70 THE KANSAS CITY BRIDGE.

The pile-driving was completed on the lst of December. The piles were
then cut off under water at an elevation of 89.9 with a circular saw suspended |
from a movable frame and worked by six men. The space amongst the piles,
above the sand, was filled with beton, which served to tie the piles together,
and, being enclosed by the caisson, would of itself form a sufficient foundation, if
not undermined by the scour. The pit was then pumped dry and the piles
were capped with flattened sycamore sticks, on which was laid a second course of
timber of the same kind, the hollow spaces being all filled with beton ; on this
the masonry was started on the 14th of January, at an elevation of 91.1.

During the low-water season, after the completion of the bridge, a large
quantity of heavy stones which had been left over from the masonry, were
collected and placed around the base of this pier, forming the foundation of a
substantial riprap protection.

PIER No. 6.

A few piles were driven on the proposed site of this pier in the spring of
1867, the locations of the piers being then so arranged as to divide the
distance of 577 feet between Piers 4 and 7 into three equal parts. After the
summer flood these few piles were found to have collected a quantity of drift
and roots, which was partly buried in the sand bar, and could be removed only
with difficulty ; the location of the pier was accordingly moved 15 feet to the
north, or to a point 400 feet from the old site of Pier No. 4, and these obstruc-
tions were avoided. ;

On the 3d of September, 1867, work was begun by driving an enclosure
of sheet piling. The sheet piles consisted of pieces of four inch oak plank, the
edges grooved and pointed to fit one another, and the lower ends sharpened to
a feather edge. They were driven between wales, which were bolted on square
timbers previously driven, a wooden follower being interposed between the iron
hammer of the driving engine and the planks.* On the 28th of September the
enclosure was completed, when a pit was dug with shovels within the piling ;
the excavation was carried to a'depth of 15 feet below the sand bar, reaching

 

* The plan of this enclosure and a detail plan of the form of sheet piles are given on Plate VI.