The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1914-10-09
State COMPLAINS ABOUT
The river WALL FILL
Water Supply Commission Insists That
Directions Concerning Excavations
on River Bed Be Strictly Car
ried Out

A complaint that certain require
ments of the State Water Supp.y Com
mission, which approved the plans for
the concrete protective wall along the
river front, are not being carried out
by the city, was to-day sent by that
body in a communication to City Com
missioner Lynch, head of the city high
way department.
In approving the wall plans the Com
mission directed that two-foot ex-
caeation be made in the river bed dl-
reetly in front of the wall, the ma
terial to be used for the fill back of the
wall. In the complaint it is charged
in effect that the required excavating
is not being made but instead the city
is permitting excess filing and con-
struction material to be thrown
promiscuously about on the river bed.
Mr.. Lynch this morning referred the
communication to the Board of Public
Works which has supervision of the
city improvement work and attached to
it letter recommending that proper
steps be taken at once to have the Wa
ter Supply Commission S directions car
ried out. The letter received by Mr..
lJNncn was as IOuOWS.
- Referring to the permit issued by
the Water Supply Commission of Penn
sylvania to the City of Harrisburg,
dated the fifteenth day of July, 1913,
for the construction of stepped, re-
inforced concrete protective wall ex
tending along the foot of the river
bank from Iron alley to Seneca street,
distance of about $4,000 feet, your
attention is called to Condition No. s
of said permit, which requires that no
material be borrowed from outside the
flood channel of the river, which con
dition was imposed for the reason that
the fill to be placed behind the pro-
tective wall should be secured from ex-
cavaton from the bed of the river, the
approved plans indicating that the to-
tai amount of fill required would about
balance the necessary amount of ex-
eavated material from the river chan
nell
IAN inspection by this Commission
shows the entire fill behind the pro-
tective wall was not secured in the
manner directed, and that excavated
material remains in the river bed be-
| yond the toe of the steps. You are,
therefore, requested to cause such ex-
cavated material on the river side of
the protective wall to be removed as
soon as possible. Your attention is
called to the matter at this time for
! the reason that the present low stage
of the river makes it possible to re-
move this material under more favor
able conditions than could be done
when the dam is completed and the riv-
er rises.
! j, d. Justin, chief engineer of the
Board of Public Works, after receiving
/ the TWO communications. announced
that he will get in touch with the con
| tractor, the Sucker Brothers Construc-
/ tion Company. and insist that those pro-
visions of the contract, relating to the
| twofoot excavations in the river bed.
be carried out as promptly as possible
The contractor has been doing
some work along that line, said Mr..
Justin, " although it is not going along
as speedily as it might be. The ma
terial to be obtained through the ex-
cavating is to be used in making the
! fill back of the wall. There is a p-o-
vision in the contract by which the
contractor agreed to make the twofoot
excavations in the river bed directly
in front Of the steps and that must
be complied with before the jo0 will
/ be accepted by the city,
The engineer added that he does not
anticipate any difficulty in having this
part of the contract carried out