The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-02-03

gineer on 1t said the plan is almost inn
possible, while the engineer who bulls
Millbrook says the plan would not be
attended by the slightest danger.
The'plan which Mr.. Taylor would fa-
vor would be to divert the sewer from
Vernon square up Green street to I'm
ion street and connect with the present
sewer at Prescott street where ID
flows under that thoroughfare.
He favors that plan because it would
shorten the route Of the sewer consid-
erably. When 1t was suggested that
maybe there are more quicksands in
that route than in Water, Grafton and
Summer streets, he dismissed that ar
gument almost instantly, showing that
he didn't pay much attention to the
bowling about the danger of tunneling
through quicksand. He says there is
some quicksand in Green street, and
there is some in Union street.
The grade crossing commission has
borrowed loads OF trouble on account
of quicksand in the Millbrook valley.
Mr. Taylor had personal experience
with the quicksand under the present
channel of Millbrook. He neither Dor
rowed trouble nor had any. He said:
we found quicksand near the pottery
works on Water street, but we didn't
have any trouble. The worst place for
quicksand in the bed of Mlllbrook is at
the Boston and Albany tracks But we
didn't have any trouble in lowering
the foundations of the Boston and Al
bany railroad there and underpinning
them. They are there yet"
That experience completely knocks
out another prop of the grade crossing
commission. One of it's strongest points
was that buildings might be erected
on quicksand, but a railroad would not
stay. Mr.. Taylor actually lowered the
foundations Of the bridge, and there
they stay, to disprove the statements
OF the grade crossing commission that
railroads can't be builded over quick
sand.
Mr.. Taylor thinks 1t would be better
to change the route of Mill brook
through Green street or Water street
than to lower it in it's present channel.
One reason for this opinion is that
while the work was going ON there
would be no trouble from freshets. 1t
would be necessary to go only as far
south as Green street, lowering the
brook distance of 1900 feet at the
most He mentioned many points to
show the possibilities which exist and
which appear to have escaped the
grade crossing commission. The drop
at Vernon square is slightly over
feet Carrying this drop northward in
low depressing the tracks over % feet
at the present location. An extra foot
could be secured, because the tracks
do not run directly over the arch, there
being some intervening dirt.
When asked about the possibility Of
making the sectional elevation smaller
without diminishing the carrying capa-
city, he said Of course it could be
easily done, and another extra foot or
two obtained, but it would not be nee
essary to do that. It's so easy to get
all the distance which is needed that
the city would not have to strain itself
for every extra few inches. BY taking
out the falls at Vernon square and
Dropping the shwer to a point north Of
the railroad, the tracks could be low
cred ~ feet without the slightest
trouble. If 1t was desirable to go far
ther with the drop another feet could
be obtained at the old Vain factory
on Union street
Mr.. Taylor showed that even that plan
Is feasible, entirely feasible, as he ex-
pressed II to The Spy man. But he
thinks the Green street route is the
best. BY changing the route to this To-
cation, the tracks would cross the
sewer in one place only, and that at
Green street. He said the task Of con-
Meeting the lateral sewers with the
main carrier would be done easily. He
said that il the route was diverted
through Green street, there would be
no need OF disturbing Millbrook below
the railroad tracks. 1t could remain
as 1t is and drain the sections it does
now. The diverted channel would drain
everything north Of that point.
He also said any talk about the i'm
practicability Of draining the railroads
IS nonsense. The sewer would be lower
than the railroads. Even il 1t was not,
hn Ina eyd
pumped. Worcester should not hesitate
at pumping station as very few cities
OF Its size maintain both water and
sewerage systems without being obHg-
ed TO pump one or the other, some
times both.
Summing up the tunneting plan, ne
said, that the presence of quicksands
meant one thing only, and that is an
extra item in the expense He added
that the difficulty OF getting Millbrook
out OF the problem is not even formld-
able, not to say anything OF being in
surmountabe
Mr. Taylor said the only thing to be
considered Is the cost. There are no
features OF the problem which require
more than moments consideration
other than the cost. The Spy man
asked him concerning the cost. He
said " any statement has been made
that the cost would be enormous. the
statement is misleading. Neither the
lowering Of the sewer in its present
channel or the diverting Of Millbrook
through Green or Water streets would
be enormously heavy. The least cost
to his mind, would be the diverting of
Millbrook through Green street. While
the conversation was regarding the
cost the Spy man made the following
statement:
II understand, Mr. Taylor, that you
have made q statement that you would
you would divert the course OF Mil