The record-union., 1899-04-11
THINKS The DANGER PAST.
THE MAYOR ON THE SEWAGE
DIFFICULTY.
Says He Has Stopped the Flow
of Water Into the
Stump.

Mayor Land last evening sent TO the
CITY Trustees the following message
relative to the sewage pumping plant at
Front and S streets, and the steps taken
to correct the flow of water INTO the
pump-house.
The communication was placed on
lille, no discussion taking place over IL
Sacramento, Cal. April 10, 1873
To the Board of Trustees of the City
of Sacramento: In accordance with
resolution adopted by your honorable
board empowering myself to take I'M
mediate steps, using whatever means
might deem advisable, to avert the de-
struction of the sewer pumping plant at
the foot of Front and streets, the
foundation of which was giving away
and the plant gradually sinking, | beg
leave to report that it became necessary
in order to save the machinery, poli-
ers and smoke-stack, to remove them to
the high ground northeast of the sump,
and they were properly cared for by
covering the pumps and machinery with
tallow to keep from rusting, and build
ing a fence about the same.
There has been considerable conJect-
ure on the part of the civil engineers
with whom your board and myself ad-
vised as to the cause of the trouble at
the plant, some holding that the sinking
was due to the fact that the plant had
been constructed over or near an old
artes;an we'll bored many years ago by
the Johnson Distilling Company. and
that the flow of water came from this
old we'll But this theory is. in my
Judgment, erroneous. l am reliably IN
formed by James l. Felter, who was at
that time the manager of said company
that this well was sunk some distance
from the present sump and in COM
pany with Trustee Paine and City Sur
veyor Mullenney examined the we'll
referred to, and found that there was
no flow of water whatever.
Others held that the water was seep-
ing through the levee; that its base
had been weakened by the pump con-
Etantly sucking up sand until the water
fairly flowed through the levee in
small stream, and that the foundation
of the plant was likewise being slowly
Ten. owed by the action of it's own sue
tion pump.
Proceeding under this theory, I i'm
mediately caused the sewers leading to
the sump to be disconnected and filled
up with straw and sacks Of sand. Prior
TO your authorizing myself to save this
property some 5000 sacks of sand and
40 bales of straw had been placed in
front of the stump. and these kept sink
ing gradually until Wednesday last At
the base of the levee, for a distance
of 22O feet, 4-inch tongued and grooved
sheet piling was driven, thereby max
ing the levee secure and firm.
In order to drive this piling, it was
necessary to disconnect the exhaust
pipes running through the levee, and
when they We're again Joined I had the
openings In the levee filled with con-
crete and cement. The water in and out
of the sump has been lowered eighteen
inches since last Saturday, and the flow
of water Is completely stopped.
The result of this work proves the
correctness of my theory. The expense
exclusive Of the cost of removing the
machinery. and the placing of the sand
and straw in the sump, will be in the
neighborhood of six or seven hundred
dollars. Respectfully submitted,
WILLIAM LAND, Mayor.