The morning times., 1895-07-07

As tourists on the way 10 Arlington
reach the middle OF the Aqueduct Bridge,
where the view OF Georgetown with the
college and the old Naval Observatory
and OF the Virginia hills up the blue
Potomac is most picturesque, there is heard
these DAYS sudden escaping Of steam that
sounds like a passing steamer, but isn't
il is the engine Of the machinery at the work
on the middle pier OF the bridge. The
contractors are repairing the pier so as
10 be ready to stand the ice gorges when
they come and the steady wear OF the
flow OF the stream as the years roll on.
Residents along the canal that friuges
the river front at Georgetown with odd
looking, tumble down dwellings, with
mills and huge storage houses for ice,
citizens OF Rosslyn and the Virginia truck
farmers Who cross and rccrosS three or
four times a day are familiar with what
has been going on at the pier for the last
six months, but the public at large have
only vague notion that something is
being done 10 repair the damage that put
the bridge IN danger Of being sweptawayby
the big ice gorge OF last February's
blizzard and VIII leave it safe against
all such dangers IN the future But even
the passcr most familiar with the opera
tions little comprchends the magnitude
of the work Its Just repairing The
bridge" like a blacksmith might mend a
wagon wheel or plumber fix the water
pipes.
THEY DON'T KNOW.
They've been foolinG around there
q long time, ," said a Georgetown man, but
that makes no difference Just look at
the new p0stofiice They always fiddle
away over government work four times as
long as anybody else would need ii
isn't really much Of a sob Even the
depaumruUeieTk wholooks overtheac accOunts
and sees On paper exactly what is being
done. doesn't understand, not even when
he takes a fish-line, a pipe, lunch
basket, and bucket OF bait ard goes TO
sit and lash ana muse through q summer
afternoon on the big rocks under the
northern abutment whore the shad ana
herring come up IN the cool, deep water
for the crumbs and stalks that drop from
passing market wagons.
ItIs only when you walk out on the bridge
some warm afternoon and present your per
NIT TO inspect the work that you begin TO
think ID Vi.l probably BE- a bigger Job than
you thought TO get down 10 where the work
Enen are II looks very easy from the shore
Only q few rounds OF the ladder and the
men step LIGHTLY off upon the crib, and are
in their places. But when the guard on
the bridge opens the trap door and you look
down one long ladder after another, as II
you Were looking from the top OF some SKY
scrapsr'' apartment house that is just getting
the frame WORK up, the undertaking does not
appear so insignificant It's a long climb
down and a little bit dangerous, If you are
nervous and are not used TO climbing; 1t s a
much longer climb up, when you come back
and YOU haven't a bit of breath TO waste
in conversation for some time after you
have reached the surface.
RESTING ONLY on MUD.
Inspector Burnham, OF Col. Davis Of
flee, who is in charge for the government,
Will tell you that work beganlast December.
The flaw in the pier was found by the diver;
julius C Wanner, who was sent down 10 FIJI
with coucrate some cracks that were noticed
in The joiniags OF the stones in all the piers.
An iron band with a casing OF huge plank
set in mortar was put on to strengthen the
structure, but ii was found that To ensure
= safety it would be necessary to 90 TO the
bottom OF The difficulty and build up ane W.
Mir Wanner had found the nose ofthe smooth
stone casing at the upper side OF the pier
much sunken, and when he went below
there WAS great cavern where the masonry
had worn and washed out and at the bot
tom on the western end the structure seemed
TO be resting on a bank of mud
The engineers decided that the whole
bottom Of the great stone mass must be aken
away. the mud removed Till bedrock was
reached, and the surface at the bottom
Bm0othed down, and the pier built up
anew. To do this with thousands OF tons
of stone already built above the foundation
which It rs proposed TO puU in, 10 10
easy engineering problem. The first thing
required was 10 put in a coffer-dam and re-
move the water So the stone work below
the surface could be reached
The contract was let 10 Smaller & Schnlg-
lau, OF Chicago, last fan They first
drove piles in the bottom Of the river all
around the per, and bound them together
with frame work till gradually d solid
structure was built up, into which there
would be very little flow from the river
when the water inside was pumped out.
THIS crib used up 4O0. 600 feet Of timber,
and cost $4,000. The construction Of
il occupied about four months.
PUMPING THE WATER OUT.
when the dam was complete the water
was pumped out with 4 big Wonhington
pump, which has a capacity Of 1000
gallons a minute, and a smaller centrifugal
pump, which was mainly useful at the
beginning OF The pumping This clearance
OF water required several days steady
steamiug Then the leaks were care
fully noted, the water let in again. and the
detective places tigbtened and strength
u
aud the dam found tight enough for all
practical purposes The Worthington
pump was set TO work night and day TO
keep the water out, and the excavation
began
This was about ten days ago. IL is
very laboricus and dangerous business
Only four or five men can work at q time,
and +ben only by daylight ANY effort
20 proceed by artificial light would cost
several broken legs, il not a life or two,
before the job was done The reason OF this
Is that the electric light throws such stfong
shadows as 10 make il impossible to see the
exact bearings Of The great boulders that
make up the construction, and in trying
10 STIR one from its place the chances
are very greatly increased that il VIII
slip and grind one OF the workmen under il
1n spite OF all precautions. THIS peril is
great enough by daylight when nothing
ls hidden by the shadows, though no Sc
rious accident has yet been reported.
The mass Of stone work constituting thl
broken part of the pier looks like part Of
@ huge cavern such as Manmot Cave, when
there has been an overflow OF a subter-