The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-07-30

one Of the Hn1 s'nment's Contrlbu-
tons to the il Eet3Wn Exposition.
These piers, mc!D!3ing a water basin
,"ataining 100000 square feet of
water surface and a depth of ten feet
at low tide, jul oIt into Hampton
Roads from a centra. point on the Elk
position grounds, immediately in front
Of the large auditorium building, Raj
cigl3 Square ana ta,' Grand Plaza.
At the outer ES3}&ers of the basin
stand high towe 3 FOR the exhibits Of
the lighthouse ST 9fse and the wireless
telegraph. and ',5Gain the basin are
conducted the ,aG Ystic and swimming
events. Gorernn' u, launches. pleas
ure craft and 9TH boats of light
draft also enter Thu. basin. and deposit
their passengers upon a broad landing.
s~urnourted on either side by tall
white columns of C~orinthian struc-
ture.
The Federal government appropri-
ated $4G0,0 Q fer the construction Of
these piers, and advertised for bids,
which were opened October 81 1906,
in Washington, in the Office of Major
Spencer Cosby, engineer in charge Of
the work. Although fifteen sets Of
plans had been sent. out, only one
company put in g bid, and this bid
was based on a revised drawing. It
was the SCOfieId Company. of Phila-
delphia. that submitted this bid. and
to this company was awarded the con-
tract, on a complete re-designirg of
all the sub-structure, all the architec-
tural features of the original plans,
however. being maintained.
The new plans called for a total OF
about $4,000 piles-sheet piles and
round piles considerably Yer q mile
of sea-wall, about 10000 yards of fill
and about 450, 0G0 yards of dredging.
To complete the plans over $4,000 600
feet of lumber. for either permanent
or temporary Use. was required.
The most exceptional feature of the
whole pier was a $50 foot reinforced
. concrete arch at the outer end. This
arch, placed on a mud bottom, relying
entirely upon the bearing powers of
the piles driven for it's abutments, was
the principal engineering feature of
the whole work, as at the time of the
Issue of the plans and to date, it is
the longest single span bridge of the
lkind in this country, measuring ex-
actly ISL feet and 5 inches from spring
line to spring line. In order to place
this arch over 200 piles were driven
in each a~butn1ent, and the concrete
placed nine feet below the water line,
in two large Golfer dams.
In beginning this work the contract
Tor had three serious problems to
solve:
First. The labor conditions at the
Exposition grounds at the time. not al
together satisfactory on account Of
the thousands of men required for
lother construction then going on with
in the grounds.
Second. The uncertainty of the tide
action, as Influenced by almost the
highest wind.
Third. The heavy wind storms to
which the waters off the jamestown
Exposition grounds are exposed in
winter and in spring.
With practically IS per cent. of the
work at low water, which could only
be reached d few hours each day, with
the very cold and severe weather
throughout much of the winter and
spring, making it almost impossible
for the men to work overheard, with
periods of almost three weeks. when
the low tide did not come within a foot
of normal low water, with a success
sion Of severe storms, and with the
t~HHtending difficulty of TRANSFORMATION
Of laborers, the work of constructing
these enormous piers was carried on
practically continuously from the time
[ was started. In fact. the claim is
made that from the first of the year
hntll the present time, there has not
teen an hour when there was not some
work being done on the pier.
Fourteen different pile-driving ma
ehlneS were used in the pile driving
rs high as ten being used at the same
ilme. Nine dredges. seven tugs and
WE'VE ScoWs, all name with at least
TWO, md sometimes three crews
working either sixteen or tWenty-fou1
hours, have been used on the dredging
In operating and handling the mate
Ilal for this gigantic undertaking
ihree locomotives were used, two mar
low u and one standard gauge
oVs two and a half miles of track