The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-03-06
BIG SEWER BROKE
AT 18TH STREET
TROUBLE SIMILAR TO THAT A
TENTH STREET AND FROM
LIKE CAUSE.
IS PROMPTLY STOPPED
Street Committee, Engineer Con
tractor and Attorney in Confer.
ence Yesterday Agree
On Cause and Cure.

! There was meeting Of the street
committee yesterday afternoon at the
council chamber to consider the sit
uation at Fifteenth street and Com
werclal avenue There were pres mt
| with the mayor AMI members of the
committee, Contractor Rich. Attorney
ILeek and Engineer Thistlewood At
the beginning Of the meeting it was
decided that there Should be no one
admitted except those interested. in
order to admit of freer Interchange
LEI views. and as far as can lie camel
the matter was thoroughly and very
plainly discussed
No definite knowledge as - the
cause Of the trouble was developed;
but from a careful Inspection made
hv the engineer, the contractor anil
TIE attorney and others reason
able theory is advanced. II is known
that the new sewer has settled at tn
point stated, several feet, ana must
be broken, and this could be caused
only by a wash-Ort underneath. How
this could have occurred is not clear.
1t is known that when the sewer was
built the ground was found to be I'M
usually solid at this point and it was
Dlanked solidly in order 10 make a
firm bottom Engineer Thistlewuod
and an assistant went through the
sewer it's entire length from Thirty
fourth street down, inspecting it
carefully and found it in apparently
good condition His suggestion now
lis that possibly the tap" or opening
left at Fifteenth street, with which
to connect the lateral sewer at that
point was not properly closed or that
the cap had become displaced
through the settling OF the earth fill
in the late rains, with the result that
sipe-water found an opening into the
Zig maiE carrying tina earth with
| il and undermining a large area, be
fore the surface nnally gave way.
The engineer says the pressure of the
| high river is enormous and is very
great in the stratas Of loose soil I'M
der the city; any little opening
in the sewer would admit a strong
stream that would carry soil with il
in steadily increasing quantity.
! II was the opinion of City eetff-
sellor Leek that the Rich Construc-
tion Co, being under contract TO
guarantee the sewer for two years,
would have to repair any damage to
the sewer; and this opinion was con
Cured in by the committee.
As a remedy for the present, it
was agreed with Contractor Rich that
the emergency gate" at Twentieth
street be closed, that a bulk-head be
put into the sewer at Fourteenth
street, which would catch dead
water between these two points and
permit repairs to be made, In the
meantime the Twenty-eighth street
pump will drain the section of the
city having connection with TIE
sewer above Twentieth street, and
the Tenth street pump will drain the
section connected with the sewer be
low Fourteenth street.
It is expected that the Tenth
street pump which has been shut
I'oWn for two days because of 2
twisted shaft will be in operation
again today.
There was not much water in any
nj the low places of the city yester
day but last nights rain probably
added 10000, 400 gallons to the collec
tion.