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Show GREAT SEH BEING COMSTRUGTED Iff THE CITY Persons vrho Tronder at tho probable prob-able size and power of tho fabled dinosaur and mammoth of prehistoric days, who gaze open-mouthed at the elephants In tho circus strcot parade, may see something Infinitely moro powerful and Interesting in Ogden every ev-ery day the gigantic steam shovel that Is digging, at prodigious speed, tho great trench for the storm water drain, operating today between Twon-ty-first and Twenty-second streets on Madison avenue. This mammoth of steel and steam, working with resistless power, regardless regard-less of rock and clay, water and sand, has a long arm or boom to which is attached a steel scoop that gouges out and lifts fivo-elghth of a yard of earth three times a "minute. Having obtained ob-tained its load, tho great machine, like a thing of life, swings on its revolving pivot and deposits tho burdon on the side of tho trench, whence It is returned, re-turned, after the drain is built, by a sister mammoth especially constructed for filling trenches. How Work Is Done. Tho steam shovel does tho work of scores of powerful men. The trench for the drain is about twelve feet deep and twelve feet wide. The Conduit is 3 1-2 by 4 feet in size. Tho work began about six weeks ago. It is being done under contract and tho supervision of City Engineer Joseph M. Tracy, by Gibbons and Reed Their brigade of able workmen are toiling like beavers to keep up with tho speedy and resistless steam shovel. First they build tho bottom part of tho conduit, leaving tho reinforcing steel sticking up in proper position, Berving as the ribs. Next they construct a wooden frame to hold the cement. Tracks and runways convey the frames from one place to another. Tho concreto mixers and other machinery, on the banks, keep the workmen supplied sup-plied with materials. There is no lost motion, as evidenced by the remarkable remarka-ble progress of the work in the last month. To Prevent All Flooding. This conduit will drain all the coun-. try from Ogden river to Thirty-first street and Madison avenue to the east city limits. It will prevent for all time the flooding of Washington avenue ave-nue and other streets and will do away with all the old-style waterways. As fast as streets are paved in the drainage district inlets will be constructed, con-structed, connecting with the conduit, to carry off all surfaco water. The contract was let last fall. Mayor Abbot R. Heywood, Commissioners Miles L Jones and Christian Flygare, Engineer Tracy and others, who inspected in-spected the Improvement yesterday, commented on the fact that tho letting of this contract last fall saved tho taxpayers from $6000 to $8000 at least this being the difference between the lowest bid obtained at that time and the lowest bid possiblo to obtain, at the present time when prices or everything are high and rising. Mighty Power Amazes. The massive steam shovel Is a show In itself when in action. It rests upon a number of gigantic timbers, laid sido by side across the trench. These timbers tim-bers are about twenty-five feet long, two feet square, weighing, perhaps, 5000 pounds each. After the shovel digs forward as far as possible the engineer pulls a lever, the huge machine ma-chine turns swiftly, completely around, chains drop from the mighty arm and are attached to two or three of the platform timbers, the machine turns again, swinging high tho huge sills and placing them accurately in position posi-tion in front of the machine, which then moves up a few feet, within reach of more earth. This is done with amazing quickness. Could Fortify the City. While this operation was being performed per-formed today, all beholders marveling at the power and cunning of tho elephantine ele-phantine monster, the mayor, who was watching with all of a boy's delight, de-light, stepped forward and called out to tho engineer: "But, say, can I assist as-sist you?" The engineer laughed and replied: "Yes, your honor, by keeping keep-ing out of reach of the shovel's arm." This is the kind of trenching machine ma-chine tho Germans and the allies are using in France. "With two or three of these fellows," said Mr. Gibbons confidently, "we could fortify Ogden within a week, giving the trench facilities fa-cilities to make the city impregnable." oo |
