The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-11-30
A Pleasant Walk Under
Providence River.
City Engineer Shedd Escorted
a Party Through Tunnel.
The Most Important Feature of a
Srlendid Sewer System.

One of the most difficult and important
pieces Of saver construction ever attempt
ed by the city of Providence or any other
city is now practically completed. and
the result Is submarine tunnel which
lies beneath the bed of the Providence
River and connects the two big sewer
systems OF the city's least side" and
"west side. F"
City Engineer Shedd and Mr.. Ciapp of
his department went through this tore
noon and invited representatives of the
local papers 10 accompany them. No one
declined the invitation to be the guest
OF Mr. Shedd under water, and the trip
provided most novel and somewhat SEN
sational experience but unattended by
anything disagfeeable in the way OF
sight, sound or smell.
The members OF the party, one at
time, descended the long, perpendicular
snait, at the India street terminus on the
east side, by ladder, and then disappear
ei in single file into the tunnel, and with
stopping shoulders began the trip across
A.. the river. One or two hslts were made
about mi lway, while Mr.. Shedd explain
ed different details of the construction,
and IL was about twenty minutes later
when the bottom Of the shsft on the west
tide was esched, and the ascent TO the
esrth's surface was made by means OF an
immsnse iron bucket, with standing
room for two, operated from above by q
windass.
The lineal measurement OF the COM
plets construction is 500 feet, and the
length OF the horizontal tunnel under the
river 10 la feet The inside diameter of
the tnnnel, which IL perfect circle in
shape, IL but four feet, hence the neces-
sity OF stooping on the way. through:
III was made as small as this, Mr.. Shedd
explained, in order that the velocity of
The mass Of sewage passing through IL
woud be sufficient to make q clean
sweep OF everything so that no deposit
would gather on the circular walls. The
thickness Of the walls is one foot. and
Is made OF the hardest of pavement
bricks ana cement, while over the top II
an additional protection OF quarter-inch
steel plates. The depth of the vertical
shafts at either end Is about 35 feet
aHd tAe4F- diameter is five feet. The west
end Of the tunnel is 4i2 inches lower than
the east end, providing slight down
grade for the natural flow Of the sewage.
All of the sewage of the east side OF the
city along tho Ssekonk and Moshassuck
rivers VIII flow into the India street
shaft by two immense entrance drains,
dow Under the river into the Bellevue
Rvenus sewer, which Ia at the same low
level of the tunnel, TO the corner OF
Ernest street and Aliens avenue, where
it will be raised by pump "a feet-to
connect With the sewer OF the Elmwood
avenue system, and from there 1t all
flows to The precipitating tanks at Fields
Point.
It's magnificent system.
The distance between the top OF the
tunnel wall and the surface Of the water
at high tide IL about 81 feet, seven feet
of which is the soft mud in the bed of
The river, and the rest water. But water
il such an excellent conductor of sound
that the party Ia the tunnel this forenoon
cou!d hear The faint rumbling of the
wheels OF steamboat passing directly
over their heads.
The accuracy of the work is the feature
that strikes anyone, whether an engineer
or not, as the most interesting. The
work OF tunnsling was commenced on
the west side and carried out 635 feet,
~sy btyond he middle of the river. Then
cpersr ions on that side were discontin-
ned temporarily and the tunneling was
commenced from the-east- side. SO accu-
rate'y weTe the measurements taken by
the men OF Mr.. Shedd's department that
when the least side" section was built
out for a hundred feet or so under the
river TO the place where the west side work
had been discontinued the cylindrical
walls OF tie two sections came togeth
ec without so much variation as
tho width OF q toothpick. A person
msy stand at one end of the tunnel
ana rec at the other end, 774 feet away,
perfect circle OF daylight. A lantern was
hung at each end OF the tunnel this
afternoon. both being placed at the top
o. the arch, and so perfect is the line that
the two reflections cast by the light
slJng a stream OF water, flowing through
the tunnel, came together just midway
OF the tunnel, forming as nice an angle
fs cculd be made by well directed bill
lard bsll in leaving the cushion.
The work was begun the first OF last
My and has been carried on night and
dsy ty alternating gangs of laborers,
each working eleven hour.
All that remains to be finished now
before the system is completed is small
acc len Of sewer in Allen avenne.
Mr.. Shcdd was asked how long the
tunnel would last and said thousands OF
years. There is similar peice of
sower construction at Romo, which was
built 1000 years ago and is still unim-