Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-07-18
Work Of Rebuilding the Govern
ment Breakwater Across
the Bay.
HUGE CONCRETE MoN0LITHS.
Whe1 Completed the Structure Will Last
for Ages-Tunnel for Light
keeper.


Joins with the land at the north end
there has been erected plant for the
manufacture Of concrete, and every day
columns of dense black smoke may be
seen rising from the chimneys and stacks
out in the lake.
The concrete that this plant makes is
to form a new sea wall, a wall of al
most impregnable strength, TO replace
the present breakwater with its wooden
| frames and body OF rip rap" as the
! broken stone thrown into give the struc-
| ture sta bility IS designated. Before the
! last day Of December, 1904, for that is
| the date when the contract under which
| the present work is being done, must be
| finished 30 feet of the new pier will
have been completed. The seas that
! sometimes sweep in from the east and
| the northeast will find instead of the
straight perpendicular sides of the pres
ent structure, an easy incline of con-
| crete not sufficient to lash the waves into
! froth and foam, but sufficient to effecta-
ally break the sea and provide calm for
vessels seeking shelter inside and dimin-
! ishing the force of the onslaught when
the waves strike the piers along the
| shore,
This will be the first concrete pier iii
! Lake Michigan and one of the first on
the Great Lakes. If it proves success
! full and there is every indication that 1t
will he it is only question Of time when
! similar piers and sea walls will be CON
! structed Of the same materials on this
! lake.
The first work Of reconstructing the
new piers was begun in April. 1t was
only preparatory work, but it had to be
done and much time was consumed. A
| temporary platform was built inside of
| the piers and upon this the plant for
mixing concrete was established. The
machinery is not extensive, but room
| had to be provided for piles of material,
| crushed stone, sand, cement and the lin
| ished product in the form Of blocks.
Tone and tons of weight are supported
| by this structure of piles and planks.
Besides this plant a sort of wrecking
outfit with giant cranes was also needed
with which to tear away the old struc-
ture. For this several scowS, derricks
| and hosting engines We're secured y
| large part of the old pier has been re-
moved and the first blocks of concrete
which are to form part of the founda-
ton have been laid in place.
! A visit to the piers is interesting. Al
most at a glance the nature of the work
can be comprehended. Where the old
pier is being removed crew of men
in the water to their waists are remov-
| ing the timbers. Upon the structure be-
! low the water line huge blocks of CON
| crete, each weighing about eleven tons,
are being placed The blocks measure S
| feet in length, feet in width and
feet in thickness. These are placed along
the edges of the substructure as shown
by the accompanying cross section. They
| are half submerged in the water, the
water line being just half way between
| the top and bottom. Between the blocks
| of concrete is to be deposited rip rap and
| gravel, forming a bed upon which the
! monolith, a solid piece of concrete &c
| feet in width and over feet in thickness
and 1900 feet in length, will be placed.
! Civil engineers know what these figures
mean. They convey only n small meas
IRE and idea OF the full extent Of the
work to be don,
The top side of the monolith viii pre-
sent a surface of feet in width. The
! top Of the present breakwater is u
! feet in width. The incline from the top
| to nearly the waters edge win be an
! easy slope so constructed that the biz
waves from the east will break on the
! slope and flow over into the quiet water
| under the breakWater. The poor mans
| promenade and summer resort will not
! be totally destroyed, but it will be fan
! less connexions than at present.
Mixed by Steam Power.
|
| mechanical mixer and are taken from the
mGuldS as soon as they become sufficient.
| ~ hard and are stored on the large plat
! form TO dry One of the accompanying
pictures shows a number of the blocks
set ont 10 dry and harden. In the upper
side of each blocks is a depression, A.
| shown in the cross section. into which
the under side of the monolith fits and is
! held secure.
While this upper concrete body is
| termed a monolith it is not strictly 50, al
| though 10 outside appearance it will APP
| rear to be a solid mass of concrete. In
| order to allow for contraction and ex-
| pansion at intervals Of - feet there Will
| be seam packed with lead, felt or 9TH
| er material which will expand and con
| tract with the action of the atmosphere
| upon the concrete.
This work is being done by n young
man, whose experience, however, can not
| be measured by his years. While this is
! his hrSt large contract he has had many
| years of experience as an inspector in
| the service of the government and he
! has had ample opportunity of selecting
| the most practical methods in proceeding
| with the work. The contractor is w
| ii. Gillen, whose father before him was
| government inspector and whose incl,
| Edward Gillen, constructed much of the
| old pier.
Material from Stone Haven.
He has the contract for removing the
old structure ard for putting in the CON
crete pier. He procures his crushed
stone from Stone Haven, north of Port
! Washington. on the west shore of Lake
| Michigan. He has nothing to do with
the transportation of this material, the
| contract with the stone company provid.
ing for its delivery. The crushed stone
is brought TO the piers by specially
equipped vessels, which discharge their
! cargoeS automatically upon the platform
where il is readily reached in mixing tho
! concrete.
AS soon as the SulrStructure is ready "a
receive the mouolith the concrete will b,
! discharged directly upon the pier into the
giant mould in which the upper work j.
! 10 be formed.
The Inspectors Work.
The. government is represented on tho
! spot 10y A. I, Reed, junior engineer in
charge. He was formerly in the bridge
ami building department Of the Milwau.
Rec read. The government maintains an
oiiice on the piers, with testing lahora.