Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-11-10
THE MOLINE WATER WALL

u II
Capt. Lyons Precautions 10 Protect
the Buiwark From Damages From
lee.
1t has been decided to use the hardest
concrete to protect the Moline water
powers wall from the damages likely to
occur from the ice, and much praise is
heard of Capt Lyon for his precautions
in this respect. The Republican Jour
nal of last evening says of it:
Some time ago it was noticed that the
weather WAS seriously affecting the Mo
line portion of the water power wall.
The Joliet stone, of which it is built, is a
limestone, or kind of marble, and is not
homogeneous. but thoroughly stratified.
The water enters between the strata, and
the freezing it IS subjected TO there pro
duces sufficient expansion to start the
seams, as ii were. This gives room for
the entrance of large quantity of
water at the first opportunity, and the
silent but tremendous energy of the ice
expansion has shattered the stout blocks
in a sad manner, during the 30 years the
wall has stood. There are some places
where the spawls enter the wall to the
depth of foot or even more. and these
gaps have recently been permitting the
water to penetrate to the inside of the
wall itself. 1t could not be long till the
work would be ruined and in need of ex
tensive and expensive repairs, if not of
entire reconstruction.
Noting this Capt. Lyon called in Civil
Engineer Francis and asked him to ex
emine the work and the injury to it, and
see what could be done to save it. Mr.
Francis submitted estimates on plan in
concrete. The contemplated cost was
$14 600. This was more money than
could be placed in this work at this time,
and it was obvious that it must be done
while the pool was drained. or that an
other cofferdsm must be built at large
cost for the express purpose of this repair
work. Mr.. Francis then submitted a
plan for using concrete and pl4nking.
estimated 70 cost $500. This was &C.
cepted. and the work was begun with him
in charge.
1t Is now well under way, something
like half of the 200 feet of the wall nav
ing received the protection of this facing.
The work will be finished in another
week unless interfered with by the
weather. The plan is simple. Holes
are drilled into the wall 10 a good holding
depth, and into them are inserted stout
iron bolts. These are seated in lead so
they cannot pull out and threads are cut
the outer extremities. To these bolts
are fastened timbers, and on these tim
bers are placed planks two inches thick
and several inches wide. These plsnks
are dressed at the edges so as to form the
tightst kind of board fence, and
there IS space of several inches between
it and the wall. The fence is nine and a
half feet high. 1t extends down to the
rock bottom on which the wall rests, and
is above the winter stage of the water in
the pool. The space behind it is
blocked off at intervals of a few feet with
boards deserted between the feIce and
the wall, and one by one these separate
spaces are filled with a hard hydraulic
concrete. the essential constituent of
which is Portland cement. This sets and
hardens IN a short time and effectually
shuts the water away from the wall. The
cement itself is not injured by any
amount of freezing after i. has set. and
the outer facing of planks is sufficient TO
prevent the temperature to which it is
exposed going down to the temperature
Of the external atmosphere in severe
weather.
When Gen. Flagler was here short
time ago. plank was taken off one of
the sections first filled. The concrete
behind it was already as hard as the
stone behind itself, and rang when struck
as though it were part of the rock
The pl INK ng will last number of years,
being most of the time under water, and
Ell hands are confident that the wall will
be defended against the further rsvsges
of the elements. The iron front first
considered would have fixsd the thing for
an indefinite time, and it is to be regretted
that there was not enough money at hand
to make use Of it.
The Moline manufacturers, however,
are grateful to Capt. Lyon for his prompt
action in making a stitch in time"