The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1867-08-09
The Susquehanna Bridge.

Much has been said, pro aud con, about the
safety and unstfety of the Railroad Bridge at
flavre de Grace. Correspondents and newspa-
pers have frequently, Of l.tc, favored the public
with their views on the subject. Which of these
opinions, or whether any Of them are correct we
do not know, aad therefore, as matter of news,
and because we think it more likely to be correct
than any statement which We have heretofore seen,
we give the following ION the Wilmington
C0mm'rcial on the subject. The Commercial
says:
ASfashington despatch to the New England
papers, says 1.-THE report that has been in cir
culation for some time past that the lidge across
the Susquehanna River at Iavre de Grace wa
unsafe has caused considerable eycitelient among
the passengers on the cars between here npd New
lolk. Civil Engineers have thoroughly in
spectcd the bridge recently, and they discovered
that the trestle work OF the long spans between
the piers has commenced to give way"
Another despatch to the philadelphia Ledqer
asserted that the bridge was unsafe, and quoted
! MI. Latrobe as authority for such statement.
while Mr.. l.. is really ont Of the country, besides
which he is an engineer OFF W. Il i. Compa-
ny, and was consulted in the building oftnis
very bridge. The Ledger this mornlng contra :
uietS Tue ulspatch, ana says;
1.-THE rumor that the bridge was being
strengthened, on account of some parts Of it
showing signs of weakness, grew out of q very
different sttte OF aiI.irs viz: the alteration of
the truss work of two of the spans, so AS TO allow
o! tue draw to work more freely when yes,cls
are passing
inns Is neither altogether true nor altogether
false. Undoubtedly alterations are being male
IL allow the draw to work more freely, but the
necessity of these alterations is Occasioned by a
defect in the bridge. 1t will hr remembered lint
this bridge is very long one Que of the Longest
IN the country, and is draw bridge, the pc:s
on which it is built are built high above the
water, and while the superstructure rests on
them it at the same time knits and braces one tn
The other. Could the bridge have been thus
knit together from end to end there would be no
trouble, but bringa draw bridge there are ne
cessarlly two piers one or each side of the draw
which depend on themselves alone for support
and which cannot be braced apart. A tain of
cars passing over the bridge has Il tendency to
push the bridge in the same direction in which
the train is going, and owing TO the fact The
two plers at each side of the draw are bruced
against the other piers on the side towards the
ends of the bridge, and arc not braced at all on
the sides next the draw, they have shown ten.
dency 10 approach each other ut the top, and
have so far approached each other, thai tie draw
has from time 10 time had to be cut away so as to
let ii shut
Efforts of course are being made u remedy
this and these give rise to the rumurs that the
bridge is unsafe. We believe the bridge is per-
fyctly safe and capable of sustaining much
greater weight than is ever under any circpm-
atauceS li6ely TO be placed on it, and We also he.
lieve that the engineers can devise IL remedy Tor
me existing defect, either by the enlargement