The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-10-20
FRONT ST. Wall
NOW FINISHED
BLOWING OF HIsTLE AN
NouNCEs LAYING OF LAST
eARRowFUL OF CONCRETE
THIS MORNING.

The last OF the Front street walls
is finished and the blowing of the
whistle of the old Quincy pump house
announced the laying of the last SHOW
elful of concrete at exactly two min
utes of 10 o'clock this morning. The
sounding of the whistle, which for
many years served as the city fire
alarm. drew forth many residents
from their stores and places of bust
ness under the impression that there
was n fire, but the reason for the de-
monstration was quickly ascertained.
Advantage was taken by Contractor
McClynn of the fair and favorable
weather of the last few days to rush
the work on the fifth and final stage of
his big contract force of men hav-
ing been kept busy all day Sunday,
and additional haste being made yes
terday when fall of snow seemed inn
minent. During the early hours this
morning the men employed on the JOB
worked like beavers, and just before
10 o'clock the last wheel barrowful of
concrete was wheeled into position at
the point where the end of the wall
adjoins the Exley building. 1t required
only about half of the quantity in the
vheelbarrow to level off the surface,
and after a few strokes of the shovel
To smooth off the top. the workman
announced:
Well that finishes It,"
Engineer II. u. Brock Of the Dakota
Heights company, which has the con-
tract for making the sand fiji back of
the walls, thought that some little cell
ebratlon would be fit the occasion and
notified the engineer at the pump
house, which furnishes water for the
sand washing, to blow his whistle.
Half dozen long toots were forth
with produced, but they were some
what feeble, owing to there not being
very strong head of steam up.
Contractor McGlynn at once began
the removal of his mixing machinery
and tools, and part of the wooden
framework was taken down. The re-
mainder will be left until the concrete
has set, which will be but couple OF
DAYS. and then the filling with sand
will continue uninterruptedly until
solid roadway is formed across the
ravine. Already a part of the wooden
structure at the eastern end OF the
wall has been taken down and the de-
hosting of earth has been progressing
coincidently with the work on the wall
so that the amount of filling yet to be
done Is comparatively small. IL VIII
proceed faster than was the case with
the four previous walls. owing to the
narrowing of the ravine, as the works
advanced further up the rayine II Is
expected that the balance OF the NIL
ing will not take more than couple
Of weeks at the most, after which the
roadway can be used for team traitlc'
as by reason of being deposited with
water. IL is as solid and firm as though
Il had stood for ages. The old wooden
bridge is now almost buried in sand
but II will continue in use this winter
by the street railway company, as IL
is too late in the season for the trans
fer of the tracks this fall. The COM
pletion of the I'll will make straight
roadway sixty-five feet wide from the
Elks Temple corner to Center street
and by eliminating the curve at the
old bridge will give an unobstructed
view clear to the county bridge. the
building of the walls and the making
of the fiji has taken the better part OF
two seasons, Contractor McGlynn
having begun work in June last year.
and the filling having been started on
July Is. The Improvement Is one OF
the biggest undertaken in Hancock IN
years and will add greatly to the at
Effectiveness of the city, besides elm
mating the old and dangerous wooden
bridge which has stood for years ana
which had been repeatedly condemned
by the city council and engineers.
The last wall was built like the oth-
or lower ones, in a series of steps
every twenty Ave feet or so. The coun-
ell recently proposed that the hnal
wall be built straight so as to permit
the building of an ornamental coping
or railing, but as II is proposed u
ultimately have buildings erecteu
along the wall. the contractors maze IL
uniform with the other walls.
There still remains much to be done