The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-10-11
NO. rs new BUILDING
Foundation Almost Com
pleted and the Work
Being Pushed
Rapidly.
READY FcR USE NEXT SEPTEMBER
1t Is Being Constructed in the
Most Substantial Manner and
Will Be a Credit to
the City.

The work of laying the foundation on the
new building for Public School No. l, on
York street, between Washington n
Warren street, which has been in progress
for the last month, is indeed very inter-
esting. Every day crowds gather
around to watch the rapidly progressing
work. Since the demolition of the old
building, which took place shortly after
the beginning of vacation, not a day mas
been lost in the work.
AS soon as the old school building was
torn down no time was lost by the con-
tractors in e~xcavating for the foundation
for the new structure. The depth OF the
basement from the curb will be about
seven feet. The most important part of
the new school house, without a doubt,
will be the foundation. This will be the
best that can be obtained. In starting
the work previous to laying the brick
foundation, oyer twelve hundred thirty
foot piles are be driven into the ground.
Already more than half OF these nave pesn
put down, and the rest are to be driven
this week. A large pile driving engine
with a 3,000-pound ann is employed IN
the work. The main reason so many piles
are to be put down is that the ground IN
some places is q~uicksand.
On the east and northeast sides of the
school site the piling is all in place and
large trenches, twelve feet deep, and
about six feet wide. are being dug around
them to give the masons room to lay the
concrete n stones. The trenches are Sc
curely sheathed on each side by large NJ
teen foot boards to prevent the banks
from caving in and smothering the work
men. A large hosting derrick and engine
are employed taking the large buckets OF
earth from the trenches and dumping 1t
nearby. This earth will be used again for
filling in around the brick foundations.
The masonry work will begin about to-
morrow, when Contractor ex-
poets to put OF about one hundred more
men in addition to the fifty now employed;
When the proper depth has been reached
in these trenches, the piles will be
off about four feet from the ground level.
About two feet of the very best concrete,
composed of crushed stone, about the size
of an egg, cowbray sand and Nortons ce-
ment, will be ramned down securely
around the piles to keep them from VI
brating. On top of this ONE the regular
Gaping stone, about four inches thick and
four feet long by two feet wide. TIL large
pier stones which are put down Tor tne
large iron girderS to rest upon are TOUR
feet square and about five inches thick.
These are placed on top of the concrete
and then the regular red building prick
is put down. thus making the ronge
foundation imaginable. From the bottom
of the foundation to the curb is about
twenty feet. All this work will be done
this week. The foundation will DE eomplet-
ed before the very cold weather sets in
so that the work will not be stopped. n
large iron girders and supports will then
be set and the work after that Will pro-
gress rapidly. The basement of the school
will be concrete, as it is the best material
that can be used for that purpose.
AS has been stated before more tina half
Of the piling is already down, and the
work was accomplished in two weeks. Tne
rest of the piles will be driven during the
coming week, when the pile driving ma
chine will be taken away to make room
for a huge hosting derrick. which VIII
be used on the west side. OF the site 70
set the large stones and girders in place;
Cnntraetor Connolly says that he will
surely finish the work within the specified
time. which is next September.
1t has been stated several tunes lnats
shakey and defective. Such was notsthe
case. for in tearing down the walls the
bricks. and mortar were found to be IN an.
excellent state of preservation, ana coule
Rave stood for many more years without
| fear of collapsing.