The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-07-02

the nrsI What may have given rise this repsrv II
that when the vaduct was building defect vas dis
was gone again and made ~ sound
aud thorough as work could be- In DONG TINS soIt
suppose was defec', but which is just The contrary
Our roads are CONSTANTLY and carefully Inspected and
sary repairs would DO Instantly applied, as II would
REPORTER HIxsELr
Unable TO see Mr.. Vanderbilt himself the reporter
FASTENED perspringy 10 the scene Of the alleged im
pending disaster, determined 10 count the nun0er
and measure the length breadth ana depth OF every
crack he across. Tho main arch at 1880
street is fanxed by two smaller ones, built OF
rough faced blocks Of brown GRANTEE The centre arch
has noble span, and Standing at tho cast side OF II
and looking west 1t frames In beautiful picture OF
Park, with the female deity Of a shanty on
craggy eminsnce In the foreground bleaching
. turf. D' He was 10 business, however, in
moment aud was delighted q. his very arss step to
Wsrs irving TO hush the affair up and tho sensation
was as real II was astounding. Presently another
crack appeared and then another and another, until
the 10y OF tho reporter was AS great as II he had
struck a Douanza He visited ths other arches
up Tooth and found the same cracks n all Of
them Then no looked to find where tho foundations
we're settling ana rs loogod rouad with his eyes
bent upon the ground which fclt as solid AS Broad
ana In blue suit.
A MASON OF KAowLEDGE.
"Did We lose anything, mistnerr
this arch settling"
sSettlpg? (with loud laugh Well, Misther, when
Thin settles any more nor they're settled now
It viii be time Tor tho DAY OF Judgment"
"But this land around here was all marshy. and
the spiling OF the foundation might have been de-
iec,ives"
the touneution is OF hard sand Perhaps you
don't know you get no betthr foundation than
what spiiss gvo Every spite you dhrva down re-
moves OF itself of sand and earth and makes
The sand earth hard rs rock Then wnen all ihe
spes IN atop you have tho sodest founda-
ton you can GET. Now you sec thm walls there .1.
means a slope Of twenty.ons inShes-meAs-
uring IL at the bottom with his foot rule) no
walls sixteen inches thick and the packing pc
tween Is ol earth; SO you sec you have about az
sthrong fertilization as you could como across In
days walk" 80
aihat's all right II Is plain there Is no settling.
but what about these cracks?"
"What cracksy' Cooking incraduious).
"Why inside under the archeS.''r
90! sec you're no masony but l've been at u
thirty years, am before / lott the 0ud Dart rho
this way" Hore he took his rule aud
made diagram In the dust OF the road,
showing how IN building stone bridges the
stones are not placed squarsly on top Of
each other like bricks, but a. All upward angie aud
with projecting over or tapping The oihcr; thus
there Is difficulty in putting on the cemeni-whicc IA
the color OF the slonsevenly, ana IL gives the up
pcaranco OF the stone issif being cracked, which -
certainly optical deiusion. NOV" he continued,
'',here no arch in the world stronger than that,
because 1t has tue purchase from below thousand
trans together eouIont break It down. You'd havo
10 take ieet width out OF the centre Vi that
arch before you'd bring down. rne rason why tue
inch at Forsy-socond street broke was because
il had purchase ~ the sides "
had no high spring like these arches. Then
thcy threw ~ the filing ut the sides aud TOOK away
the centre supports about tho same time or before
they should have done So" Satisfied the railway
arches all safe tor the score years or more
the mason and tue reporter separated.