Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1874-03-26
The East River Bridge.

The work on the East River Bridge con-
tinucs TO he prosecuted with success. The
tower on the Brooklyn le has now attained
an altitude of 2l8 feet, and that on the New
York shore 12O feet. 1t is expected that
about dozen feet additional can he added 1t
the severe winter weather does not compel u
temporary suspension of the work. The
bridge will hayt,its New York terminus Op-
posiie the City Hall, in Chatham street, and
in Brooklyn in tho square bounded Oy Full
ton, Sands, Washington and Prospect streets,
comprising Il total length of $3.50 feet. 1t
will form an air line from the City hall to
the square above mentioned Of this whole
length, 3.4j5 feet are suspended IN three
main openings. The central span will cross
the river from, pier line to pier line without
impeding navigation, in one single span Ot
1886 tcci 8 inches, from center to center OF
tower. From each tower, toward the land
side, half spans will be supported by the land
cables, $50 feet long each, measuring from
the center Of the tower to the face of the an
chor wall. From the face of the anchor wall
on the New York side. distance remains Ot
]. .56o feet 6 inches, to Chatham street, and
from the anchor wall to tho Brooklyn tcrmi-
nus q distance of 971 feet. The distances be-
tween the anchorages are known as the al-
proacl.es, and will be supported by iron CIR
ders and trusscs, and will rest, ut short inter-
walls. upon small piers of masonry or iron
columns, located within the blocks Of build
ings which will he crossed and occupied
These pillars will form part of the wal! need
ed for tho division of the occupied ground
into stores, dwellings or Offices.
In every such case the bridge floor will bc
constructed fire and waterproof, serving as =
roof to the blocks of houses underneath. The
streets will be crossed by iron girders aud
trusscs, twelve in number There will be one
uniform grade of three feet three inches per
100 feet from the New York terminus to the
center of the bridge, and the same from the
Brooklyn anchorage. That of the Brooklyn
approach will he less. only two feet nine
inches per hundred feet, owing to the greater
elevation of the terminus.
The roadway will pass the towers at IN
elevation of ll9 feet, and in the center of the
main span, the elevation, in the clear of the
lower chord of the bridge, will be 135 feet
above mean high water, or 40 feet above
low water. 1t is sufficient to permit the un-
obstructed passage of all schooners, barques,
bries and steamers, % we'll as ah;pe bolo~ a
thousand tons. Ships above that tonnage will
have to lower their upper spars. The sus-
pended superstyuctnre will consist OF AN iron
! fruming, cighty-fve feet from out to out,
suspendcd from four main cables BY wire.
| rvpc suspenders attached to iron floor beams,
| which arc placed seven feet six inches apart.
The flooring is further divided into five
spaces, by six lines of iron trussca, of which
| the two center lines have q depth of twelve
! feet, and the others Of eight feet, the lower
chords being placed below the iron floor
beams. The outer spaces have width In the
clear between the truss posts of eighteen feet
one inch, and accommodate each two lines OF
iron tramways for ordinary vehicle travel, as
! we'll as for street cars, drawn either singly by
horses, or in pairs by light dummies. The
next two spaces arc each thirteen feet two
inches wide, each provided with iron rails
for the running of two passenger cars, back
ward and fOrward alternately.
These trains will be attached to An endless
| wire-ropc, propelled by 4 stationary engine,
which is located on the Brooklyn side, un-
derneath the floor, the two tracks being
operated like an incline plane, with speed
of twenty miles per hour, the whole transit
occupying only five minutes from terminus to
to terminus. From eight to ten compartment
cars, each fifty feet long, and holding one
hundred persons, will constitute train. BY
means of opposite doors on the side of the
cars, and wide platforms, it is possible to fill
and empty the trains In two minutes, without
producing interference between the going and
coming passengers. For this reason the
bridge is widcned out one hundred feet at this
point.
The central, or fifth division of the bridge
floor, forms . promenade for foot travel, ff-
teen feet in width. 1t IA elevated five feet
above the roadway, affording view over
both sides of the bridge. The quantity of
masonry in the New York tower, from the
timber to the summit, is A, 600 yards, giving
q ,xoinhf nf ahonf Or 000 f0na ON tan of the