The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-02-02
DELAY
Work on Separating
System,
is THE SLOGAN
Of Many Who Await the
New Commission.

The more advocates of depressed
tracks think of the coming report of
the new commission of experts, the
more they are elated. The objections
which former commissioners raised are
fast disappearing. Everybody interested
in that feature of the problem is being
more and more impressed with the feas-
Utility of diverting the course of Mill
brook at cost which will be entirely
reasonable for the benefit to be OBJ
tanned.
The commission just retired was cred
tied with not giving sufficient inves-
tigation to the feasibility of lowering
Millbrook, but the most earnest sup
porters of depressed tracks. The COM
missioners answered the criticism by
saying the tunnel could not be cut on
account of the slight covering. Divert
ing the course of the sewer is not thel
thing which they talk and the ground of
the commissioners has gone entirely
The tunnel would be over 20 feet underI
the surface at any point and the COW
erlng would thus be ample to allow The
use of compressed air to hold the quick
sands in place. The engineering diff
culties are thus rendered far less for
midable.
The sewer department is doing the
very same thing in Green street 1t is
encountering difficulty with quick
SANDS but it expected to and is not in
the least scared. The department is
working carefully. 1t is pumping the
water out to lower the water table and
has made several borings Quicksand
mas been found to a considerable depth
ana 1t may be several days before the
department can begin the real tunnel
ing. But it isn't stopping it's work onI
account OF quicksands. The scheme of
tunneling under Green street has not
been pronounced impracticable because
quicksands have been found Com
pressed air will be used to hold the
quicksand in place while the drift is
cut.
Ihe grade crossing commission knew
the method of operation by compressed
ar ana appreciated the difficulty of
tunneling under the present bed Of Mill
brook They said the covering would be
SO small that the compressed air would
escape through the roof over the tun-
mel But change of route will entirely
remove that difficulty. There will be
enough covering to hold more com
pressed air than could be utilized. Thus
the only real objection which the com
missioners had to the ideal plan for the
solution of the grade crossing question
can be obviated.
Whlle the sewer department is not
scared at tunneling through ouicksand
advocates of depressed tracks have mo-
rear that competent engineers will. AL
though the cut would be greater the
dlHlculty would not be proportionatelyl
greater.
What the new grade crossing COM
mission will cost has been given no |
thought by members Of the city coun- |
Gil, but everybody knows that its bill !
will not be anything like that of the
commission referred to as the Allen |
Locke commission. That body cost
the city about $4,000. A considerable
expense was due to the making of |
plates to show the changes of grades
which would result if the plan of the |
commission were carried out. 1t is not |
expected that the new commission will |
make any such plans, and as a consid- |
cradle portion of the necessary inves- |
tigating has been done, the expenses in
that line will be light also 1t is not |
possible to estimate what further in
vestigating the new commission will
desire, but nobody is borrowing trou- |
Bile on account of the probable cost 1t |
may be mere bagatel compared with |
the expenses of the former expert COM |
mission.
The probable appointments are not
causing much worry among the advo- |
Gates of the depressed tracks system. |
who would be the only ones to have any
fears. Mayor Rufus B. Dodge, Jr., has |
announced his intention of selecting |
not only capable men, but engineers
who have no knowledge of the condi- |
ion i1acr to-
problem here. That means the engin- |
GERS will not be content to take any,
thing for granted, but will make a |
thorough investigation to satisfy them |
selves in every detail, That is all the |
opponents of the report of the present |
commission want.
Mayor Dodge has not yet selected the |
men. He may not reveal his selection |
until he sends their names to the board |
of aldermen for confirmation, according |
to the requirements of the order under |
which the appointments will be made |
The names Of Howard Carson of Bos-
ton and Rudolph Herring Of New York |
were heard yesterday in connection
with the new commission Mr.. Carson |
is the expert of the Subway company
of Boston, and Mr.. Herring has ma
tional reputation as an engineer
The new commission will doubtless
desire to investigate the practicablity
or dlVert1nS M1llDrOok sewer and tun- |
neling under Green or Water street. |
The men who are responsible for the
order introduced Monday evening,
which creates the new commission, ex-
pect that the investigations of the new
commission would be far from COM
plete if the plans are not fully consid-
cred. Neither the city councilmen nor
| petitioners who agreed to accept the
report of the new commission as final
would think Of holding to such an
| agreement if the commission does not
give a full investigation to the prac-
ticability of diverting the sewer In
anticipation of the feasibility of the
sewer being diverted into tunnel I'M
der either street, the advisability of
suspending operations on the separat-
| ing system, which are going on at pres
ent is being seriously considered.
Superintendent of Sewers Harrison
p Eddy says the work which is now
being done will not be wasted If Mill
brook is to be lowered or diverted from
it's present course. The carriers which
are now in process of construction,
could be used as well If Milbrook is
dropped 20 feet below It's present grade.
But there is no question that it would
be of considerable less expense to the
! city II the tunneling for the separating