The New York herald., 1877-10-10
THE EAST RIVER BRIDGE.
CABLE LAYING IS THE WINTER MosrHs-PRo
LECTION FOR THE woRKaEN-srRANp WORK

CABLE LAYING IN The WINTER NOSTHs-PRo
LECTION FOR THE NORTHUMBERLAND WORK
THE WIRE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
With the approach o. winter the inquiry Is natural
how the work or cable laying viii progress dur.
ing that season. On account Of the stoppages oc.
casioned by colds ani high winds tho progresa
in cable laying au average will bo onsthirs
slower than IL now s The protection for tho workmcn
in their exposed positions the cradles and on the
towers and anchorages when employed in the cabi,
laying been slightly noticed before, but are nov
given in detail The saddle slots which are
housed in VIII be provided with little stovea
or furnaces for tho workncn to warm their hands.
Al the cradles there will be sort OF board shelters
with similar warming arrangements. Tho nagmen,
VINO now stand unprotected on top Of tho towers will
be provided with small sentry boxes allowing tree
view on both sides, and tho 'drivers," they are
called who stand by the driving wheels on the Brook
lyn anchorage around which tho traveller ropes pass
viii be provided with similar shelter The men
the New York anchorage Will havo shelter houses
Tho whole drumming up aud paying out machinery
the Brooklyn anchorage is now housed In by large
sheds, and in these stoves will bo placed
for the workmen Notwithstanding all these
precautions the caoe work at that great height In
winter will somewhat resemble that Of an Arctic OK
pediton a small scale. and the workmen VIII re.
quire To be well mufled up Tho work, Is expected,
will 60 on throughout the winter, with very slight
occaslonsd by the severe cold, when the workmsn
placing across tho steel ropes supporting tho cradles,
the iooiordgc and tho other wire ropes necessary.
Whatever snow will be deposited on the footbrdgc,
cradles or towers will be quickly blown on and ice
viii be the only difficulty. rhis last year accumulated
the wire ropes stretched across 10 the thickness OF
some one AMI quarter inches, and on thawDg fell In
fragments to the roofs and sidewalk. and kept the
passengers the latter dancing out OF thor way.
The Ice this winter from tho larger size OF tho strands
now In place. Will be thicker, and The ferryboatA. on
a day when it Is thawing had better keep out from
n nj der
RIVER Some OF tho most exposed work,th Will have
TO he performed by tho workmcn during the winter
will be that Of those Who 90 out the slight wrapping
bugges" 10 wrap the strands alter thor completion,
they will be exposed TO tho fai fury OF tho blasts
AT the approaches tho work wili~proceed as usual,
unless stopped for tow days or. hours by tho cx
trenie cold. Tho Work Will be earofuy covered as u
proceeds ana the BRICK heaps will be kept we'll pro-
tec.ed. The nth pair OF Down stream strands was
finished last evening This makes eighteen strands
now lald. In each o. wnicn are Soo wires nero are
seventys strands IN ALL nineteen In each cable, and
~ each cable 5,434 wires, giving l736 wires IN all
AT the present rate OF running pair OF strands can ba
iald IN week. that II II were not TOR tue coming
winter, and II there was sufficient wire, the cables
could be finished IN about eight months Allowing for
the delays during winter and contingencies we may
look seeing tho great cables aushed IN somc ten
months.
THE WIRE SUPPLY
stoppage having occurred during the laying Of the
9TH pair OF down stream strands, on account Of
shortncss OF wire, inquiry was made yesterday into
the cause. As result II can be stated the work ~
progressing faster than tho engineers seemed To
amount OF wire they could run ouL The
tract first made for $50 tons per month, and then
tractor and tue trustees to $50 tons At the present
rate OF running, some 800 tons OF wire, IN
good weather, are Iad. This, during the win
month, SO that supply Of wire ahead can be acc1.
mulated The contractor has SO far furnished sss
tons OF which PAL tons were delivered last month
There still . 715 to deliver before the contract
Is ended rhe process OF oiing the wire now IN nsa
though very effective. Is done in what seems vefy
m n n
In good weather eacn coil requires three days TO be
properly Oiled allowing each coat TO dry ou. Ona
boiled OIL Some twelve Ions OF wire day can be
given one coat OF OIL and over an acre and half OF
drying grounds by the anchorage are In use.
The Of Uiling the wire ut the works will sho!ly
be resumed Tor first class coat, and II rs to be hoped
that way OF 0iling 1t completely other than by
hand may be found One OF the great difficulties Of
ohng ut The works is that In being carried over the
cobble stones tho oil the coils Is rubbed OF BY the
joltng OF one against the other cart with whecs,
which will Iii the horse railroad tracks, and
with axes partly rubber, has been ordered by Mr.
HAgh the contractor, and when this Is ready the
ing visit TO the wire works yesterday II was noticed
that the last of the old style Of wire blocks wcro
being replaced BY automatic ones, allowing one man
% O tho formorly done by three; that
a patent pointing machine had superseded the old
method OF pointing al "A backsmths forge, and that
tho work on all hands was going galong smoothly.
The breaking strength required by the specifications
OF the size Of wire ut present furnished 10 $3.50
pounds and the three successive tests made IN the
writer's presence ny the engineer of the Bridge Com
pany In charge Of that work were 4So0, $500 and
1850 pounds respectively, being an average OF
ono thousand pounds above the required strength.
NEW CONTRACT.
The specifications Tor the contract for 1926 900 poundi
are 10 be one and dve-eghths and tho rest one ans
quarters inches In diameter are now beng
sidercd by the bridge trustees and would have been
issued with call Tor bids II II had not been for
discussion In the Board, bringing up the old coniro
vcrsy, which was had about the cable wirc as ia
whether .'cruclbe" or "Bessemcr'' steel should bs