Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-07-08

and at the same time on parts of the
| foundation, where but small
| amount of earth must be taken off,
men with plows loosened the soil
| and it was hauled to the fill with
| scoops. The big steam shovel was
| used in the preliminary work of
moving the earth but its duty has
been finished and the big power
bucket has been taken from the job.
Reinforced Concrete Lining
After the foundation has been
properly graded, and this requires the
| excavation of about $4,000 cubic
yards of earth, a clay blanket which
| viii use about $500 yards of clay will
| be laid. This is for the purpose of
preventing leakage if the concrete,
which goes over the clay, should
crack. The clay blanket also acts
to a certain extent like buffer, TAX
7 ing up slight movements of the earth
and thus rendering the concrete less
liable to breakage.
Approximately 2200 cubic yards of
concrete will be used to lay the re-
enforced concrete lining of the reser-
| voir, which will rest upon the clay
blanket and which will be from six
! to eight inches in thickness. This
concrete will also be laid in sections
with a flexible joint made of "mastic
expansion joint material" being laid
between the sections to take up any
expansion which might occur. About
eight tons of this mastic material
will be used. The concrete lining
will enclose a meshworll of reen-
I forcing steel rods weighing over 80
| tons.
100000 Gallon Capacity
The big bowl will be built in an
oval shape and will measure at the
, rim four hundred feet long and $50
feet wide at the widest point. The
| bottom will be $40 feet by 200 feet,
| and the entire concrete receptacle
| will hold approximately 10,000,U0O
| of water as against approximately
! 100000 for the old one. The two
will be connected by a concrete can
al, which will keep the water in each
at the same level. The depth of the
water in the new reservoir will be
% feet.
The two reservoirs will be connect
| ed with the big pipe line from Garlic
| ton Pond, the source of the city S
water supply, and about 1000 cubic
yards of earth have been ecXavated
| for the installation of "a inch mains
To facilitate the work of moving the
great quantity of sand. which still
remains, a big pump capable of de-
livering 400 gallons of water a min
ute is to be used to level off the sand
and this will probably be in oper-
alton by the end of the week.
The work which the contractor
are to do include the placing of a
considerable amount of fine loan
dressing about the completed en-
bankment so that it may be grassed
over, and 1900 feet of fence will be
erected around the giant saucer.
The work has gone ahead with
great speed and with few occuranees
of any moment. The only accident
which has caused any trouble was
the breaking of the boom on one of
the big derricks. the other day
Luckily the great timber did not
injure any of the workers and after
it was spliced 1T was quickly put in
use again.
Unless something unforeseen oc-
ours the water will be turned into
the auxiliary reservoir before the
contract date for the finish of the
job and the Augusta contractors
will have delivered the great basin
to the Water District for use.