The New York herald., 1878-07-12

or the one being the major axis and OF the other the
mipor AKA"
sqsars feet
The area o. the circle whose diameter Is 40
lcet is l21JCA
The OF an eIIipss whose isau.. erss and
conJug .te diameiers arc respectively 10 ard
Tue area oi circle whose diameter i. 20 IT,.
Tho mean proportional between these Two
circles whose areas are respectively ,256.6l
pius olS 10 1856 40
Therefore the conjugale diameter due to su eiI,pss
OF au area OF 1885, 40 square fee It's transverse dia
meter being gwen as 10 foet, Is IS ee the hall OF
which Is IL iect 6iDches.
Tue rise ofl2 icot incnes s. therefore tho mia.
imum duo TO strictly elliptic arch OF 10 ieet span;
tho adoption al the ~ oet Tise brings curve OF
this arch under the denomination OF clipsc within
AN eilipsc form OF arch requiring iron Orders and
therefore better adapted 10 structures OF that class
Than to brick arches
rne adoption OF the 10 ost rise instead OF thSrus
proportional rise of IL foot inchss saving Of
4l0 square feet - male in the sectional oi the
lace OF mo arch, the circumference OF the arch
oi ~ feet rise being 81 iec while the Of ~
inches rise is 81 css, which IN point Of economy ID
rather close shaving With no gain The cousequsnces
resulting from the adoption oil the 10 ieet pref
erence 10 Tue IL ieet incnes which is thc utmost
limit permitted Uy Inc well defined properties OF thu
ciiipse are twoiod1rst TO Drus Two oi general
ing points oil the arch-uameIy the two locus points
's aa s.%s 81 Gs .u. .a H..
springng points of tue arch near It's haunches max
immediate vicinity upward sharper with the rsverse
effect At the crown, where u maniicstly needs 10 IN.
crease rather than dniaish. The utmosl it safety
Deween these two extremes Is reached AZ IL feet q
inches.
Tue arch formed OF six courses OF brick all laid
enghways, and Is foot 10 inches thick all sretchers
no header presenting no ev dence Whatever OF bong
properly bonded; jJints varying IRON oDc-hait a
inch 10 one ourth VI an inch; those unusually wide
spaces between tho bricks being liied with q com.
position resembling mixture OF mui ana sand IN .
strength Keep any orlcks together; devoid OF
every element ssary TO impart strength c0he.
weakness, occupying wide spaces between inc brcxa
which were Intended 10 be inoissoiuoly cemcntcd
together into one solid mass, wnicn would Ia due
course become impervious to rain and frost and
time TO make u separation.
Tho counering OF the arcn, intended 10 bc another
important element OF 10 the whole structure.
has proved (tke the cement IN the brick work)
an element OI weakness. 1t was mere RUBBISH and when
tue centering was removed from nty oc section of
the arch. weighing 236 tons, tho whole being de-.
noient Of all element oil cohesion fell down from
ubutments buryug In It's ruin two human beings. 10
attribute the ial OF this OF 40 span aud only
o ~ feet rise, with all s Inherent detects aud weak.
ness, composed as II was Of brick ana cum posit,on
not much better than mixture OF mud and sand. 10
nero accident, 10 an audacious attempt to- impose on
public creduy aud puUlic intelligence. Il Is au st.
tempt to throw dust IN tue Syes OF those VINO have
and examined lhis elaborated rum. 1t IL an
attempt TO deny those VINO have carefully examined
The character OF the work the evidence 0 their scns
Any sttempt made by the officials of the Department
oi Public Works to attribute the ia VI this mpcriect
arch ~ accident ~ sheer mbeciiity Il II st0idity Of
tho most unpardonaDle kind. Tho whole Ining Is =
pubic dsmonstraton OF stsriity oi administrators,
Indifference to professional reputa and total alb
senee Of intelligent guidance aud supervision
The array OF engineering and official talent OF tho
Us head, examined witnesses on the stn nss be-
lore Coroner Woltman aud hts Jury, Is certainty one
oil the most remar kable iarces ever enacted before
jury oi intelligent whose verdict looked for oy
the public with deep anxiety. The striking tea.
ture OF the whole LARGO Was tho rsluctance Of well
paid public officials 10 give any direct evidence 10
tho cause Of the fall oi arch which by its
inherent weakness bad acsign and bad cement Their
unwinguess TO give tar. direct evidence perfect
demonstration oi their utter nutlty as guardians VI
the public interests. Commissioner Campbell SAID
he had no choice but TO award tho contract TO the
lowest bidder Wen, the law did not prevent HIM
IRON making a good design, or from irnming good
specification. The Law did prevent uitn from cx.
aiming tue work and enforcing order 10 mix the
cement and sand in the proportion OF ~ least
one OF best 10 Que OF good sand Neither dues
the law prevent him IRON enforcing the perform.
ance of work 10 conformity with the spec nexgohs
written or dictated by himself Wei, II ths enforce.
men oil the specifications havo the elect oi bringing
the contractor TO Bankruptcy that ixut OF his.
Tho contractor SHOULD not bid 30 low When II be-
comes publicly known that cngnes in cusrgs OF
worxs 10 capable Of wording specifications minuisIy,
accurately aud 10 the purpose, and that ho insists
specifications aud good dessns, contractors Will
bid u paying price, But wnou they learn that bust
ness is con1uctcd on the joboing system honest con-
tractors will nave nothing 70 do with the Depsrs
ment oi Pubiic Works
Tho following paipable defects in tho gory.ssc.
Frst--The cement 10 radically bad all through the
works. both IN the stone anu brick work. IL safe
70 assert that It IL neither an element Of strongln
an elemeat cohesion IN the arch.
Sec0nd-Ths arch IL too fiat Ny at least 2 feet 9
10 ei isoi. Wv ''' " = s'' 'A'''' ''''sAa o.
Tird-che abutments arc not properly constructed;
neither are thsy OF hufcieut thickness either tho
bass At the sprnging oil tue Their thickness
should DO Increased W foot nches aud built with
u batter at tho back 0i % iucn TO tue foot rhe
face courses IA the aDutmenls constitute man
element Of strength About onc.hali ot abutm snts
all through tbs work Is COMPOSED oil rubblc work,
which - more rubbish, aud therefore should bs
Jected. The whoie work should DO taken down and
rebuilt TIE arch as at present constructed
may be SAID 10 DO altogether dencisns IN
proper countering, which, u properly done,
would constitute ono OF the elements
VI strength 10 ar elliptic arch unusually Hal The
countering as 10 nov stands 10 mere ruob,sh. The
contractor, through the OF vigRnt and INTEL
Igcnt guidance the part oi the ofcers OF do
partment oil Pubic Works, who manly rcsponst.
bio the TALL of the arch. should be held reson.
sibIc. Insteai OF receiving Intelligent uidanco is
appears from the evidence OF these officers that
he was lett entirely TO hi< own inteecual resources
aud skill The efforts being made ~ get . encnst 20
analy the composition designated cement, winch
10 mixed IN tue proportion oil one vi inferior ccmeut
10 Tour oi sand q composItion which, 10 cohesive
strength Is not even two degrees better tuau wet
sand and mud mixed together, Is perfect larcc It
fritt.ring away time for purpose oi shielding
incompetent oil. ias No scientific anal sis can make
cement of such a compound.
Why not give u specimen OF the precious compost.
tioh into the hands OF tho builders o the
jury? Tney are the proper parIics to Judge Of its
mcrits Tho public are imPatcniiy awaiting thos.
ough investigation una "A fair verdIct