Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1876-08-21
LETTER FROM NEW YORK..
New YORK, August s, 1876.
.cuecioI Goy.resuoudeuce.

W DObn Va Vic RANAS
being at last completed and the last in
junction against its continuance dissolved
the first of the week will witness the
spinning of the first threads across the
stream, from one dizzy height to the
other, and from that point the work will
60 rapidly forward to completion. Some
of the grandeur of this enterprise may
be gathered from few statistics.
The work was commenced in Jan.
1870, so that the laying of the founda-
ton and building the piers alone has
been the work of over Eve years. The
foundations rest on the solid rock rs
feet below high water mark: A descrip-
ton of the laying of these foundations
would in itself make very interesting
letter-the launching and sinking in
the great caissons. weighing 5000 tons
apiece, the condition of the workmen
working away down under the river, in
air sufficiently condensed to hold back
the mud and water and consequently so
dense as to almost intoxicate those who
breathed it and to make the lamps blaze
with dangerous ferceness-these and
many other details would possess great
interest, but space fOrbids more than
mention of the salient points. The
bridge being a suspension one the strain
comes entirely upon the "anchorages
on either side, and the two piers. These
anchorages are great masses of masonry
bolted together and to a heavy founda-
ton with heavy iron bars and clamps
running IN every direction. To these
will be fastened the ends of the four
main cables which are to bear the weight
of the bridge proper. These cables seem
to me the most stupendous feature of
the whole structure. Each one will be
fifteen and one half inches in diameter
and will be composed of $500 small
steel wires, twisted together. Perhaps
it may strike some reader that such a
cable will be pretty heavy. Letus see.
The wire to be used weighs one pound
for every fourteen feet in length and as
there are to be $500 stands in each
cable, every fourteen feet will weigh 6,
800 pounds, or 400 pounds to the foot
as the distance between the anchorages
is $500 feet, or more than twice the
distance between the piers, cable reach
ing straight across from one to the othel
would weigh about 100000 pounds
But as they have got to be longer to g
up over the piers and as there are fou
of them instead of one, the total weigh
will be 6 ,S0O,OOO pounds or 3,400 tons
But how are such masses of metal goini
to be put up over the towers? Tha
question, confess, would be apt t
bother any one of us if we had the mat
ter in charge, but the engineer, Nj
ROebling, obviates this serious difficult
by arranging to take the small strand
, up, one by one, and make the cables
their proper place. 1t is as easy whe
you know how, as it was to Columbu
f friends to make an egg stand on en-
Z after he had done it for them but
isn't every one who could have sugges
!. ed the plan.
K The piers, which have thus far bee
;. the only visible evidence of progress
+ now tower aloft in grand completeness
!. looking like the opposing fronts of tV
a mighty cathedrals, the double roadw'
It openings in each standing for Goth
It windows. From the river to the topmC
5. piece of iron work is 275 feet, and {
n structures themselves ar about 80
N 100 feet at the base, tapering slight
IN toward the top. The roadway will
at l35 feet above high water mark.
in stand at the bottom of one of these gia
is piles and look upward will make gid
II. any but the steadiest head. From I
v, position the top seems actually to pier
RI the clouds. The staging upon viii
in the workmen travel up and down
il endless sides narrow down to a point
h, the vast perspective and the worku
yes themselves, when they can be discern
MS at all, look like ants-as, doubtless,
IT. of the earth appear to them. On
,ry top of each are the saddles" as
.u- grooved irons are called on which
no. big cables ride. These saddles are
to proportion to the rest of the VIC
not weighing l3 tons apiece. They b
on. got to have some solidity to sustain
e's weight which will rest on them when
of is finished, weight estimated at ne;
en- 10000 tons, one half of which will
the the bridge proper of part between
towers.
ties The wires which are now about t
an thrown across will be light ones, ,
ook only for drawing over the small ca
1t that are to support the temporary
lift, bridge for the workmsn, but their sire
of ing will be an interesting sight, as b
he the first act of the final section Of
mo- work. Three years from the day
bile which.that occurs, if all goes we'll,
we bridge will be ready for the crow
lied travel which will thenceforward poi