Omaha daily bee., 1898-05-22
DAMAGE DONE The LAGOON
Sheet Piling Gives Way Under the Great
Pressure from Rain.
DIRECTLY DUE TO GERAlDlNt's ECONOMY
weakness of Construction Results
from the Ex-supcrintcndent's
Changes in Plans Originally
Drawn for the Work.

ine i"ihs OF the last lew days, culmina-
ting In the downpour of Friday afternoon
and the early morning hours OF Saturday
resulted in serious damage at the exposition
grounds and made necessary a large amount
OF extra work, entailng considerable ex-
pense. The greater part of the damage was
done to the sheet pilng about the lagoon
over 700 feet OF the pilng being pushed out
OF line by the weight OF the water and mud
and, about 100 feet being broken of at the
bottom and laid fiat on the bottom of the
lagoon. A conservative estimate of the cost
OF the necessary repairs puts the figure at
$4,000.
With the exception Of the damage to the
lagoon. the grounds escaped with little in
jury. One corner OF the Palace OF Illusions
In the Moorish village was blown away and
the wings of one of the figures of Fame
mounting the Art building were blown
of. With these exceptions the dam
age done by wind and water was
only such rs may be repaired without diff
fculty.
The cause Of the damage to the lagoon
involved a page in the history of the
position in which the name OF Geraldine
appears with great frequency. 1t was the
many crooked turns in the deal involving
the contract for this same sheet pling that
= resulted in Geraldine being allowed to IRE
the Department OF Buildings and Grounds.
When it was decided to have a lagoon
lined with sheet piling a competent
draughtsman employed to make plans
for the piling. On the plans and specifca-
tions made by this man bids were asked,
but the figures OF these bids were never
made public except by statements Of
Geraldine when under examination on
charges OF fraud in connection with the
D
that time Geraldine stated that James Con-
molly had bid $500 for doing the work.
Gernldine Changes the Plans.
This and the other bids were considered
too high and Geraldine undertook to change
both plans and specifications so as to bring
the cost down to lower figure. The man
who made the original plans had been in
the dock building business in Scotland and
made the plans in such a way that the
sheet piling would have resisted any pres
sure from either side. Geraldine changed
the construction entirely cheapening it in
every way. For heavy timbers holding the
sheet piling to the back piling, he sub
sttuted No. galvanized iron wire three
strands being twisted by hand to form O
cable. Cottonwood piles were used for the
back pling and for the posts for holding
the sheet piling. For this form Of con-
struction Creedon G. Mahoney were paid
$5,936.50, and the exposition furnished and
drove the piles at cost. according to Ger
aldine, of $500, making the total cost So
$3.50, or about 81 200 less than the bids
under the original specifications.
Geraldine, Just before he resigned" or
dered the earth back of the sheet pilini
excavated entirely around the lagoon. Com
mencing at a point about six feet back o
<ha pil nd Of al
four feet along the pling, a triangular ex
cavation was made 1t was explained tha
this was to prevent the frost from expand
ing the earth and pushing the pilng out o
line. 1t finally dawned on him that whe
the spring thaws came the water would ru
down behind the piling and cause create
damage and the dirt which had been ex
cavated was all shoveed back again. bu
was not tamped or even dressed off SO a
to shed the water and let it run into tn
lagoon over the coping. AS result tn
spring rains soaked into the loose cart
back Of the piling and numerous place
'buckled." the piling being forced out c
line a foot or more. About 5000 was ex
pended in repairing this damage, maxim
the cost of the piing up to that tim
37.5365O, not to mention the cost Of eS
cavating the earth back of the piling an
shoveling 1t back again.
Runs the Cost Away Up.
The recent heavy rains have percolate
through the paving to this same soft cart
and the improvised cables snapped lii
thread with the weight of wet earth, II
cottonwood piles broke off at the bottom
the lagoon and the whole thing tumbled I'M
the water. The estimated cost of repairir
the damage-$3. 500-added to the origin
cost and the former repairs, makes the tot
cost OF this portion of the exposition abo
$l1, 900, against $780, which the work wou
have cost under the original specification
The most serious breaks occurred on Il
north side Of the lagoon. Near the west ell
of the Machinery and Electricity buildir
for a distance of about 200 feet the piliI
has been torn from its moorings and is leal
Ing out over the lagoon. About thirty fe
of the center Of this section is lying on Il
bottom OF the lagoon, the piles broken al
the Geraldine cable vibrating he
lessly in the air. The staff-co
sred posts dangle over the wate