The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-05-22
BUILDING A new CITY
Great Work Of Engineers in Calves
esq ton Since the Disaster.


Perhaps few people outside OF
Texas realize the wonderful campaign
of defense that Galveston is making
against the recurrence of such q
storm as devastated the island on
Sept. 8, 1901.
Galveston, owing to her peculiar
situation on the end of a narrow
sandbar, whose greatest height is
seven feet above the sea level, is es-
pecially subject to the action of the
wind and the waves. On the south
is the gulf and on the north Calves
ton Bay, which separates the island
from the mainland. In even ordin-
ary stormy weather it was not an un-
usual thing for the town to be cover
ed with several inches of water. The
gulf and bay frequently met across
the island.
The first measure of defense was the
enormous sea wall which has recently
been completed. 1t is a solid con-
crete structure, seventeen feet high
tfrom the ground, and extends for four
and half miles in the unprotected
gulf shore. But even this was not
Judged sufficient protection In the
event of a hurricane the waves might
surmeunt the sea wall and flood the
town or they might make breach.
1t was decided to raise the grade of
the city. This work, which Is now In
progress, is, perhaps, a unique feat of
engineering In the country. The pres
ent plan is to make fill which will
equal the height of the sea wall on
the south and allow a gradual slope
toward the bay shore, thus effecting
solid backing for the wall
To appreciate the magnitude of this
undertaking it is necessary to under
stand some of the difficulty encounter
ed. Approximately four square miles
had to be raised to an average height
of seven or eight feet, though In
some places, which unfortunately hap
pen to be the finest residence section
of the city the elevation will be as
and distribute the 12,00U,000 cubic
feet of material necessary to make the
fill presented a problem of gravest
difficulty to the engineers 1t could
not be obtained from the island with
out cutting off further expansion of
the town, nor could 1t be excavated
from the gulf within working distance
of the city without endangering the
sea wall.
1t was finally decided to dredge It
from the gulf about four miles from
the centre Of the working area, on the
south side of the island. In order to
convey 1t to the city, channel was
cut into the island sixteen feet deep
and twenty wide, parallel to the sea
wall. Steam dredges of the most ap-
proved type carry the watery sand.
some of them making seven trips a
day.
The method of making the fill is to
plot a certain number of city blocks
and surround them with dixie made
of earth scraped from the centre of
the street. equal in height to the in
tended fill. The sand Is then pumped
in through huge discharge fiues.
To escape a mud burial all build
fngs have to be raised on wooden
supports. This furnishes very cur
tous spectacle. Houses stables, chick
en- coops and even trees seem to be
walking on stills, waiting for the
ground to come up to them. The
sewage and water pipes are raised as
the work proceeds. The small trees
and the oleanders which border the
streets, and for which Galveston IL
famous, have been taken UP. The
large trees are usually boxed up with
two or three feet of rich earth.
The discomfoTts and inconvenien-
ces seem scarcely endurable. but are
borne by the citizens with cheerful
fortitude. During the process Of the
filling, everything is in the worst kint
of a muss, but fortunately the SAND
dries out in few days and almost
Immediately commences the work o.
reconstruction. The streets are resur
veyed and graded. Those who wisf
for grass or flowers have to sod theil
premises with rich black earth, as
of course. nothing will grow in the
salt-soaked sand.
hU,v moouy saved the Slate.