The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-05-25
BROOKLYN BRIDGE
Report of the Special Committee
on Rapid Transit.
AN ORDINARY GAUGE ADOPTED.
Eleven Million Pounds OF Iron for
the Superstructure.

The East River Bridge trustees held special meet
ing yesterday afternoon Al the office OF the company,
In wator street, Brooklyn, President Murphy in this
chair The meeting called tor tho considers
ton OF tho reports not only of the Execu
tive Committee, but also OF tho Rapid Tran
SIT Committee. 1t was reported by the Execu
tive Committee that the following property had been
purchased Tor bridge purposes:-NoA s. and Ia
vandewater street and Nos. 10 and Is Rose street.
New York; two lots in Stewards alley; st. Anus
Church property on Washing tonstreet, between Pros
pect and Sands, a cost Of $45 900; also sos 0co
worth OF property on Washington and Sands streets.
II vas advised that the interior arches on Rose and
yandewater streets should be faced with brick The
report was adopted by the Board.
COMMITTEE ON RAPID TRANSIT.
The report OF the Committee Rapid Transit was
then received II sets forth that the bridge de-
signed to bear a dead weight Of some k100 tons II
equally distributed over the entire roadway. Tho
above weight the report stated. equal to thirty.
SIX ordinary palace cars. each weighing ihirty-one
tons with the weight OF six such cars the factor OF
safety the cables Is six In the suspendors eight;
OF these factors of safety 10 beloved 70
be ample Tor every for which the bridge 10 do.
signed or to which It will DO applied, and Is about
equal reserved strength III other parts OF the
ton the gauge OF the tracks intended 10 provide
rapid transit the bridge by the suggestion
be necessary 70 use . gauge OF six feet, n orde!
70 insure the requisite stability ior cars q
the bridge. the adoption Of the SIX ieet gauge would
OF course, determine tho question that continuous
travel could no. be provided Tor between ne Two
on tho bridge could be taken across it.
4 xAKRowER dAuag rREPERREn ss.G
The committee was unanimously OF the opinion
that road OF the ordinary gauge OF tour fect eight
aud halt inches should be used in preference TO any
other They reached hA CONCLUSION, the report says
because they believe that force OF wind cndangerinp
the stability OF cur upon the roadway IS OF ex
tremey They believe that the forcs
OF such gale would endan ger the cars would b
escned diverted by the truss work OF the bridge
Even il car was overturned it would against tha
truss and not endanger the livcs OF passengers.
Violent gales are OF brief duration, and the con-
tngency OF brief and detention OF travel would
In the op,n,on OF the committee, be preferable
10 difficulty Of obtaining such additional
security as would result from r, the use Of
also reported that tho computed strength OF the hoor
beams Of tho bridge was equal 70 the support OF unit
form weight Of i've tons. with factor OF safety Of
four. Tho beams were sevcn feet SIX inches apart
and they further supported by the trussos winch
distribute the weight upon tho Deims for limited
distance with such equabilty as to render possible
the support OF train OF of 200 foet IN length.
The stress OF car upon the door beams Ia reduced
by its transverse supports being one-hai the
width OF the gauge eacn side OF tho centre OF the
car Is abou. twenty-five tons, aud the tendency s
toward a reduction Of this weight The longitudinal
centres Of IT'S bearings are about oe sx
upon any ono BEAM assuming the ssepcrs ana
flooring to DO proportionate " the beams would be
for tho tour bearings tons and quarter. Ths
Chief Engineer assumes that train OF such cars
might DO without involving any undue stress
upon the bridge, II were not OF such length as 10
reduce support derived from tho stress being dis
tributed by the trusses
SIZE OF TRAINS.
In their report tho committee said that they had
Indicated what they beloved TO be the safe limit 70
zo Of tram o. S 90 S
is as ioows:"In Wow Of the TACT that the reserved
ength In the beams Is less than IN the cables aud
a sho hill MI IA work n
tho superstructure Itself, your committee gave 10
consideration to the question OF securing an add.
tionai degree Of strength TO meet any practicable
limit OF transit that the bridge may Ut any
future period be subjected to, If It would
alone, or OF steel and iron combined. some OF your
committee abandon ths purpose only on the direct
ana explicit statement OF Chief Engineer that u
IS not practicable TO obtain steel tho vol
ume required without lapse OF time involving
Die disappo,n,nsnt al last ana large increase Of
cost TO meet the construction Of rolls &C., adapted 10
the form OF material required in addition to tho in-
croase OF cost as between steel and iron. Your CON-
mittee ind that IN contracting Tor the iron for
IN tho supsrstructure the ultimate business
OF the roadway will not be hxed and determined
TO the extent that some alteration would havo
TO DO mado In the Tusses 20 accom- odAte the palace
car in height. Your committee believe that tins dit.
fcuity easily lie met and that II can be ieit TO
be met with advantage when II actually arises. At
present OF such cars upon The bridge appears
10 DO contingent ana remote and IL may be thought
best 10 modify tho structure OF such cars 10
ADAPT snom , or ab hs rsS across no.,a me 81 ne
/
! use OF the roadway will still be open aud
largely under control Of the trustees After con-
ference with tho represe OF bodies concerned
in providing rapid transit Tor the two cities ws and
| that OF tnem have In WOW any scheme whose
adoption will be prevented interiercd with by tho
carrying out OF the plans before US, and so the
committee were not asked to consider any question
save that which Is properly and exclusively our own
tho com pet,on OF me bridge under plans
OF our engineers. In view, then, OF all the Information
wc have obtained offer the following resolutlons:
Resolved That the gauge OF the railroad designed for
railway should be liked at four feet eight
| halt inches
Resolved That be held practicable to transfer the do
sign Of known tho palace sleeping csr upon the
bridge conditions already stated, and that
the may distributed over two
beams. provided that no train should consist OF
greater number of cara than three.
kcsol we'd That the committee be discharged from fur.
| ther consideration Of the subject
The reports were all adopted by tho Board.
The specifications Tor the iron work Of the SUPER
structure the bridge were received and adopted.
The required will b. $500 tons. All the land
the BrooKlyn side necessary Tor bridge purposes.
and nearly all on this side, has been secured.