The Washington times., 1905-07-14
Slot Rails of Street Car
Tracks Are Crushed
Together.
PLOWS TORN FROM CARS
Curling Is Loosened-Big
Sag in the Asphalt
Paving.

| Contrary to the Gdlcula tions of the
District Commissioners and other inter-
ested authorities, The excavations at
! Tenant upon the construction of the
First street tunre by the railway Off
| Gals have resulted in an extended and
| noticeable sinking or the surface of
First street between r street southeast
| and E. street northeast
Summary of Damages.
The damages resulting so far from the
sinking are:
| A settlement and loo. ening of the
curbing of the Capitol grounds along
| First street in front OF the Library of
Congress.
! Settling of the trackc of the Capitai
j Traction Company on Fl st street where
| t. crosses B street, southeast resulting
| in a closing of the slot through which
is communicated the power to the cars.
| similar condition of the tracks Of
| the Lincoln Park car line at the corner
OF First and A streets northeast and
First and B streets northeast.
In addition to this, the paving of First
street has been damaged to a greater or
! less extent in various places.
| Does Not Think it Serious.
Engineer of Highways Hunt, speak
| ing for the District government, said
| today:
| I'VE have heard of the sinking of the
surface of the street, and do not think
| it serious in so far as great damage is
| threatened by the shrinkage of the
ground.
When the permit was issued for the
boring of the tunnel. H-e thought there
would be no external signs of work done
| p,r- oh,
we were wrong in that particular.
| "The District. however. win not be
put to any expense by the developments.
| The contractor for the tunnel work will
| have the responsibility and the expense
| of restoring the street paving to it's or
iginal condition.
/ Explanation of Trouble
Explanations of the shrinkage of the
earth at these points have been given
as follows:
| The roof of the turnel under First
street is from fifteen to thirty feet be-
low the surface of the street. Between
the roof Of the tunnel and the top of
the ground there were originally sub
terranean springs and streams which
impregnated the earth with moisture
The operations IN connection with the
construction of the tunnel necessitated
the drying up of some of these springs
and the divergence of some of the
streams from their original sources
When this happened, the moisture in the
earth was withdrawn or shifted TO other
points.
This resulted in the earth shrinking
slightly as 1t became dry and the ac-
companying settlement of the surface
of the street followed.
T-I
In detail this is the situation on First
street:
On the southeast side of B street
southeast. where it crosses First street,
the asphalt has sunk to the shape of a
saucer over a space about ten feet III.
diameter. In this space are the tracks
of the Capital Traction Company, The
rails in the middle, forming the slot. ere
entirely out of plumb. one being at least
an inch and a half above the other
These rails are thrown together so close
ly that several plows have been pulled
off the cars.
Constant care IS required to keep this
Slot open. Today men are at work re-
adjusting the level of the tracks and
tearing up the cracked asphalt near the
tracks.
On First street, farther to the north
between East Capitol and A streets, the
sunken area is much larger than at B
| from East Capitol TO p. The western
track Of the Lincoln Park line is
sunken, and where the rurn is made
from h street northeast into First street
northeast, the slot is thrown together to
such an extent that {. 1nlored man is
| employed there all the II ne to grease
| the rails, and at freQlef>: intervals to
pgy open the slot with huge iron
! wedge so that the plows will not be
pulled from the cars when they attempt
TO pass through the narrowed opening
| of the slot. Several pIows have been
pulled off the cars here also.
AT this very point. %lere the coIored
man works. is crack IN the coping that
here for several hundred feet to the
south xhe coping Is sunken and thrown
completely out of plumb.
This damage also, il is believed will
have to be paid for by the tunnel con-
tractor.
Library Not in Danger.
Bernard r. Green. superintendent of
the Library OF Congress. In discussing
the matter today. said he had no fears
that the sinking of the earth would In
any way damage the Library building or
any OF it's accessories.
He said It would be an impossibility
for II to hurt the building proper as
Il the foundations of the structure are
laid so deep that the tunnel could not
injure or disturb them
1t was possible. he said, to have the
fountain In front of the Library disturb
ed a little by the sinking. but he did not
anticipate even this inconvenience
"If the tunnel he said. were 200 feet
| under the ground, the Library might be
hurt. but this is not possible under ex-
isting conditions
| Tornoyyou Ic Ch;Idre,,S ~, -