The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-09-07
GREAT RIVERS CROSSED.
The Suspension Bridges, the BIaclweIl's
leland Bridge, and the Tunnel--BridGe
Incidents.

The Suspension Bridges, the BIackwell's
Island Bridge, and the Tunnel--BridGe
Incidents.
The New York San says: The two
days adventures on the wires that have
been thrown over the East river recall
to the engineers some OF the dangers in
making other bridges. Engineer Far
rington, who helped build the Niagara
bridge, says that while there we're three
cables reaching across the river, hang
ing loose, one Sunday workman named
Bennett, while under the influence of
liquor, walked across from tower to
tower upon one of these cables, holding
another cable by his hands. A high
wind blew, and as the man neared the
middle the cables swayed fearfully, and
those on shore expected to see him fall.
The cable upon which he was walking
sagged considerably at the middle of the
span, 80 that he could hardly reach the
one above, his hold of which his life de-
pended upon. The cables swayed in
opposite directions, SO that the man was
often thrown from his balance. Then
he held on by feet and hands, stretched
from one cable to another in almost
horizontal position. But he clung to
the cables, and by little less than a mira
Gle got safely to the opposite shore.
While the Cincinnati bridge was in
process of construction, in the Presi-
dency Of Andrew johnson, the Presi-
dent, cabinet, and army officers took an
excursion up the Ohio. Ohief Engineer
Roebling conceived plan CT saluting
the party. He sent workman named
Carroll to the middle of the span upon
l. -, al,o, A q,
and bottle of wine. When the steamer
was directly beneath, Carroll was to
wave his flag and drink the health of
the President and his companions. Car
roll reached the desired point safely
with flag and bottle, and, as the steamer
approached, filed glass that he had
taken along in order to do the thing in
a proper manner. But the glass, the
bottle, and the flag were more than he
could manage, and the bottle slipped
from his grasp, and falling, struck the
deck OF the steamer within few feet of
where the party stood.
The proposed Hudson river bridge
at Anthony's Nose, above Peekskill, is
to be 1,665 feet between towers, and is
to be 155 feet above the river surface.
1t is to be suspended by twenty cables,
made of 70, 1902 miles of steel wire, and
will be strong enough to uphold $4,000
tons. The towers are to be wrought
iron, with granite foundation piers the
cables and backstays OF the best steel,
i'll links and pins, not wires. The rest
of the work is to be Of wrought iron of
the best quality. The anchorage and
| foundations are in solid rock. The
bridge will not encroach upon the water
way of the river at all, and cannot for
moment interfere with navigation.
Work is soon to be begun on it.
The Blackwell's island bridge is to be
fifty feet wide, and the structure, with
its approaches, will extend from Third
avenue to corresponding distance on
the other side of the river. The road
way will be continued across Black
wells island at height of about 140
feet above the present level. The height
of the stone piers above high water to
the level is to be 1876 feet, and the
height of the towers above the piers
will be abont $50 feet. The span Of the
east channel is to be 600 feet, and that
of the west channel will be go feet.
On the Astoria side the approach will be
carried along the center of an avenue
$50 feet wide.
The Hudson river tunnel and its ap-
proaches, to be built by company with
$40, 900, 900 capital, from Jersey City to
New York, is to be $4,000 feet long.
The greatest depth of water undor
which the tunnel is to be bored is little
over sixty feet. The borings show that
the soil through which the tunnel will
pass is favorable for tunnel construction.
The tunnel walls will be constructed
of hard brick and cement, three feet in
thickness. circular in form, twenty-six
feet in width, and twenty-four feet in
height, with double track railroad.
The Brooklyn bridge is to have the
longest single span of any bridgein the
world. The span between the river
abutments is 1000 feet. In Murray's
Hand Book of France" a bridge is no.
ticed crossing the Dordogne at Cubsac,
on the road between Tours and Bordeaux,
having a single span between abut-
ments of 1,640 feet. In other respects,
however, the French bridge bears no
comparison with the American.