The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-09-14
.C0RTELYOU TO- Be
AT PIER DEDICATION
Secretary Of Treasury Re-
presents Government at
To- Nights Exercises.
ONE OF WORLDS
GREATEST TASKS
Has Largest Arch Of Its Kind in
lhis. Country-Vast Resources
Employed in It's Construc-
tion-Its Cost Four Hun
dred Thousand.
Dollars.
Especial to The Times-Dispatch.l

Especial to The eTimes-Dispatch.l
JAMES TOWN EXPOSITION
GROUNDS, September 13.-Hon. George
Bruce Cortelyou. Secretary of the
Treasury. will be at the Jamestown
Exposition tomorrow night to speak
at the dedication of the great Govern
ment Pier. This announcement was
made to-day. Mr.. Cortelyou Is also
chairman of the National Tercentcn-
nial Commission.
The illumination of the pier on the
occasion of the dedication and the
magnificent display of fireworks will
combine to make the most gorgeous
spectacle yet witnessed at the fair.
The final completion of the pier ef-
fcctually does away with one OF the
greatest drawbacks to the success of
the fair.
The program for the occasion, with
the addition OF an address by Mr.. Cor
telyou. Will be carried out as originally
announced.
Gigantic Task.
This ma agnifcent contribution of the
general government to the glory and
beauty of the tercentennial celebration
represents one of the most gigantic
tasks OF modern times The govern
ment appropriated the. sum of 100000
and the contract was awarded in the
Office of Major Spencer Cosby. the en- Si-
neer in charge of the work in Wash
ington. October 81, 1906. to the Scho-
field Company, of Philadelphia.
The plans called for a total OF about
10000 piles-sheet piles and round piles
considerably over mile of sea-wall.
about 100000 yards OF fill. and about
100000 yards of dredging. To COM
rlete the plans, over 3,5O0,d0o feet OF
lumber. for either permanent or tenn
porary use. was required. The pier is
a double one, inclosing an enormous
but the most exceptional feature of the
whole pier is 150-foot reinforced
arch at the outer end.
This arch. placed on a mud bottom.
relying entirely upon the bearing
powers Of the piles driven for its
abutments, was the principal engineer
ing feature of the whole work, as it
is the longest single span bridge OF the
kind in this country, measuring exact
ly 151 feet. and inches from spring
this arch. over 200 piles were driven
in each abutment and the concrete
placed nine feet below the water line
In two large Golfer dams.
Fourteen different pile-drlving ma
chimes were used In the pile-driving,
as high as ten being used at the same
TINT. Nine drcdges. seven tugs and
twelve scows. all manned with ut least
| two, and sometimes three crews. work
ing 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 We're used, two mar
row gauge and one standard gauge.
over two and half miles of track
We're lain to connect the various parts
of the work with the Exposition Com
pany's tracks.
In handling the concrete two sep
arate and distinct concrete plants We're
built, one on the shore for the four
lsea-walls and the other end, and the
other for the arch. situated on tenn
porary trestle alongside.
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 draw
| ings of the original plans. proved to
| be combination of clay, sand
sandstone. etc, with large amount
of cobb,e stones and small boulders
which defied the best efforts of any
thing but the largest dredges.