from the trench.

The iron pipe came from Chattanooga, and was badly handled in transit.
Much of it was transferred en route, and 6% was broken when received.
The breaks were generally cracks of the spigot end. Of this broken pipe,
practically all was cut and laid. The average cut was about 16 in. from
the spigot end of 533 pieces. This cut pipe has caused no trouble in the
trench.

At least 27 pieces of cracked pipe got past the field inspectors and
into the trench. This cracked pipe began blowing out at a pressure of 50
lb., and continued until the full normal pumping pressure was reached,
when the breaks suddenly ceased. These pipes were broken out at the rate
of 1 or 2 per day, with an occasional day between breaks. A 24-hour
work-train service was maintained. The pipe gang soon became skilled,
and could put in a new section of pipe in from 4 to 6 hours. Each break
generally caused an interruption of about 6 hours to the pumps on the
section where it occurred. The best record was 3 hours and 50 min. from
the stopping to the starting of the pumps. This strenuous life lasted 30
days. Most of these breaks were in or near the middle of the pipe.
Evidently, the field inspectors were not expecting cracks in that
locality. An inspection usually indicated that the pipe had been struck
by the bell of another one in the vicinity of the break.

All pipes were lifted from the car carefully and laid down at the trench
along the track in a single movement by a logging crane, and were not
broken in such handling.

Three breaks only have been reported as due to defective metal or
casting. No break of a sound shell of full thickness has been found.

_Trenching_.--Deep frosts are unknown in this section. The pipe was laid
so that the top was about 1 ft. below the surface of the ground. The
trenching was a simple matter. Part of the work between Bonito and the
railway on the Carrizozo plain was done by Buckeye ditchers. All other
ditching was done by a railroad plow followed by pick and shovel, or by
the two latter tools only. The ditcher could open 2,000 ft. of trench per
day, but averaged about 500. The plow and 35 men could open 3,500 ft. A
chain about 6 ft. long separated the end of the plow beam and the double
tree. In this way the trench was plowed to the bottom. Two mules, two
men, and a scraper could back-fill 3,500 ft. per day.

_Pipe Laying_.--Between Bonito and the railway, one gang of ten men
could lay 4,000 ft. of 1