Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-16
THE FILTRATION PLANT
Agreement Concluded as to
the Dumps.
CONTIGUOUS SQUARES
THOSE AT THE SOUTH TO BE
FILLED UP.
Work Already Begun and Steam
Shovels Will Soon Be Put
on the Ground.

An agreement was concluded thlS morn
| ing between the contractors who are TO
make the excavations for the filtration
plant at the head of 1st street northwest
Just south of the Soldiers Home. and Mr.
| Joseph Paul owner of or in >coptrol of a
large number of squares adjacent to the
site of the filtration plant, which will great
| ly facilitate the work of disposing OF ma
terial and at the same time will make a
| great improyement to that section of the
| city.
! According to this agreement the exca-
waited material is to be deposited on those
squares that are below grade. There Is SO
much land below grade near the filtration
plant that this arrangement will make 1t
unnecessary to haul the earth any great
distance as it was thought at one time
might be necessary. Plans were contem'
plated for the removal of this earth along
a temporary track eastward on Michigan
avenue to the tracks of the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad where they are 10 De
elevated on approaching the limits OF the
city. Some time ago plan was even dis
cussed for the utilization of this material In
the building of the plaza to be formed in
front of the union station. Either OF these
plans would have greatly increased the
labor necessary for the excavation OF the
| filtration beds.
A Contractors Sharp Trick.
The deep hollows that now exist south Of
the site for the filtration plant have played
a very important part in the bidding for the
contract for making the excavation On an
| occasion prior to the proposals under which
the present contract was let, when bids
were called for for doing that work, it was
discovered that one of the enterprsing con-
tractors had approached the owners of all
the hOllows that would be useful for de-
posting the excavated material and had
/ acfnally lea SQd from them the exclusive
privilege of dumping there. The other con-
tractors were practically routed by this
| maneuver. They found it impossible to bid
on satisfactory terms against a competitor
who had SO convenient a place to deposit
material. while they would have to haul 1t
a long way on a temporary track.
I While the enterprisfng contractor was
congratulating himself on his monopoly of
| hollows near the filtration plant hitch
occurred which made it necessary that bids
| for the work should be called for anew.
| Then came an announcement that the
| filtration beds might be raised SO as to
greatly lessen the amount Of material to
| be removed from the site. There was dis
may among the owners of the land for
while their hollows were desirable and val
liable for the contractors. yet it became
| painfully apparent that should there be
| failure to fill them with earth from the
filtration beds they would eventually have
| to be filed with material to be brought
from a distance in order to make them
| they would have to be filled with refuse
| ashes and tin cans, resulting in an unsatis-
| factory foundation.
So the hollows about the filtration plant
have been subject for speculation ever
since the contract for excavation was let
| to Cowardin, Bradley, Clay & Co of Rich
| mond, Va. When the contra ctors recently
began work there was resumption of the
negotiations In relation to the hollows
The contractors wanted to use them and
| the owners wanted them filled with the
hard clay and gravel to be taken off the
filtration site.
The result of discussions that have been
going for some time is that the con-
| tractor will deposit his material in the hoI-
| lows, and not only facilitate his own work
but also vastly improve the appearance of
the entire section adjacent to the plant 1t
/ Is understood that in this. agreement no
| considerations passed either way. The con-
| tractor and the land owners are both bene-
| flied.
Work Already Begun.
The excavation for the filter beds will ag-
| gregate $4,000 cubic yards 1t must all be
done by December l. 1904. That allows for
| the work about year and a half. This
| morning the contractors had twenty-fo
| scoops al work taking off the top soil from
| the portions of the site that still have
| loamy SOIL This material is being gathered
1 in pile so that 1t may be used for the final
covering of the BEDS as there must be Sc
cured sufficient rich soil to provide for the
sodding of the filter beds when completed
The contractors soon expect to have three
or four steam shOvels here. They will also
provide track for running cars from the
places in which the excavations are to be
| made to the dumps. All the work being
carried on today was by the twenty-four
scoops pulled by mule teams.
A large number of trees west of 1st street
have been and are now being removed in
readiness for the work of excavation. The
l first excavation If fS cd xyil he
ried on east of 1st street. The first street
to remain open south of the filter beds is
Cincinnati street.
The line of this street is now much be-
low grade and 1t will be graded with the
excavated material. At the corner of North
Capitol and Cincinnati streets on the land
of the filtration plant. there is now a deep
hollow, and that will be one of the first
dump grounds to be used. All the earth to
be placed in that dump is to be rolled as
layer by layer is put on 1t, in order to Sc
cure perfectly hard and satisfactory
foundation for the construction of filter
beds that will go on it.
How Much to Be Done Each Day.
Now that the question of the disposition
of material has been finally settled, the
contractor WILL as soon as possible, in
crease his force. He is under contract to
have on the grounds a plant capable of
handling 5000 cubic yards of excayated
material daily. On no account can he per-
init the average amount of excavated ma
tcrial daily for any one month to fall be-
low 5000 yards.
Some of the excavated material will be
used to increase the height of the driveway
around the reservoir Colonel Miller in
charge of the Washington aQueduct, will
determine just what height will be most
desirable for this driveway in order to Sc
cure the best results, and the filling will
then be done accordingly By increasing
the height of the driveway around the res
ervoir the road connection with 1st street
for teams will be made much more desira-
BILE than 1t would be IL the present height
were retained.
Gen. Corbin IN New York.
Mai Gen. Corbin has gone to New York
xsx.i4 1t.