Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-09-30
CAMDEN CA|SSON
BIGGEST IN WORLD
Important Factor in Bridge
Leads Nearest Competitor
by Inches Merely
SANDH0GS WORKED HARD

No ono passing along Delaware ave-
nue. near Pearl street. Camden. cas-
ually Of work day would suppose that
behind an innocuous wooden she'd,
drably painted with the name and vir-
tues Of lumber concern, there lurked
the worlds greatest bridge caisson.
Yet such the fact is. Greatest that
is to say, largest. longest, deepest,
widest--a superlatvc caisson. Super
lative, however. only by the margin OF
n few inches over the casson that has
become the main pier Of the Quebec
Bridge over the st. Lawrence.
In spite Of Elnstein. the world still
goes on pretty much as matter of di-
mcnsions. Dimensions. rs one pro-
found young man remarked once. may
we'll be the breadth Of life (for which
observation he was ungratefully eX-
PEELED from st. Epworth's Academy
for Boys. and the shame followed to his
dying day..
Behold then casson 113 foot
long and sixty nine feet eight inches
wide. Here the inches have more than
a mere technical Importance. since. rs
already remarked, they give the en-
bryonic Delaware River bridge as.
cendancy over the Quebec bridge.
Already the working chambers Of the
cnisson. that is TO say, the apcrturcs
where the so-called sand hogs spade
buckets. are eighty five feet below high
tide. This means that it needs from
twenty eight to thirty pounds Of 1ir
pressure to keep. out the water.
This gives n reaction Of 22O0 tons at
tho bottom Of the caisson, making tn"
net weight thereof some 1000 tons.
affording the caissOn another point Of
ascpndancy. 1t Is the heaviest caisson
In the world and, is shortly TO be made
heavier by virtue Of n few Thousand
tons of concrete.
Sand Hogs Have Been Busy
Already the sand hogs have rone-
trateG 10 about forty five feet below
tn" river bottom. and the buckets are
already carrying UP fragments of rock.
This rock is. however. tn use an en-
ginoerinS term. 'rottcn.' Good rock
--thnt Ia {" say. bed rork--has been
sounded about eighty six fect down.
This. according T." calculations, means
another weeks digging p..forc the work
of filling in the chamI-~r1 with con
crete. All in all. the pier should he
ready. except granite. In three wrckS
to afiN th" granite fncings and 10 ercrt
the steel towers over which the cables
are to be swung.
That means that in three weeks the
sand hogs will be paid for the last
time and that the place where they ore
working now. six hours every day. will
haye been obiteratcd as completely az
if>it never existed. What will become
Of them then? Well. from the guess Of
those best acquainted with the species,
most Of the sand hogs will probably loaf
about the city until the money that
has r"mc so freely and easily has been
Then very likely their nos
lrils will itch again for the smell If
air and their tngertipS for
'hc touch Of tho pay envelope. and they
will steal away by one route or an
other to wherever the nearest tunnel or
sewer Is building.
Last Days Arc Hardest
In time they will come together again
in some subtcrranean section of the
'ountry or other. There are some rather |
serious minded sand hogs. who stay for :
years with the same contractors, fol- !
owing the engineers from job 10 Job. ].
But these ar" few. Generally speaking. |
he tradition Of the craft is to allow !.
ample rest periods between jobs.
The last days of caisson digging are
hardest. Before they
ire through with the Camden caisson
he pressure will reach to above forty
but this is 20 some extent COM /
Dcnsated by reduction of the workday !
10 four hours.