Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-08-17
Building Gr;,.,,e11 Se,oer
Fifty Feet Underground

Grinnell. Aug. 17.-Putting In sewer
system like the old one that GrinneH
is struggling with at the present time
is a complicated affair, and requires
almost military organization to work
it effectively.
The commander in chief is w. +.
Riley, of st. Louis. head Of the Riley
Construction Company, who has Two
other contracts on his hands and can
only be here small portion OF the
time. The work is under the imme-
date supervision of his son, w. A.
Riley, who is. for the present, a resi-
dent of Grinnell.
The working force is divided into
four units The most Spectacular
work is W hat will always be called the
tunnel. This is mostly on Second ave-
nue., and the work was commenced a'
the west end by sinking two shatts'
one between Spring and Pearl streets
and another, about 400 feet farther
east, between Spring and West streets
This work is in charge of Joseph Kelly
and ]. ]. WEIGH, on duty day ana nishl
alternately. The two shafts are ap-
proximately fifty feet deep, strongly
timbered all the way down. Each
shaft is provided with hosting en-
CINE and pump. From the bottom y,
the west shaft headings are extenoeo
in each direction. Only two men can
work in a heading at time, ana inc
rate of progress is from SIX TO eis NJ
feet a day each shift. There are no"
four headings working TWO snlils'
which makes the rate of progress apou1
fifty feet a day. An electric hsnti'is
system has been put in by the GFih-
nell Electric & Heating Conlpaas'
which is a great help to the men WORK
ing in the headings.
Another unit is all machine with the
exception of two men, W. ,. whey
of Omaha, the owner, and his neipe''
The machine is Humphrey oichei
with a capacity in depth OF fourteen
feet and under favorable circum-
stances will dig from 700 TO SUI Zee.
Of sewer ditch ten feet deep per DAY.
On account of the rainy weather ehe
machine has been working only
small portion of the time, repeated
eaya-;ns stopping the machine unth d
force Of men could repair the damage.
The digging part is a series OF ante!
,s-a buckets and cutters on an end
lass chain. which can be lowered as
-ba digging progresses. A side eieva-
-o- carries the dirt on TO the dump
nile The engine a forty-hve horse
newer. is made for crude oil, out is
,,s:-- kerosene al the present time.
Another thing which has hindereo
-ba work so far. both for the machine
AND the shovelers is the constant
changes in the sol. which occur as
of-en as twenty feet. Now that the
rainfall appears to be back 10 normal
Mr.. Wiley thinks ne will soon De open
ing IN the ground very rapidly
Ed Thompson is the foreman OF an
o-her force which IS digging for, ana
having. the main sewer in the aiiey De
rween Pearl and Center streets. AS
rhere was so little room for the waste
hanks this had to be dug by hand. IN
Some places it is twenty-five feet deep
and has to be carefully timoered AS
rhe dirt is shoveled back the tlmoers
are pulled out, to be used over ano
over again.
II naturally Will occur to anyone
that, especially in weather such as
We have been having, there must De
nlentv Of drainage for the ditcnes as
fast as they are dug. This IS accom-
plished by starting from low point
in the valley on First avenue niue
east of the greenhouse, where tenn
porary outlet has been secured into
small stream. That was the start
ing point for digging the main sewer
and all Of the bitches drain TO this
point.
A fourth force is working along the
east edge Of the cemetery grounds on
: s.a,!i;,-- ditch seven tcc- deep uh'ch
starts at the point where Mr.. Riley
work joins that of the Turner I'm
provement Company, which has the
contract for building the outlet. With
this force the American language is
only used in talking with outsiders.
Here Is a little segment from Croatia
dropped down in our midst.