Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-07-17
Start E~xcavating on New
ark Section of Drainage
Basin After Is Years
Of Agitation.
LABOR PLENTIFUL TO
FINISH CONST CTION
New York's Suit Against PoIIu-
ton Of Bay May Be Dropped,
as Government Withdraws
from Case.

After more than fifteen years of
agitation and litigation ground a
broken today for the construction of
the Passaic Valley trunk sewer on
the Newark section of the big drain,
which will have it's outlet in New
York bay.
At $3.50 o'clock William S. Acker-
man, Of Passaic county. and John F.
Sinnott, Of Essex county, Passaic Val
ley sewerage commissioners, with pick
and shovel, removed the first bit Of
earth and the work of construction
was begun.
The work was started at a point
avenues, along the centre of River
side avenue, along the banks of the
Passaic river.
Work Done by Union Labor.
Within a few minutes the McCau-
ley-Manton Company, Of Brooklyn,
contractors for this section, had a
large steam digger in operation and
work was begun in earnest. Several
Italians, receiving union wages of 50
a day, were put to work on the exca-
walton, and many more stood around
waiting to be engaged.
Although the work on section 9 in
Newark is the first actually done on
the big drain, a test excavation was
started last Thursday by the Donlon
Contracting Company, Of Brooklyn.
on section Is. at Hope avenue and
Sherman street, Paterson. Z
Section Is is 1900 feet In length,
with two tunnels of 1900 feet and
1000 feet, respectively. The sewer in
section is will be 81 inches in diam
eter for half it's distance. and 80
inches. the balance.
Section 9, which is 1900 feet long.
will be 1876 inches In diameter. The
xerl.ar this ~ setitEfis Icing .nsr1et-
ed by Joshua Jameson.
To Cost $4,000.
The work on section 8 is to be
completed according to contract, Au-
gust 1, 1913, and the amount expend-
ed will be $3.50, 900. Chief Engineer
William M. Brown arrived at the
scene of operations about 10 o'clock
with William Gavin Taylor, the de-
signing engineer.
Commissioner William Mckenzie,
of Bergen county, is abroad at pres
ent and Commissioner Judge Francis
Child is in Ontario. Canada. for his
health. These two men and Com
missioner Peter Hauck were absent
from the opening.
The work today was started in the
centre of section 8. The point where
the first shovel full of dirt was re-
moved was at the portal Of one OF
the tunnels.
To Be q Thirty-fve Foot Cut.
Section 9 runs about 800 feet north
of the Erie railroad, crossing at Riv-
erside avenue and about 1000 feet to
the south. The sewer will be in
about a 35-foot cut, which is the
maximum. IL 1t is necessary to dig
deeper than So feet the sewer will be
tunneled as it is cheaper to tunnel
than to remove earth at a greater
depth.
The tunnel, horseshoe in shape, will
be Ii feet 6 inches in internal meas
urement. The slope of the sewer is
about one foot drop to every 3,700 run
ming feet. The portal where the work
was started today Is the dividing line
between the tunnel and the open
work, and the construction work will
be carried on from this point in both
directions. The 'open cut" portion
is in an average cut of about 20 feet.
The entire sewer will be of solid
concrete, both in the open cut and in
CONTINUED on Second Page.)