New-York tribune., 1907-09-13
CONTRACTING COMPANY HAPPY.

CONTRACTING COMPANY HAPP1.
The discovery that something has happened 10
the northwesterly fork of the creek was mace
bv the Degnon Contracting Company Wnlch j.
building the Sixth avenue spur OF the oId MOT
ton street tunnel route for the Hudson OoIii-
raries The spur extends from 9th street 10
33d street The contracting company eXpec'9u
TO have considerable trouble in bridging over
the creek. but in place Of a great volufne VI
water, Ieaping and rushing many feet oelo" 'he
level of the surface of Sixth avenue engineers
of rho con1panv have found the bed of the old
creek qucksand bed and the sand only moist
William C. McAdoo. president of the New York
4, New Jersey Railroad Company, which owns
the old Morton street tunnel route said yester-
day in speaking about the disappearance OF
the Old creek: Il have been informed that the
Degnon Contracting Company has not had
serious encounter with the old creek along the
tunnel route in Sixth avenue At 18th street
and Sixth avenue a pump was built to test the
strength of the flow of the subterranean water
The pipe attached TO the pump was driven a
great distance below the street surface
1.-THE pump showed that the creek was prac-
tically dry. Later the bottom of the creek was
reached and it was quickly seen that old
Minetta Creek was nothing more nor less now
than deep layer of quicksand, slightly damp.
Maybe the old creek has been DETECTED from its
old course but how or when 1 cannot tell YOU
i have been told that in the lower section OF
Sixth avenue electrical pumps are used TO this
day TO keep cellars dry and foundations intact
But we will never need electrical pump. o-
anv other kind of pump. along the Sixth ave-
nue. spur of the Hudson Companys tunnel on
account of old Minetta Creek
HAS FLOODED MANY CELLARS
e-,.r, ,.or,,, raaI estate broker when asked
about the present day troubles with Minetta
Crock IN lower Sixth avenue. said: Il am the
se,apt for 4 number of houses in Sth street and
waveriev Place and in various other streets
near those thoroughfares II is true that for
vcars Minetta Creek has bobbed up serenely
many times to the annoyance of occupants of
houses and property owners.
Up 10 this year it was not little stream o.
water Since the new year IL has given us littIe
trouble and I hope It has said adieu to this Sec
tion of the city. For some years people have
advocated that the Water Department find the
various sources of the creek and erect pumping
stations at those places so that the water could
be used for sprinkling the streets and for other
commercial purposes In some of the houses
under our control and that OF other brokers III
the district there are electrical pumps. ana
without the pumps the cellars of the structures
yyould seldom be dry The water from the creek
is pumped into the sewer mains LaIely 'hei0
has been little need for the pumps
1T may be the old creek has become dry
Then. again the creek may have been shifted
out of it's original course by building IN the nd-
town sections The foundations of most big
buildings are now OF greater depth than those
of the old type, and, moreover. concrete is
largely used in the construction of these mod
ern buildings a concrete foundation in the
natb of the creek would. 1 think. change the
course OF the creek or divide it into various
streams of water. so that the creek in lower
Sixth avenue may be only one of many
branches of this famous subterranean body OF
wafer We have been attributing the inactivity
of the creek in lower Sixth avenue to the long
dry spells of this summer, but the mystery sur
rounding the disappearance Of this underground