The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-08-02
THE GREAT BRIDGE.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF TIE sTHucruRE AS
IT WILL DE WHEN CONTRADICTORY Ac-
coMMoDATIoNs FOR GENERAL TRAFFIC, RAIL-
WAY CARS AND OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
ENGINEERING DEVICES.
As tho great cables OF the East River bridge
now progressing steadily, and ehs work Of preparing
for the land approaches which have been already de-
scribed, has begun, IL may be well TO gvo doscrip-
ton OF that part Of tho completed bridge known as
tho, suspended supcrstructure. The cnginoers In
charge Of this part of the work-Mossrs Hidcnbrand
and vanderbosch-ars already bard at work cal
cuIaons specifications and detail drawings necessary
With the exception OF the cabc bands. which viii DO
manufactured by the bridge coapany, the steel aud
wrough. will be OUT ny contract
like tho cable wiro From the four grea. cables, each
49,, 10 10 inches in diameter the roadway Of the bridge
vii! DO suspended by means OF steel wire ropes Ia
inches in diameter The roadway will consist Of box grid
placed V icet apart which tho door planks Will
rest Tho sivders Will be "a inches deep and s5$ feet
IN lcngth-that lie, the extreme width OF the bridge
Steel suspondsr ropes will DO fastened TO the cables by
Of bands OF wrought iron Il Of zach in diam.
ctcr and inches wide. bent around tho cables at
intervals of about coi just the noar .rccrs
aud secured BY nuts TO wrought iron SOCKETS
The ropes VIII be fastened In the sockets by being
passed into conical socket holes and ths wires
opened out ~ tho larger end and steel wedges
inserted. The wires viii be bent down and
tho wedge aud beaten Close and anA.Iy melted lead
viii be poured ~. A. the lower end tho rope will
he fastened in similar manner IN cast iron socket
from which rods, secured by nuts pass down
the outside Of tho door grcer plates, through u
plate rvetec underneath The grder, and Will bs finally
secured by As IN tho centre OF the span,
the cables descent 10 within Two cct oil the floor Tor
some distance, say about QUO hundred feet each way
from the centre, wrought IRON rods ~
inches in diameter will be substituted for the steel
bands by bolls, and below viii pass between
The two plates OF the ORDERS and be
fastened on the lower side Of he bottom
plates IN the Same manner tho double
rods from tho steeI ropes. These iron rods Will also
be used some distance out from the anchorsges IN
place oil the steel ropes. In order TO make the struc
iure firm and steady the outer main cables viii be
drawn in some eight feet from their vertical plane in
the river span. The inner cables the purpose
Will be drawn out IRON their vertical plane four
feet In the land span the cables, when completed,
cables will need to be drawn IN but slightly and the
inner cables out also but little This III rangoment
will give inclined suspender ropes and rods
THE TRUssEs
The s,inening Of the doorway will be partly accom-
pshed by Fix russes RAINING from anchorage 10 an-
chorage the whole length Of tho suspended portion
the bridge These russes Will divide the bridge floor
into five separate ways, which VIII be described iur-
IL feet IN height aud will consist Of O.
inch channels, bars Of wrought iron upright posts,
| 9.inch beams and diagonal steel bars Z Of
an inch by inches in diameter. The
two inner russss will be II feet in height.
there will be diagonal stays running from the tops OF
the towers different points tar out tho bridge
as 400 !eet land and river ward The whole bridge will
| be suspended by system Of cables aud ropes Ia
horizontal plane TO counteract the action OF the wind,
III the Same manner tha,it is suspended by vertical
! system 10 sustain the moving and stationary load.
These also will assist Ia supporting part OF the load
This will be done by means Of storm cables and storm
ropes, fastened TO heavy steel bars placed In tho
masonry OF the towers, and which will
| pass IRON tower 10 tower and IRON towers
| 10 anchorages The storm cables, OF which
three threcnc steel ropes, will in The line
oil horizontal paraboas each side Of the towers or
anchorages the opposite sides OF the roadway and
back TO the opposite lower anchorages on the same
side OF the roadway they started rom thus
each other two points IN the middle OF and under
meath the roadway IN each span. They will be last
ened to every other floor girdcr These storm cables
similar with Tho diagonal stays from the tops
OF the towers 10 the roadway, will run from the steel
bars in The masonry before spoken OF 10 different
points tho bridge floor far 400 feet river
ward and landwaId from the towers.
Between the two outer sets OF trusscs, which stfen
the roadway on each side, will be ways for general
wheel traffic. two sets OF norsecar rails each side
and iron tramways arranged 10 accommodate accom- any
sixteen feet IN width, and Their flooring, like that OF
all the bridge, will consist Of two .hicknesses Of plank
ing-the lower OF yellow pine, running
the bridge and SIX inches thick, and the upper
OF oak, running length wisc and three inches thick
Between inside trusses which form these and
the inner trusses, IA feet in height, there Will be
tho NO ways for the railroad IL feet width Finally
IN the centre OF the bridge, between the two high
trusses, will be tho footway ID lcct in width and
elevated eight feet above the carriage and rail
The footway railing will consist OF wrc netting like
used steamers. this being chosen as IL oilers
the possible resistance to the wind Tho flooring
OF the passe nger way will be four inch plank. The
outside truss will form a sufficient protection on tho
outside fender being placed along the roadway floor
10 prevent wheels from coming too near tho truss.
TRUSS EXPANSION.
To allow for the expansion and contraction Of the
trusses caused by the extremes Of temperature, and
which amounts TO some twenty inches Tor The middle
span, there will be provided peculiar and ingenious
arrangements Al the end Of each OF the diagonal stay
systems above described the truss Will be cut in
and connection made by heavy plate riveted TO the
chords oil the side and sliding in a series
OF sleeves fastened the chords OF the other truss
This arrangement will be made both river and land
spans the expansion limits in the latter beng
calculated AT eleven inches. The gauge OF the rail-
way tracks, of which there Will DO two,
will be built to accommodate sixty passengers euch
and trains of ten will be run, the power being
furnished through endless wire rope by stationary
engine be situated At the end of the Brooklyn APP
pr0ach IL Is expected that trains VIII be every
ten minutes otener and that thcy Will take from
three 10 four minutes TO make the journey from tho
terminus Chatham square, New York; to
Sands street, Brooklyn, distance Of slightly
over mile. The great cables being I'm
shed tho bridge towers Will DO lnished by
a parapet somewhat similar the one process
OF at the roadway Of tho Brooklyn tower
Tho saddles cables where they pass the
will be covered by q brick archway Spiral stairways
for tho employees will lead up to the towers and
IT has been suggested that no more appropriate place
could be found Tor the establishment OF the United