The purpose Is to
provide trunk sewers into which local
systems may drain and build the trunk to
an outlet In deep water In Boston harbOr.
The work Is estimated 10 cost e., lJJ, ,4J3. %
and Is now under construction at many
points. IL is all contract work, under the
II L.. y
chief engineer, SALARY sGWD.UO). The
| scheme has been carefully studied out by
the best engineers In the country and In
design and construction Is representative
Of the best modern work. ltwas especially
Interesting to me because many OF the
sewers are almost Identical In size with
| the FaiThaVcn main sewer, designed by
Mr.. BcnZette Williams. MIR. Carson, the
chief engineer, supplied me with reports,
Specifications, copies Of contract ana sam
pies Of brick which forward to you. In
answer to questions Mr.. Carson said that
they used concrete freely in making the
sewers, but always had single ring OF
Iquality sent you, and cost from 800 to
5000 Der thousand, or twO-iiiths the cost
OF Washington lining brick. Where pres
sure Is not great sewer Is constructed Of
two rings Of brick only. Mr.. Carson con-
sidered considered concrete work as In
made with American cement which the
state supplies at $l.i5 per barrel. Port
land cement Is supplied at s2.D per bar
rel.
From sheet f., attached, you will see
that the cost OF concrete masonry Is less
than Onc-half per yard that Of brick.
Therefore, wherever the walls Of the
sewer require more than two rings Of
brick, IL Is economy " use con-
crete. Mr. Carson urged the neces-
sity Of careful, competent inspection
in all this work. Speaking OF
cement pipe he said that most he had had
occasion 10 uncover was cracked. Still
he would not condemn II outright as he
thought II possible TO make and lay IL so
that IL would give good service.
In the metropolitan sewerage no tunnels
are made, the heaviest cuts being about
thirty feet. Usual wages that contrac-
tors pay are Sl.1J Tor common labor.
While In Boston | learned that the
highest recorded tide reached elevation
1874, highest spring tide 1894, mean high
1914, lowest spring 2.26.
! Marginal streets are grOded TO eleyOtiOn
lG 10 Is and drainage II furnished by city
10 elevation II. From this you will see
that Harris ryenue Is as high above tide
as BOston's marginal streets and, Judging
from observations at the wharyes, al
though have no figures, as New York;
/, At Manchester, N. H., pop. 44,OOO) there
are al miles Of sewer. OF these seven
miles are brick, % vitriiiek pipe, one ce.
ment. Vitrihed pipe Is In favor for small
services. The city has spent S2j5,DO In
: last nine years extending and replacing
its system.
Lowell, Mass, is spending 10000 on
! sewers this year by days work. ! attach
sheet A relating thereto. This Is a re
turn 10 the old system after three years o
contracting, and IL Is hoped that the city
can do the work as chsaply as by con
tract, although its previous experience
showed contract labor 10 be more costly
attach these papers:
r A. Blue print, main services Washing
, ton, ID. G.
! B. Blueprint, pipe services, Washing
ton, ID. G.
c. Wood cut, sewers Of Washington
. ID. G.
ID. Contract and specifications Metro
} politan Sewerage Commission.
f.. Schedule Of bids, Metropolitan Sew
Z erage Commission.
r +. Form Of order Of sewer, Worcester
3 Mass.
t q. Newspaper clipping about Lowell
service. | send you by express box con
q tainlng one vitriiied brick for invert
5 Washington, ID. c., one common brick
0 Washington, ID. c., one-half common
q brick. New York city, two common brick
r Metropolitan Sewerage Commission.
: As result OF these Investigations
would recommend that our existing spec
- ificatlOns be compared with those from
D Boston herewith and that they be modi
r fed 10 cover such additional points a
$ seem important. Also that the clause re
A quirng bidding 10 be on basis Of ten fee