The New York herald., 1877-01-07
THE EAST RIVER BRIDGE.
A Severe Arraignment Of the
Wire Specifications.
CHEAP STEEL lNSURES A WEAK BRIDGE.

increased where the execution OF the work involves
the expenditure OF large sums Of public moneys and
from It's uncqualled magnitude appears almost 10 par
take OF the nature OF gigantic experiment. The East
River Suspension Bridge IS case IN point Its vast
importance, as well as the consideration that when
ever the bridge shall have become accomplished
fact IL viii! DO one OF the proudes, monuments TO
American enterprise and engineering ski have
rendered the progress OF the work
inception up TO the present day object of
the profoundest interest to ali classes of men The
unexceptionable character and high social standing
OF the gentlemen composing the Board OF Trus-
tees, as well as the !llus,r!ous name which heads
the list Of their corps Of engineers, would seem
leave doubt that the successful completion OF the
work Is merely u question OF imc Yet the specdci.
,ons for letting of the contract for steel cable
seem TO have created just such doubt in many who
deeply interested In the ultimate Of
this great work. The HERALD was the first journal IN
New York move in this matter II is therefore a
matter OF satisfaction to learn that the Board Of Trus
tees OF tho Bridge arc now seriously considering
statement which brought to their notice ycser.
| day Information Of the existence Of such docu-
ment having reached the Mayors Office late yesterday
afternoon, reporter succeeded in obtaining copy.
a sgvERx ARRAIGyNESr
Tho hesitation already exhibited by the bridge trus-
tees make the award Tor the wire indicates belief
in all that the HERALD has charged. The follow
| ing extracts from the document presented to the
Mayors OF the two cities and the engineering public by
Albert Hill will be found to cast much light upon
| the subject
| Having been professionally called upon compare
the specifications tor the otting OF February l. 1876,
with those for the letting ol December !, 1876 and to
give my opinion IN regard 10 the nature and import.
ance OF the differences between them have most
carefully investigated the matter.
Before the conclusion OF my investigation found
| that the public press, and especially Inc NEW YORK
|
discussion, and at the earnest solicitation OF one OF
,hese speciaca.ons.I confess, rS,hor reIuciany-,o
| him for publication AS the only answer vouchsated
so far TO me and the public has been an unofficial zen
era denial Of tho correctness OF my statements feel
II my duty professional man 10 bring the matter
to the notice OF the engineering profession at large
especially 10 call the attention OF the honor
able Board OF Trustees OF The bridge TO those points
the specifications to which take exception. aud ask
respectfully tor an Investigation OF the points
For the sake Of brevity shall whenever refer here
aiter in these pages TO the specifications, designate
specifications and those Tor the letting OF December l.
1876, tho second specifications. careful compari-
OF tho second with the first specifications reveals
| very soon marked dnerence IN many important
ponta
! The most marked and probably the most important
one OF these differences viii he found by comparing
article q, page l. second specifications, where SIM
ply "a superior kind OF steel suitable for wire pur.
| poses" IS called for, WITH the demand In the rst
| specifications, article l. for "the best quality OF
hardened tempered, galvanized crucble steel
wire. The proviso excluding all "Bessemer' and
"open hearth" steel from the wires Tor the bridge
was uuqucstionaby most ise one The stan dard of
tensile strength required is the in both specica-
toIs, 100, 900 pounds per square inch OF solid
! ton and though by no means unattainablc is Ger.
ainly very high one--n tact, so high TO practi.
caly exclude, OF tsei these kinds Of steel l am
most crediby informed not only that the adoption OF
Besscmcr steel for tho cable wires has recently
strongly advocated but also that Bessemer steel wire
lately tested in samples furnished by biddcrs-is
tad to have shown tensile strength OF over 100 900
pounds per square inch. Now, II tho engineers OF the
bridge VIII officially state that they have found Bes-
sener steel which has, alter thorough and sufficient
testing demonstrated to them that they undoubt
edy obtain 800 600 pounds Of IL In monthly deliveries
that all Of viii show mo lcss than 900 pounds
ultimate tensile strength, then all have TO say
is that tnis will be tho most astounding reye-
latcn made to the profession In the last ten
years--and l venture to say Will
be more astounded than Mr. Henry Bessemer himself.
The best French German, English ana American
writers ''mechancsn and ''strength of materials
up last year. although they differ slightly
1gures yet all agreed upon point aud 1t Is
In their respective tabuated statement Of the tensile
strength oil materials none OF them place cast steel
higher than l42 600 pounds man, while the aver
are tensile strength OF cast steel is varousiy stated at
IRON 50, 900 pounds 10 10O, 900 pounds. believe am
not mistaken in stating hero from rcmory that Mr.
Bcssemcr himself does not CLAIM higher average than
10000 pounds per square inch Tor his steel
"TnE MILK IN THE cocoAyur."
consider this question OF the Kind OF steel to be
used In the manufacture OF the wire by far the most
important The value OF the wire depends entirely
upon the quality and uniformity OF tho stocl, and
| whilo unskiilul manipulation IN arnwing nay spoi
good steel tho most skul man puaiion will not pro-
to another point Of difference between the two spccif
cations--viz the exclusion OF steel manufacturers
from competition In he last letting. This was as un
necessary MS was unjust, and had not only the result
Of excluding large class OF competent aud responsible
bidders, but also gavc-quiic nnntcnlionaly, be-
levc-an undue advantage to wire manufacturers, in
narrowing the circle OF competition.
A HOMEOPATHIC SAMPLE.
Article I6, page 4, second specifications, reads s:"A
parties who expect TO bid on this wire requested
to send samples in accordance with these speci1ca
tions the samples TO weigh no less than 100 pounds
| and TO contain two rings
whether non omplIancc with this request would in
validate oa or no, m s hos "a, Prspsred 81 are 10 ss pIs
OF 100 pounds, fully up to the standard of the spccl
cations could possibly form truacritcroD upon tho
ability OF the manufacturer 10 furnish 1900 00U pounds
Of the same quality. Aud " It Is not proposed to be
guided by THIS sample, where Is the good Of any
| pie at nY AS well decide the bids pom price alone,
aud save the trouble and expense OF tests which
be OF 81 little value. sample Of 100 pounds Of wro
! can only be of value so Tar as 10 show the manuac-
turcr's ability produce certain quality of
of gi.cn material; but the sample worthless unless
both the uniformity and quality OF the material
fully established beforehand. Given skiui manipu
latIon IN drawing the quality o. The wrc depends
entirely upon the quality OF hc material out OF which
IL made. and hence The quality OF this latter was The
nrst and most vital point 10 decide upon. And this
sccms me TO be really one Of the weakest points in
! the specifications, that there Is an obvious nn
certainty the mind OF the engineer
gard 10 The kind OF steel to be used. Having
extended his opportunity choose his material, by
Ing his restriction ''crucibc steel" the
decision upon this most important point 10, by his
second specncaions crowded entirely within tho mar
row scope Of 100 pounds sampc. And II II Is not
proposed TO make the results OF the tests of this
sample conclusive. then the tosting for material VIII
hhv. TO be continued afcr the letting OF the contract
Experiments with material, alter contract awarded
are apt to prove dangerous ana might DO made very
expensive IN this case 10 the taxpayers There can
hardly bc two opinions about The ndvsability OF de-
cding the question OF the KIND Of stec! to be used
before any contract the manufactured article is
! awarded. This could easily have been done by calling
Tor bids stco FIRST, ana after thorough aud
exhaustive series OF ,ests not one or two samples
OF the same manufacturer only but embracing series
OF samples from runs Of different dates. the true
age tensile strength and uniformity oi the material
offered would have been so fuzzy established as ~ leave
no DOUBT to the choice to be made think the
suits of The test Just completed VIII bear out ~ this
position more iuly than any argument could posi-.
bly, make
The remainder OF the statement embraces he fnathe-
matica necessary to establish the
sistcncy Of the tests the standard established by
| a. n