The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-08-18
TRAFFIC BLOCKED
ON GARY STREET
Deep Ditch and Sea of Mud
Makes Thoroughfare I'm
passable
MANY COMPLAINTS
SENT TO THE MAYOR
City, Laying Deep Sewer Must
Blast Granite Ledge, Possibly
Wrecking Gas and Water
Mains Thereby.

of refuse, decayed meat. aud here and
there dead rat; deep ditch. In
which sweating laborers are toiiing,
going down Into the very bowels of the
earth, and on each side of the ditch
two great and constantly growing piles
OF the dirt which h being dug up
such a state of affairs has maize Cary
street between Fourteenth and FIJI
teenth practically impossible even for
pedestrians, and absolutely blockaded
so far as the passage OK teams Is con-
cerned.
Numerous complaints have been filed
by merchants whose places OF business
are located along this street. Com
planning letters have been sent to City
Engineer Boiling by the score, and.
more recently, to Mayor Richardson.
The latter has visited the street and
looked over the work. He admits that
the condition of affairs Is dreadful,
but he cannot see how things can be
remedied.
Indeed. instead of growing better. IL
Is more than probable that within a
few days matters which are already
bad will be even worse. The work
men making the excavation. which,
when completed. la TO hold a deep
sF"SA NUN gSuothVS tECNfN w
Virginia street, have struck granite
ledge, which must be blasted with dy-
Mantle. On either side OF the ditch Is
main---ene a gas main, the other a
water main. When the blasting is
done grave fears are entertained that
the mains viii lbe badly damaged. The
slightest deviation of the charge will
mean enormous wreckage. the repair
OF which will cost the city thousands OF
dollars.
Street Is Blocked.
Il don't know what is TO be done
about this" said Mayor Richardson
Thursday. AS the mayor spoke he held
In his hand a letter from Cary street
merchant. the most recent complaint
against the blockade, which has been
in existence, block by block, all along
the line of work ever since the start
of the digging operations last May.
THE street Is blocked. all right"
continued the mayor. Things are in
1t Is by blasting A water main Is on
the city engineer many times concern
ing the state Of affairs on Cary street
Both of us have gone and made per-
sonai inspection of the work. I'm
questtonaably the contractors are do
ing the best they can. They are GO
Ing along as quickly as they can with
safety and are trying to inconvenience
the merchants along the street as little
as possible.
Nevertheless, the work is moving
very slowly and the street is certain
ly in terrible condition.
The worst phase In connection
with the work, however, lies In the
fact that the laborers have encoun-
tered strip granite directly In
their path That granite must be re-
moved In order to reach the proper
depth. and the only way to remove
dreadful condition. / have talked with
one side of the ditch and a gas main
Is on the other. The blasting is liable
to wreck either or both OF these
mains"
| by reporter for The Virginian Thurs
day. declared that they expected to
strike the granite either Saturday or
Monday. They have already struck
granite fakes with their picks, and
they expect to encounter a solid ledge
within the next two or three days.
To lay Deep Sewer.
| The work is being done by the firm
of l. J. Smith, contractors. working
under orders from the office of the
| city engineer They are digging a
ditch about ten feet wide, and fully
| twenty-five feet deep. In which they
4
and with a diameter Of four feet on
the inside. Eighteen men are at work
on the job, and they have no ides
how long II win take them to com
plete their operations. They began
| about the middle OF last May al
Shockoe creek and have since dug uE
Cary street as far as Fourteenth
street.
All sorts of machinery Is being used
by the men in their digging. and this
fact, while II probably speeds the
work, only serves to make the block
ade of the street the more effective
There is. for instance. q huge port.
able derrick, which runs back ant
forth on specially constructed track,
! for a distance of about thirty yards
/ This derrick hotsts the dirt from one
point, carries ii to another and dumps
| II on the top Of an enormous pie
The framework of the derrick extend,
almost to the curbing on both side.
| of the street Its presence alone
would make 1t well-nigh impossible
for team to pass along the thor
oughfare.
/ For fully half block the street |.
slashed by the gaping ditch. Beyond
this, to the corner. the ditch has beer
filled In, but conditions are such a,
to almost beggar description. Tn,
thoFoughfare Is n sea Of eesffae mud
| which one would sink ankle dee,
in attempting to cross the street, All
along Cary street where the diggin,
has been done and filled in, too. thes.
same conditions. in greater or lessel
degree, prevail. Hogs might wallov
1 there and be contented.
/ A Serious Problem.
Taken all In all. 1t is the concensu.
OF opinion among city officials tina
the condition OF Richmond thorough
fares is rapidly becoming seriou.
problem. The wretched condition 81
Broad street. where trenches are nov
being dug for the laying of electri,
/ conduits. has been the cause OF al
sorts of criticism being directed
against the firm that Is doing tn,
/ work. Incidentally. the same Arm O.
II. j. Smith & Co. that is at work 81
Cary street II also in charge of tn,
digging operations on Broad street
I having received the latter contrac
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