History
From the Archives: December 2, 1926
This 1926 image depicts foundation work for a 700-MW New York Edison Co. cogeneration plant, supplying both electricity and steam, and fueled by coal.
The site was on the shore of the East River at East 14th Street in Manhattan. During excavation there was seepage from the river, so a cofferdam was built along the shore.
All the building materials were delivered directly to the site by barges. 20,500 30-ft-long yellow pine piles were driven to support the foundation.
Five-ton derricks delivered sand, gravel and aggregate to the mixing bins. The mix was delivered by conveyor belts to bucket elevators, which carried it to the batchers where cement and water were added.
Two chutes, one 289 ft long and the other 304 ft, were maneuvered by masts using boom lines to deliver the wet mix. The powerhouse mat was 206.5 ft wide by 1,092.5 ft long, and 7 ft thick, requiring 60,000 cu yd of concrete placed over 12 months.
When operating at full capacity, the plant used 800,000 gallons of water per minute for steam condensing, drawing it directly from the river.
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