The record-union., 1896-11-12
WORK ON THE NEW SEWER.
Il Is Progressing as Rapidly as Pos
Sible.
What Will be Accomplished by It
When 1t is Completed ana
i'm Operation.

On August 10Th Of this year the peo-
pie of Sacramento. at a special election,
voted to issue $50, 600 in bonds to build
a drainage system for the city, to con-
meet with the sewers already IN place
and those that may hereafter be con-
Structed
After the people had so decided, the
Board of Trustees received bids ana
awarded the contract for building the
sewer to the City Street Improvement
COMPANY and it was Immediately let
and work commenced. The main sewer
to be constructed is on S street, running
from Seventeenth street down to Front,
where the slInlp is situated, from Wmch
the water. is to be pumped over the
levee into the river.
The work is now we'll under way and
progressing as fast toward cofnpielioii
as possible under several obstacles thAt
have interviewed. The digging OF the
sump was commenced as soon as the
ground was purchased by the city from
W. d Knights &, Co. at the junction OF
Front and streets, just INSIDE the
laveo The sipage water, however,
proved a formidable obstacle, a small
stream being struck in one corner OF
1t that interfered seriously with laying
the concrete floor, and considerable ol1-
ficulty was experienced before 1t was
finally disposed of. The floor and sldeS
are now laid and the sump has been
arched over, preparatory to erecting
the pumphouse.
The excavation was made Twenty-Five
feet deep and the concrete floor was
laid two feet thick on the bottom OF IT,
Walls of concrete We're laid, tapering
s1I- af ha
two feet thick on top, and the gang of
men employed have finally succeeded
in shutting the water out and making
a water-tight concrete cellar thirty-two
feet Ions. twenty-six feet wide and
nineteen feet deep. Nine feet above the
bottom of this it has been arched over
and a concrete floor varying from one
foot in thickness at the crown of the
arch to two feet at the sides has been
made This contains man-hole,
through which one can descend into
the sump if necessary and also the pipe
for the pump.
The pumphouse will be built over
this and will contain the boilers for
running the two large pumps Whlch
are to throw the water over the leVee
at the rate of 10000 gallons a minute
each. These are centrifugal pumps ana
Will discharge the water into the river
through two 22-inch iron pipes that run
through the levee into the river. Be
sides these there is the pump that has
been in use at the old pumphouse on
Y street. and which will throw 5000
Gallons a. minute This will be run by
a 13-horse power electric motor, Tor
which the Trustees yesterday closeu d
contract with the General Electric COM
pany. The two larger ones VIII De run
by steam. J. A. Cunningham OF TINS
city having contracted with the CITY 10
supply the boilers and pumps ana pulld
the pumphouse and stump. 1t IS the N
,ention TO run one or both of the large
pumps. as may be necessary. through
In. winter months to dispose of the
e.sz,-are and stornnwater, and it is cal
culated that for seven or eight months
IN the year the 5000 gallon pump and
electric motor can take care OF the
sewage.
THE LEVEE STRENGTHENED.
The plan of City Surveyor Mullenney,
as adopted by the board. involved the
cutting of the levee in order to let the
discharge pipes through into the river.
This. it was feared, would seriously
impair its strength and give rise to dan
might give way at that point and men
ace the safety of the city. This was ii
matter of serious consideration with
the Trustees. and they set about to OBJ
viate the danger. Plans were drawn
up and a contract was entered into with
James Touhey for concrete work, which
has been done under the supervision of
his foreman, Mr.. King. The danger
was that the force of the current at
high stage Of the river might set the
two discharge pipes (Which run out
into the river and are curved down
stream in order that the water may Of
fer as little resistance as possible to the
discharge from the pumps) to working
back and forth, and let the water
around them under the levee and make
a breach.
To prevent this a concrete wall eight
feet long, five feet high and four feet
thick has been built outside the levee
" here the pipes come through. running
parallel with the levee and surrounding
them, so that they are held steady
where they pass through it n mass oi
concrete 4x1 feet runs at right angles
TO this wall. inclosing the two pipes for