The record-union., 1892-07-26
LEVER PATCH WORK.
City Engineer Boyd Gives the Board
of Trustees Some Figures.
Owing to the Absence of the Mayor
Action is Deferred-Othcr Mat
tiers Come Up.


tiers Come Up.
Mr.. Green presided at the meeting of
the City Trustees yesterday in the alb
sence of Mayor Comstock, who has 'gone
a-fishing'
For this reason the session was short,
ana unimportant, most of the business
undergoing postponement. For this rea-
son, too, there was no action taken on
Ievee Improvement matters, as promised
by both the Mayor and Mr.. Green at the
recent citizens meeting.
City Engineer Boyd, however, in
obedience to instructions received a fort
night ago from the board, submitted a re-
port on the condition of the river levee
from X to Y street, and the Y-street levee
from the river to Front street, including
estimates of what is required to put it in
good condition, and what the cost will be.
The report was as follows:
Pursuant to your resolution, or order,
adopted July IL, 1882, authorizing me to
survey and examine the river levee extending
from TO Y streets and thence along the
Y-street levee to Front street. beg leave to
submit for your consideration the following
result of such examinations
IL 10 street, nnQ that, In elevation, the
crest OF this section of the river levee-i. e.,
from II to Y street-Will average three feet
above high-water mark of the past season,
and with an average top width of s feet.
In regard to the location of this levee 1t is to
be regretted that 1t is not located from 80 TO
90 feet inland. JUDGING from available in
formation, however, / am led TO believe that
TINS Ievee, as originally built was properly
located but not properly protected, and that
the bank has subsequently been washed away
10 It's present condition. The cause OF this
erosion or washing away of the bank is fully
accounted for by the fact that the river, from
street south, changes its former course fully
30 degrees TO the west, thereby throwing the
current against the levee between and U
streets.
However, the past two years have witnessed
material improvement in the strength Of
this levee by the addition to It's outer face of a
compact mass of granite riprapping. Some
lear was expressed during the last flood stage
OF the river that the granite was undermining
and settling down. on eNamination / found
that IN but two places has this noticeaby oc-
CURED, and then it resulted in but an insig-
nIncant washing away of small quantity of
loose earth, placed under the stones for the
purpose of giving the outer face of the levee
an even, uniform slope. This work has been
well and thoroughly DONE and the money so
expended by the city has proven to have been
prudent and judicious investment. This
Tlprapping at present extends the entire
length OF the levee from the north line of @
street on the north to the south line of Y
street on the south, excepting a stretch, 500
feet in length, located just below the Gas
Works.
In regard to the necessity of any work be-
ing done on this levee. would strongly adj
wise that the crest be brought to a uniform
hight of four feet above high-water mark and
that the levee be made not less than thirty
1eet wide on top. / would also advise and
recommend that the ripTapping be completed
over this section of 500 feet, as above noted
and thereby complete the undertaking so we'll
begun, and also that the riprapping be reset
where undermined.
1t viii be necessary in the prosecution of
this work to move several fences raise one or
two buildings, and will necessitate also the
acquisition by the city of strip of land 3, 900
feet long, and averaging eighteen feet in width,
and extending the entire length from r to Y
streets, and on which to construct this add
uonal width fIeVee. / have made no eSti-
mate OF cost thereon, preferring to submit this
matter for adjudication to your honorable
board without estimate The estimate of cost
OF this work IS above outlined and recon-
nended, based on calculations for levee
thirty feet vide on top, and four feet above
high water mark-irresp ective of damage and
right ofway, is as follows:
t.tIthSyo ....................S $500 90
Granite riprapping $500 90
Total ,...,....,.......... 1926 90
A iorty.toot levee, on the same basis as
above, including riprapping would cost
I-stree. leyee-This levee, in its exist
ing condition, is entirely inadequate for
the purpose for which it was constructed
W hat there is of it is good but there is not
sufficient material in the levee to withstand
possible flood waters resulting from break
IN the river levee immediately below the city.
In its existing condition, the crest OF this
levee is twenty feet wide and in elevation
eight feet below the elevation Of the existing
river levee or i've feet below the high yateT
mark of the past season. This levee should.
IN my opinion, be raised three feet at Front
street and brought thence on a uniform
gradil Mt to the top ofthe river levee, four feet
above high water mark.
Though ! made no surveys further East than
Front street-owing to the limiting scope of
your order-I respectfully submit that from
my knowledge of the topography of the coun-
try adjacent to and south Of this city, and the
oct n Sp1ta fhfPpj in In no Aacf 7
am fully convinced of the necessity of raising
this section of levee from Front street to our
main river levee, and L am equally con-
WINGED also of the necessity of raising the re-
naming portion of this levee three feet
higher than at present, as far as the high
ground near Ninth street.
The fact is indisputabe that if a necessity
exists at all TO raise the levee at Front and Y
streets, it is equally necessary to continue this
same hight of levee to the high land at Ninth
street. 1t is true the water surface from a
break adjacent to street would naturally
fall to q lower level than the elevation of the
surface of the river, but, in my Judgment ow-
ing to the proximity and general course of the
mounds just below this city, and the natural
topography of the country to the south, 1 be-
Ieve the water surface, resulting from
break in the river levee Just south of this
city, would remain practically on a level
plane alongside of street, from Front TO
Ninth streets. Therefore, ! respectfully ad-
wise and recommend that the Y-street levee
be raised three feet from Ninth to Front, and
thence on uniform grade to the top of the
river leyee, and that the levee over the entire
distance be made twenty feet wide on top.
Not having made q survey of this levee from
Front TO Ninth street, ] am not prepared at
present to submit an estimate of cost thereon
From Front street 10 the river levee a dis
lance OF 1880 feet, there will be required to
complete the levee, in accordance with the
above recommendation, II ,730 cubic yards
of earth, at probable cost of =, 6S4.
To secure material with which to accom-
plish this contemplated work, the city will be
Dut TO n cost of 5 cents on each and every load
OF earth placed In the levees. A sum not less
than ST 900 could be saved in the cost of this
work if the city owned its own pit from which
TO haul the earth. l would therefore recon-
mend that the city buy pit. and which said
pit may at any time in the future, after the
eomuletion of the work. be sold again for a
sum but little, if any, lower than the price
paid for it.
RECAPITULATION.
River levee, r to Y streets, thirty feet
d
Y-street Ievee from river levee TO
Front street, twenty feet top........-. 4,6S4
$1,000
River levee, r to streets, forty feet
i'toIt 81 SIG
Y-street levee from river to Front
4,oo4
s22, 200
Trustee Conklin said he did not think