The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-11-16
GIVEN A SURPRISE.
Fifth Ward Sewer Contractor En-
counters Troublesome Rock.

There are indications that the Fifth
ward sewer, now under construction,
may cost a great deal more than was
anticipated, in which case the city
would have to bear the expense Vast
quantities of rock have been en-
countered, which the contractors were
not expecting to find, and it has been
necessary to begin blasting to remove
the unexpected obstacle The con-
tractors Will get rs cents a cubic yard
extra for all this excavation.
Ii the total amount of this kind of
excavation exceeds 1890 cubic yards.
the city VIII have to dig down into its
general funds to pay for the excess.
The city engineers estimate calls for
and this is all the people living in the
sewer district have to pay for.
The difficulty is due to mistakes
made by the men hired by the city to
90 the boring when the estimates on
the cost of the work were being made.
Borlngs were taken every fifty feet to
the depth of the proposed sewer, so
that the exact nature of the ground to
Figuring from the showing made by
the borings, City Engineer McCabe de-
termlned the amount of rock which
would be encountered. 1t now ap-
pears that the man who made the
borings was not up to his job; he
Dored right through the rock which
mas since been uncovered, and did not
know it was there. The rock is of
trated by the boring tools.
Already the sewer contractors have
dug through about 800 lineal feet of the
rock, and have not reached the end of
1t. In this distance of 800 feet, the borer
employed by the city must have made
at least six holes, each hole penetrating
the sandstone from one to four feet.
And yet he reported that there was no
rock anywhere along this part of the
sewer. The fact that the borer did not
detect rock in any of these six holes
would indicate very clearly that the
same KIND OF rock may have existed
his knowledge in which case the city
would have big bill to pay which 9TH
erwise would have been charged up
against the sewer district.
ROCK was first encountered unexpect-
edly by the sewer excavators about 600
feet from the place where the sewers
opens into sewer No. IA At first it had
to be cut through only a few inches and
was taken out with picks. The thick
ness of the rock stratum rapidly increas-
ed, until it is now about four feet thick,
300 feet from the place where the rock
was first encountered. 1t may get still
thicker as the work progresses.
Since the rock has been uncovered in
such quantities, the contractors have
reSorted to dynamite as the cheapest
way for loosening it, 1t is not a lime
rock, and could be removed with picks,
but it has been decided by the contrac-
tors that the cheapest way is to blast.
Where solid limestone rock has to be
removed. the contractors get $3.50 per
cubic yard extra, but the sandstone
rock is claSSed as loose rock for which
the bid was rs cents a yard extra.
Similar mistakes to this in the past
have proven very costly to the city.
When sewer No. IA was under construc-
ton, a great deal Of rock was discov-
cred which the city engineering depart
ment had not figured on, and it cost the
city about $1,000 extra to pay for the
error.
The city has one thing to fall back
upon in the Fifth ward case. The
Fifth ward bonds were sold at a pre-
MUM of $1,000, and it would be pos
sible to devote this money to making
up whatever deficit might exist. The
city at large has no real claim upon
this money, but it would be turned
into the city's general funds under
ordinary conditions. 1t may be that
it will take all of the $1,000 to pay
for the extra amount of rock excava-
ton.
The work of excavating for the big
sewer is now completed for DISTANCE
of two blocks. The place has been
reached where the railroad tracks
must be crossed. Notice has been
served on the Santa, Fee and Missouri
Pacific section officials to protect their
tracks while the sewer is being built
underneath. The railroad companies
will build~a strong temporary bridge
of cribbing across the ditch while it
is open. The sewer which goes under
the tracks will be built with three
rings of brick instead of two rings
The contractors have about forty men
at work now, and are trying to finish
up the big brick main before cold
weather sets in. If they can finish the
brick work on the sewer before cold
weather. the rest of the job can be
carried right along throughout the
winter.