Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-10

IN the various city engineers. city
- councils and contractors Of the
fh4H4M city OF Omaha, the North
NS Omaha main s~ewer-the largest
west Of C~hicago-is now being built the
construction work being we'll under way.
Three city engineers, a dozen councils and
contractors almost without number have
been connected with It from time to time.
and when final completion Of the big sewer
Is accomplished one OF the worst "hoodoos'
OF the city will have been removed, much
10 the relief OF the city's administrative
forces and the various contractors who do
the city's work.
Being OF mammoth proportions, the con-
struction Of the sewer is no small UNDER
taking and the contractor, ]. J. Hanighan
OF Omaha. was given nine months in which
TO do the work, even though that part of
the sewer which he will build for the city
IL but $3.50 feet in length. The entire
length OF the sewer will be $500 feet, but
the Union Pacific Railroad company is con-
struct'ng 1880 feet OF this. that part which
goes through it's holdings on the bottoms.
where the railway shops are located.
Contractor Hanighen began work on
August S, last, and the contract calls for
completion by May /. 1909, the cost to the
city to be nearly $4,000. while the Union
eNAAN WIN Hd9 Vut uNti eootvVV Nlo
construction OF It's part of the sewer.
At its largest point the sewer will be
eleven and one-half feet by twenty-five
feet. twice as large as any sewer hereto
fore built in Omaha and larger than any
sewer in the Twin Cities. st. Louis. Kansas
City, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco or
any other city west of Chicago. This large
section Of the sewer will extend from
Eighth street 10 Eleventh street. The next
section above will be somewhat smaller.
taporing again further up. The lowest
block, only, will I've built on the cube order,
the other sections to be cylindrical.
The outlet OF the sewer is a few rods
north OF Cass street, on the Missouri river,
the sewer from there extending a short
distance west 20 the line OF the Union
Pacific shop grounds. This section was
completed early in the work. Through the
shop grounds the sewer will take a west
erly course to Ninth street and then south
westerly to Eleventh street, about four
blocks, where the city again takes up the
work.
From Eleventh street the sewer will be
laid under the alley between California
ana Cass streets to Thirteenth street,
thence north on Thirteenth street to Cali
fornia street, west on California street to
Fourteenth street. north on Fourteenth
street to Webster street, west on Webster
street to Flfteenh street and north on
Fifteenth street to lizard street. At lizard
1t will connect with the old lizard street
sewer, which In the past has vainly en-
deavored to drain the north section of the
city. The old lizard street sewer extends
east seven blocks from Fifteenth, where
the connection will be made, but this
lower section will be connected with the
new main sewer at Thirteenth and Cali
fornia streets by a small sewer, which has
also been completed. Some of the main
work has also been completed, the con-
tractor having practically finished that
part OF the sewer UP to California street.
Cullen. Fieestedt & Co. of Chicago have
the contract for building the Union Pacific
section of the sewer and these contractors
are also progressing well with their work,
having completed about 400 feet OF the
contract for 1.6O feet of sewer. This work
must also be completed by May l next.
Though the length of the Union Pacific
section Is but a fourth of the whole, the
cost will be nearly three-fourths as much
as the city's section on account Of the
amount of bridging which the network OF
switching tracks in the shop grounds re
quired. When the excavations were made
under the tracks pillng had to be driver
and bridges built 10 hold them up ant
keep the weight from the pipes to be laid
underneath.
Some bridging also had to be done under
railway tracks in the city's section Of tn,
work. Five railroads rave trackage OF
the bottoms above the Union Pacific shoT
Brounds-the Illinois Central. the Chicago
& Northwestern, the Chicago, Rock IslanC
& Pacific, the Missouri Pacific and tn,
Belt line-and these tracks all had to b
sustained by piling. The cylindrical sec
tion OF the sewer passes under the track
and the cost of the bridging brings tn,
cost OF this section of the sewer up to sc
a foot. Other sections OF the sewer var,
in cost from SIS a foot to so a foot,
The oblong section of the sewer-tha
built on straight lines-will be of bricl
and reinforced concrete. The floor an
walls will be OF brick and the roof OF re
inforced concrete. Steel "I' beams wi