Albuquerque morning journal., 1907-07-24


Of the large Auditorium building, Ra-
leigh square and the Grand Plaza.
At the outer corners OF the basin I
stand high towers for the exhibits ef
the light house service and the wire
less telegraph and within the basin are
conducted the aquatic and swimming
events. Government launches. pleas-
lure craft and other boats Of light draft /
also enter this basin, and deposit their
passengers upon broad landing sur |
mounted on either side by tail, white |
columns of Corinthlan architecture.
The federal government contributed
$500, 900 for the construction of these
piers, and advertised Tor bids which |
were opened October 21st, 1906, in |
Washington at the office Of Major
Spencer Sosby, engineer IN charge ct
the work. Although fifteen sets Of
plans had been sent out. only one |
company put IN bid and this bid was
based on a revised drawing. 1t was
1.-THE Scodeld company of Philadelphia |
that submitted this bid to this com !
lpany and was awarded the contract on
a complete re-desgning OF all the SUBJ
structure, all the architectural features
of the original plan, however being
maintained.
The new plans called for a total Of
about $4,000 piles, sheet piles and
round piles considerably over mile |
of sea wall; about 100000 yards of fiji
land about 100000 yards of dredging.
To complete this plan over $500. 00O
4 feet of lumber, for either permanent
or temporary use, was required.
The most exceptional feature Of the
whole pier II a 150-foot reinforced
arch at the outer end. This arch.
placed on a mud bottom. relying en-
tirely upon the bearing powers OF the
| piles driven for lts abutments, was
the principal engineering feature Of
the whole work, as at the time OF the
issue of the plans to date. 1t Is thel
longest single span bridge Of its kind
IN this country measuring exactly 15l |
| feet and five inches from spring line
to spring line. In order to place this |
arch over 200 piles were driven IN |
each abutment and the concrete placed
nine feet below the water line I'm two
/ large Golfer dams.
In beginning his work, the contrae-
tor had three serious problems to
solve.
Flrst--The labor conditions at the
exposition grounds at the time, not
altogether satisfactory on account Of
the thousands of men required for
other construction then going on
within the grounds.
SecOnd-The uncertainty of the tide |
action as Influenced by almost the |
slightest wind
Third-The heavy wind storms to !
which the waters off the jamestown |
exposition grounds are exposed in win |
ter and spring.
With practically 75 per cent of the
work at low water. which could only I,
be reached few hours during the
day. with the very cold and severe
weather throughout much Of the win
ter and spring making II impossible |
for men to work overheard, with pc |
rlods of almost three weeks when the |
low tide did not come within a foot of |
normal low water, with a succession |
OF severe storms. and with the con-
tending difficulty of transportation OF
laborers, the work of constructing
these enormous piers was carried on
practically continually from the time !
| II started. In fact. the claim is made
that from the first OF the year until
the present time, there has not been an
hour when some work was not being
done on the pier
Fourteen different pile-drIving ma !
chimes were used in the pile driving, |
as high as ten being used at the same
time. Nine dredges, seven tugs and
twelve sc0ws, all manned by at least
two, and sometimes three crews |
working either sixteen or twenty-fOur
hours. have been used on the dredging |
In operating and handling the ma-
terial for this gigantic undertaking |
| three locomotives were used, two /
narrow gauge and "a standard gauge |
Over two and q half miles of track |
were laid to connect the various parts
OF the work with the exposition com |
| panys tracks
In handling the concrete. two separ-
ate and distinct concrete plants were .
/ built. one on the shore for the -four |
sea walls and the other end. and the /
other for the arch, situated on a teni-
pGrary trestle along side.
On account of the length OF time
lost In the ride between Norfolk and |
the surrounding cities and the expo
sition grounds. and desiring to facill.
tate matters. the company constructed |
a number of bunk houses, separating |
the vatious classes of lahOrers, whites. |
Italians and negroes. Besides this n /
house for the superintendent and en-
gineers, tool house, a cement shed, |
o blaeksmiths shop. a staff work shoh, /
commlssary, restaurant and three cook /
houses we're built.
Laborers were imported from all |
over the east, principally Italians from /
New York, and whites and negroes
from Annapolis and Baltimore. AsI
many az f0rty-three foremen with
their gangs have been employed on
the work at one time
One OF the hardest obstacles In COM
pleting the pier was found to be the
dredging The bottom. instead OF be-
ing sandy. as shown on the drawings |
IN the original plans, proved to be a |
lcomblnatlon OF clay, sand, sandstone
ETC. with a large amount Of cobble /
stones and small boulders, which de-
fed the best efforts of anything but
the largest dredges.
A simple statement of the foregoing /
facts is sufficient to convince one that /
Incident to the jamestown exposition. |
and IN order 10 add to the beauty OF /
the setting of this great Worlds fair |
1.-THE United States government under