The morning call., 1895-01-07
THE COST IS OVER $4,000.
Something About the Famous
Underground Vein.
SoME BREAKS IN THE SEWER.
Places That Caused the Street Su-
perintendeTt Some Trouble.
Streets That Need Repairing.

months of practical WORK, the famous
Richmond sewer has ceased to exist in
the abstract and is now in the concrete
and earthly state of its career both meta
phorically and practically. The latter
quality of its present condition comes in
in the com bin alton of brick and concrete
of which it is constructed to the extent of
one foot in thickness.
The last work on the sewer was finished
the past week, when the block of concrete
which serves as the final outleI, was sunk
into place at the end of the pipe line and
the final splicing accomplished The
block weighs $50 tous and was constructed
at Channel street at the foot of Seventh.
A barge just big enough to float the mass
was constructed around it. and on fine.
calm day, the 2Sth inst, the block was
lowed around to the outlet of the sewer,
just between the Cliff House and Fort
Point.
At high tide the barge was placed in the
desired position over the end of the sewer
and scutrled, settling down by the mouth of
the sewer. After this the remainder of
the work was easy. as IL consisted only in
putting in a connecting piece Of pipe and
cemeuting the section. This work was
finished last Thursday.
CITY and County Surveyor Fitzhugh
stated yesterday that in his opinion the
Richmond sewer was the finest piece of
work of the kind that has ever been done
in San FRANCISCO.
The sewer is six feet in diameter, one
foot thick, OF brick and concrete, and is
$500 feet long. 1t takes up the m ain sewer
at Lake and TWEEN tieth streets. and runs
down the former to Twenty-fourth avenue.
and then takes a curve through private
! lands to the beach. The average drift is
about thirty fee below the ground and the
cost is about SS5, 900.
Mr. FitZhugh is of the opinion that the
sewer runs out further into the sea than
Is necessary by 100 feet. Mr.. Bricknell,
the owner of Bakers Beach, would grant
| the right OF way only on consideration
| that the sewerage was carried long dis
lance out Mr.. Fitzhugh stated that it
! should be emptied inside the breaker line,
as the matter would then become churned
up, whereas in the present plan the
! sewerage merely rises to the top of the
water and is carried in any direction by
! the tide,
| In speaking of the various works in the
city he said that what was most needed
was Board of Public Works to person.
ally look after and take charge of tue
street works. Until this is created there
will be no satisfactory work done here.
cit seems to me-" he continued, that
that the most of the work that has been
done in this city thus far has been given
out almost en- tirely for the benefit of the
! contractors. Take, for instance. the ex-
ample of the sewers running on Stockton
! and Leavenworth streets. They are big
! four or five foot sewers, as large as the
main On Market street. 1t is, of course,
| right to have that size Of main, but not
! in the sewers of those streets. The sewer
is so large that the solid matter settles to
| the bottom while the liquid is carried off.
Just on the same principal that you would
| throw pail of slops upon an inclined roof,
the water would run off and the substance
would remain. This fault could be obvi-
ated If the sewers were smaller, and it is
because the conduit Is so large that the
heavier substance settles and is not carried
off, causing the unhealthy and unpleasant
odors that are frequently noticeable at the
intersections of those streets with Bush
street.
''These big sewers are but chimneys for
the gases TO run up the hills from the
lower section of the city:
When questioned regarding the condi-
ton of the streets and sewers after the re-
cent rains, Street Surveyor Ackerson
stated that there had been fewer breaks in
| the sewers this winter than during the TWO
previous ones he had passed as incumbent
of the Office.
The reason for this had been that less
gravel and dirt had been allowed 10 run
into the cesspools, and the cutters had
been kept clearer from dirt. About the
most serious breaks had been on Golden
Gate avenue, near Webster. This was
about six een-foot break and was made
about ten DAYS ago. At the same time the
break at Fifth and Ho ard streets took
place. The breaks on Channel street have
also been very frequent, and over a dozen
| have been repaired. AT Seventeenth, near
Noe, sixteen-foot break occurred, and
the sewer had to be turned down another
street. The latest break was on Scott
street, between Sacramento and Calfor-
MIA, on Saturday. This was SIX een-foot
one, and occasioned considerable trouble
to the Street Department. as well as the
residents.
AS REGARDS tnb pIOUaDltity VI tHeIo DtiuR
more breaks in the sewers during the win
ter. Mr.. Ackerson was of the opinion that
while some minor ones might occur. there
were no especially weak places in the
system where the water would be likely 10
break through.
Mr.. Ackerson stated that while be has
been at the head of the street system his
department has suffered greatly owing to
the Super vsors ignoring his suggestions
and reports. The present plan Of repair
ing the streets was, he declared, poor
one, and all that was necessary was for
any one interested TO ride along Golden
Gate avenue, which he declared was in
horrible condition. Among the other
streets that needed repairing were Kearny,
noIth OF California, First and Second,
Front, north of Jackson. part OF Folsom
and the streets ia the Miss on