Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-08-25

New YoRK, Aug. II, 1876.
To the Editor of the Free Press and Times:
notable step has been taken in the pro-
gress of our big bridge to Brooklyn. Both
of the enormous piers being al last COM
pleted and the last injunction against IFS
continuance dissolved, the frst threads have
been spun across tho stream, from one dizzy
height to the other and the work will go rap
idly forward to completion. Some idea of the
grandeur of this enterprise may be gather
ed from few statistics.
The work was commenced in Jan, 1870,
so that the laying of the foundation and
building the piers alone has been the work
of over five years. The foundations res: on
the solid rock 70 feet below high water
mark. The bridge being a suspension one,
the strain comes entirely upon tho " an
chorages' on either side, and the two piers.
These anchorages are great masses of ma
sonry bolted together and to a heavy found
alton with heavy iron bars and clamps run
ming 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 6, 800
steel wires, twisted together. Perhaps it
may strike some reader that such a cable
will be pretty heavy. Let US see. The wire
to be used weighs ole pound for every four
| teen feet in length and as there are to be
| 6,300 strands in each cable, every fourteen
feet will weigh $500 pounds, or ljO pounds
to the foot. As the distance between the ar
| chOrages is $500 feet, or more than twice
! the distance between the piers, cable
reaching straight across from one to the
| other would weigh about | SO coo pounds.
But as they have got to be longer to 90 up
| over the piers and as there are four Oi them
instead OF one, the total weight will be
1 $500 600 pounds or 5, 100 tons. But how
are such masses of metal going TO be put up
over the towers? That question, confess,
would be apt TO bother any one Oi u If We
/ had the matter IN charge. but the engineer.
| Mr. Roebiing, obyiates this serious difficult
| ty BY arranging to take the small strands
up, one by one, and mako the cables in their
| proper places.
! The piers. which have thus ..fAr been the
| only visible evidence of progress, now tow
1 er alOit in grand completeness. looking like
the opposing fronts OF two mighty cathe-
/ drsls. the double roadway openings IN each
. ! q.
! river 10 the topmost piece OF iron work i
| 215 feet. and the structures themselves are
about 80 by $50 feet al the base. tapering
/ slightly toward the top. The r0aIwsys Will
| be l3j feet above high water mark. 10
! stand at the bottom of one Of these giant
/ piles and look upward will make gid1y any
/ but the steadie-t head. Tic staging upon
| which the wOrkmen travel up and down Its
! endless sides narrow down 10 point IN the
I vast perspective and tue wOrkmen them
/ selves, when they can be discsrne4 at all
! look like ants-as, doubtless, VIC Oi the
/ earth appear to them. On the top OF each
/ are the E" saddles, a. the gr0oved irons are
called on which the big cables ride. These
saddles are in proportion Il the rest Oi the
work. weighing l3 tons apiece They have
got to have some s0lldlty to sustain the
weight which will rest on them when all Is
I
600 tons, one-hall Of which will be the
bridge proper or part between the towers.
The wires which have been thrown across
are only for drawing over the small cables
that are to support the temporary foot bridge
for the workmen Three years neuce. If all
eoe. well. the bridge Will be ready Tor the
crowdlng travel which VEL ;hcuceiJrSard
possess 1t.
The cost Of this magnificent bond Of union
between the two great cities whieh are pos
sibly destined. through Its Influence. TO be-
come ultimately one. was originally estlma-
ted to be eleven and a half millions, lnclut-
ing the value OF the land to be condemned
for the approaches. Up to the first OF thu.
wear. however. very nearly SIX millions had
been expended. and neither tower even, was
finished So q new estimate was then made,
allowing over million and hal more
than the original one, and this, II l. hoped,
will not have to be further increased.
To reach the height of the roadway at the
waters edge by 8 sufficiently easy ascent II
was found necessary to go back hail nile
on the New York side and more than one
third OF a mile in Brooklyn to commence
building the approaches. By this means
the declivity on either side Will be made 80
gentle a. to present TO obstacle i the pas
ssge of teams or horse cars.
/, will be gala day tor Brooklyn "hen
this bridge Is opened. To show OF What In
nortan &c she considers II. II need only be
stated tha she pays tvo-third- OF the OIL
AGAINST New York 0ne-thrd- Inc present
system of ierriage Is uncertain ana feaiy
dangerous in winter ana al ali 'inl's Is -
Objectionable to many gOO- 0eUP4o a ~ ue
ter them from making BFooki9 'Aeil -,
dence. The new avenue OF c0mmun- '1'i0h
-, - 81 rasH.a
the city lis share OF the expense many times
over.
Oar wOrkingmcn are having another sea-
son of discomfort The 'longshoremen, who
form body highly respectable IN point OF
numbers. and who perform duties ot quite
an important character in the loading and
unloading OF the thousands oi eargoe>
which cross our wharyes, becoming desper-
ate at the - little work and less pay. a.
they put it, struck, a few days since, and
hung around the dock in nun ber>, endeay-
oring to prevent the ship agents irOu filing
their places The effort being unsuccessful,
many OF their number. rather than ab-c-
lutely starve, have gone 10 work again bat
the majority still hold out. saying that they
! can't live at the present rates, and Il they
must die it might well be nOw as later.
Their condition is hard one. 1t l. natural
that they should feel in blind way that
something ought to be done; but IN times
of depression II is useless 10 try and tOrcc
payments from employers which sooner or
later ruin the latter. That, however, Is a
fact that strikers generally can only be
taught by the stern logic OF events. Besides
this class, II whom attention has been drawn
BY their recent action, there are unnumber-
/ ed artisans and laboring men idle, but hav-
! ing done nothing as a body besides march
ing 10 the City Hall, some SIX hundred Ot
| them. asking tor work and then dispensing,
| little is known of their condition. That a
/ feeling of sullen despair pervades them,
| liable at any time to be famed into flame by
/ the first demagogue who addresses them Is
more than probable, and if the city gets
| through the season without trouble We shall
do well.
Walking through the City Hall PARK yes
terday, saw hundreds of the various la
boring classes lounging idly about. filling
all the benches and the shadows Of the
trees. Most of them had on their Sunday
clothes, and were either sitting silent and
moody or else in little knots, we're earnestly
discussing the situation. OCCASIONALLY l
could SEQ in the gestures of clenehed hsts,
| tho outcrOpplng OF strong ieeling- Many
| glanced from time to time at the Ring Court
House, and could fancy them longing Tor
the return to powe' OF the man who built
| it. Tweed was their prophet. SO long as
he remained thers were lively times
Little did they care where the money came
from that paid for their labor, their whlskey
and their votes The coal which warmed
their miserable homes was just as good to
them as though the Boss had come by 1t
honestly instead Of stealing it TO buy his
popularity amongst them. And thus they
cherish his memory. unable to carry their
reasoning tar enough to see that their pres.
ent condition is largely the direct cause oil
those few feyerish years.
Dark
AIpugGn.-The Union Republican COun-
ty Convention was held at the Court House.
North Hero, on Tuesday August l9in.
There was as usual very large attendance.