The morning call., 1893-07-16
the process Of such a transformation. how
the work is to be done, what it will cost,

the work is to be done, what 1t Will cost,
etc.
As matter of fact the West Oakland
marsh is the most wretched-lO oking sec
ton of country to be found in days
travel. and how it could be made to look
anything like park must appear difficult.
For first it would require to be filled up with
mud to a depth of two feet above the grass
level, and then a top-dressing of garden
soil TO further depth of two feet would
have to be applied. Where all this soil
was to come from and how it could be
transported to the marsh within the bounds
of economy would appear to be the prob
lem
Both seem likely of speedy solution.
There are over 100 acres OF the west
DatiencN 10 redeem them all. The
cepted policy of the Council is to obtain
| possession of about twenty acres at hrst.
improve and transform them ana when
! further expense can be incurred buy more.
These twenty acres will be bOugnt at
low figure and where owners are obstinate
| and refuse to sell the property Will be con-
| demned and taken. The owners OF small
| pieces If the marsh are legion, and 1t Will
take considerable fnessing to secure the
| property. Once in possession OF the land
the work will 60 along smoothly.
According TO City Engineer Morgan it
will take 452, 900 cubic yards of mud to fill
! the marsh two feet above the present grass
level. Allowing 80 per cent for shrinkage
this fill calls Tor 904. 900 cubic yards.
The problem of where the mud was
to come from was readily enough solved.
| By happy coin cidence Lake Merritt was
found to be in need of dredging just at
this time, and it was discovered that the
most available and best dumping ground
for the lax s mud was none other place
than the West Oakland marsh This
WAS killing two birds with one stone.
tn hn oh frnt
the lake, distance Of one and quarter
| miles. il is proposed to lay ID to 16 inch
pipe from the inlet TO Union street in the
arch of the man lake sewer. which Is 52
feet high. This will in no way Interfere
with the flow of the sewage. The fall Is
one foot to the mile, and at Union street
the drop from the pipe to the marsh grass
is TWO feet At the mouth OF the sewer the
pipe will be sixteen inches above water
level in the lake and the right height for
resting the pipe on pOntOonS. ana SO con-
Meeting it with the dredger.
The only lift of material is at the
dredger, where the power is applied. The
dredger will at no time be further than
5000 feet from the inlet Of the sewer and
cops pseuuentlv no more thar 5OOO feet OF ad-
dtiona al pipe will be required.
The lake will be dredged to depth OF
four feet of mud to within seventy-hve
feet OF the shore, thus leaving founda-
ton for the boulevard.
The most interesting and surprising
part of the whole work will be done by
that c0ntrivance commonly known now as
the Lake Merritt dredger. 1t was in
vented by an Oakland man and built on
the lake; consequently it is looked upon
strictly as a home product and regarded
with no little complacency.
In it's pumps alone Is II like any 0ther
dredger on earth. 1t was schemed out and
constructed In thirty days. 1t strolls about
the lake on walking spuds, churnin2 the
mud into mush with its revolving knives
and sp0uting it out from its dlscharglng-
pipe at the rate of 1850 cubic yards day.
More particularly speaking the dredeer
| is 50x26 feet and Is equipped with a pair OF
rondensing engines 14X2S inches. with
condenser and all the latest improve
mentS.
The suction-pipe is nineteen feet long.
with An end piece four feet long, over
| which there are bars set six inches apart.
to prevent the sucking in OF material
which could not go through the outlet
pipes.
The pipe where it is attached to the ma,
chine is twelve inches In diameter. and
that In turn is connected with another
pipe fifteen inches in diameter. Inc iatter
is the draining pipe. and VIII oe lald on
bridge of pontoons, ana SO ihake an uI,
broken passage for the mud to be pumped
The dredger exhausts location in about
twenty minutes and is then'moVed forward
by means of its walking spuds. 1t goes
about three feet and then digs down TO
fixed depth and moves 0u again.
In addition to the forward movement
there is also a slide motion given to the
dredger by means of friction gear when
enables it to cover wide area at each
move.
A staff of seven men runs the dredPer
and handles the pi es.
The mud, chopped and chnrned by the
revolving blades of the dredger. VIII De
forced into the long line OF draining pipe.
across the bridge O. ponlOons. through the
main lake sewer out on to the distant
swamps in West Oakland. The mud has
aoout the consistency of mush. ana Delng
tnln will readily dry
The estimated cost of pumping the mud
Is Is ~ cents cubic yard. or $50. 800 for tue
9O4,OOO cubic yards required.
When the mud has dried. in few
| months. tha nardAn anil will hA hcouEht