The New York herald., 1879-11-17
THE EAST RIVER BRIDGE.

PRESENT STATE OF THE wORK-NO MONEY 70
ERECT THE sUPERsTRUCrURE.
Labor on the East River Bridge proper is practi.
cally at standstill. A moderate force OF men 10
employed upon the approaches, and there is enough
of the special appropriation left to complete that
portion Of the work within year. but the super
structure cannot be proceeded with until another
appropriation is made. On the Brooklyn side
twenty-sx of the suspenders which to support
the superstructure have been placed in position.
They ninety inches apart and vary in length.
There will be l.796 of these required The shortest
will be six feet long. and those in the centre Of the
span 140 feet They made Of nne steel
wire and plated in strands, each strand
containing from seven to nineteen wfres Near the
towers the suspenders are to be one inch and Ave
eghths in diameter and in the middle of the bridge
one inch aud three-quarters. For protection from
the weather they are galvanized. Each will have .
test strength of 100 tons but with the weight OF the
superstructure and the most trying traffic upon it
the suspenders will be subjected to a maximum
strain of ten only They fastened by screws
into heavy wrought iron sockets that connected
with the cables by bolts of the same material. At
tached to the lower extremity of the suspenders arc
wide and four and half inches thick These win be
made fast to the hoor beams by two large bolts in
each. Mr.. w. Hidenbrand. engineer OF this part Of
the work. says that the bridge trustees have enough
funds to pay for 1000 tons OK the superstructures
which costs ss7 per ton. Five thousand ad-
ditonal tons are required, and until appropria-
ton is made to meet this expense more suspend
will be placed nor will the superstructure be
commenced. Another difficulty Ia found in the want
facilities necessary for undertaking, and the
Ii. Moore Iron Company, of Wilmington. Del, which
has the contract. is putting up q mill and making
the machinery required tor the purpose. Mr. Hill
denbrand of the opinion that at the start 800 tons
of the superstructure can be made monthly. and
that about five hundred tons will be the average
after a reasonable time has been consumed in gain
ing experience i'll the mechanical part of the work.
''Givc the money" he says. "to pay for the
iron and will have the bridge ready for operation
in eighteen months.
When asked IL the superstructure would not bo
Liable to vibrate either from the motion OF travel
upon it or the force of the wind. Mr.. Hildenbrand
replied Mot in the least. The roadway will be
eghty-five feet wide. and there will bc four 0uspen-
ders across this distance at intervals Of seven and
one-half feet With this support the weight Of the
bridge alone would prevent vibration; but fur
ther preventive will be the bracing force OF six lon-
gitudinal trusses, four of them eighteen feet and
two ten feet in length. resting on tho floor beams
and running from end to end There to be i've
compartments in the roadway-two for cars, trucks
and carriages two for rapid transit trains and
for foot passengers. Fill the bridge with assort-
ment of these vehicles and pack it with people, and
there will be no perceptible motion of the struc-
ture."