The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-25

almost impossible TO keep the quick
sand from creeping. If a channel was
put down IA feet under the present
channel it would lower the water so
many feet and undoubtedly affect
many buildings
He explained the meaning of the
water table as the level at which the
water flows through The ground. 1t
varies in places according to the char
acter of the ground. The water in the
ground flows on top Of tie stratum of
clay which stratum rises and falls and
does not preserve a uniform depth
from the surface of the earth. If the
channel was constructed and the water
lowered, the quicksand would fall away
and the ground in the neighborhood
would crack The city engineer spoke
or instances where buildings distant
more than 400 feet from the point
where channel was dug We're cracked
and their foundations ruined by the
railing away of quicksand He said
1t would be difficult 10 tunnel. almost
impossible, because there would not be
a sufficient covering over the tunnel
When tunnel is beng constructed
the sand is held in place by means of
compressed air. The shafts from which
operations are made are air tight and
air is forced into the. tunnel to make a
pressure from beneath to overcome the
effect of gravity. There would be seri-
Gus disturbances. There would be moth
ing 10 balance the pressure of quick
SAND, and that would mean the open
ing of the ground in the vicinity in
cracks and seams.
lie also said it would not be feasible
TO put the railroads down to any ex-
tent, as they would then be put on
qulcksand. They could not be kept
there without going to enormous ex-
pense. Then, too, the side walls of the
cut would have to rest on cuicksand.
When buildings are constructed on
qnlcksand large steel caissons are sunk
under the foundations and steel grid
ers connect the caissons. This plan
could not be followed in the case of the
railroads. The only method which
could be adopted would be to lay a con
crete bottom on which to rest the rail
roads and side walls. Such a method
would demand enormous expenditure
of monev
Another feature of depressed tracks
which could not be provided for if the
tracks We're sunk to any great depth
IS the question Of how to get side tracks
IN. The side tracks could be nut into
g hole the same as the main llras. but
1t would be impossible to set in and
10 the use of cranes, The tracks could
De depressed some, and arrangements
made for side tracks, but that plan
would mean big hump in every street
which is one of the things that must
be avoided.
When his attention was called to the
depressed tracks in Newton, which
have been spoken of many times in
connection with the problem in Wor-
rester. he said the conditions were not
alike in anything except that the, rail
roads ran through the city at grade. In
Newton instead of having five different
railroads coming in from all directions
there were only main tracks of one
road. The city could purchase land on
which to give the railroad a location
while the work was being done on the
tracks. The travel of the railroad was
not interfcTed with. After the work
was done the city of Newton turned
The purchased location into a boulevard
1t would not be possible to do the
work in the same way in Worcester
The city could get no land to give the
railroads for a location Of tracks, while
the work was being done. On the
northern tracks, for instance, he said
there are three tracks. The locations
of two of these tracks would be taken
by the eXcavator, while the third track
would be used by the construction
train. 1t was suggested that Summer
street he used, but every person on
the street could get damages from the
city. In conclusion, the city engineer
said that while the depression of the
tracks and sewers would not be alb
solutely impossible it is entirely i'm
practicable and would cause enormous
expense.