San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-01-12
COLLINS VICTORIOUS.
Continued From First Page.

mixed dry in the proportions of two
parts sand and one part cement. Wa
ter is then added to this mixture,
bringing it to the proper consistency
otherwise it could not be used.
1T requires time and air, or oxygen,
for it to harden or set. When this
mortar is exposed to air, as it is on the
inner surface of the sewers or on the
outer surface, if the trench is not i'm
mediately backfilled it soon becomes
hard. If on the other hand the trench
is backfilled at once, after the brick
work is laid, and especially if the ma
terial used for backfilling has been wet
or damp, the mortar will be much
slower in setting and may retain some
what soft for some time after being
laid. Furthermore, the mortar which
is in the interior of the joints, away
from the immediate effect of the air,
will also remain somewhat soft, while
that exposed to the air in the same
part may soon become hard. 1t is
therefore quite improper to say that
the mortar is poor because places can
be found where it has not yet become
as hard as the bricks.
In all my examination of the sewers
laid and manholes built, I have yet to
find a place where the mortar has not
properly set after due time has been
given it.
Regarding the four excavations
to the top of the sewer, two of which
were made by the direction of the city
engineer, and two at points previously
dug by parties unknown, the work was
found to be good-all that could be ex-
pected.
THE sewers are built circular or
round in shape, while the bricks are
rectangular, with parallel faces,
Therefore, in laying these bricks with
parallel faces in a circular the outer
part of the joint or the joint on the
larger radius of the ring must of neces.
sity be larger than the joints on the
interior face or smaller radius of the
ring. Hence in a brick sewer, the in.
terror diameter of which is Sc inches
with bricks four inches wide, the diam,
eter of the outside ring would be A in
chees, thus a joint which was 4 of ar
inch wide on the interior diameter Of
surface of the ring would be q of al
inch wide on the outer or larger diam
eter of the ring. 1t will therefore b'
seen that to get uniform size of joint:
would require wedge-shape brick, eacl
made to fit the different radai of thu
sewers. This shape of brick would
be very expensive and be but little bet
ter than parallel-faced bricks. 1t /!
not to be supposed that any fair mind
ed person would criticise the widths o.
the joints found in the brick work
without stating on what portion of tn,
work these joints were found.
1T may be well to speak of the vary
ing number of bricks found in the RIM
of the sewer. This of course is ap
parent where bricks of different thick
ness are used. The thickness of tn
bricks which have been used were no
uniform in all cases, because they wer
made by different manufactures an,
were used so as to patronize, as far a
possible, the home manufactures an
reduce the quantity of imported bricks
Hence the varying number of brick 4
the sewer ring.
"Of the five places excavated or
broken out in the interior of the sew
er each one shows the best of worl
An examination of the accompanyip
samples of bricks (before refererd 10
taken from these places show the eS
cellent quality of the bricks. They a
so show that the joints were we'll file
and they furthermore show til
strength of the cement, in that tn
bricks break in many cases before III
mortar parts. This special examins