The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-05-04
TIE RRIDGR ENGINEERS.
Runors About Thew that the Trustees Az
PoInt-d - Com..ittse 60 Iavsstiuate.


Pcint-d - Cssn-aittse 60 IavsstIwate.
Az an executive meeting Of the trustees OF
the East River Bridge. on Thursday afternoon
last. In discussion over the specifications for
tho steel for the superstructure OF the bridge.
Gen. William @. Stelnmetz. the Brooklyn Comp
troer. at whose instiRation the previous de-
cision Of the Board on the character OF steel to
be advertised for was taken up for raconsidera-
tion. said that he had heard some serious ALE
cations against the engineers OF tho bridge,
and. although he wished to make no charges
himself. he thought 1t was due to the public
that the oral avprments made to him should be
Investigated. Gen. Slocum said that no had
heard similar averments. but he believed that
the persons making them were acting in a re-
vengeful spirit Ono man. wire maker. had
distinctly charged that the confidence Of the
Bnard in one OF two OF the engineers was mis-
pln,ed and alleged that he knew that they Tho
enginrersl had been paid at different periods
sums amounting tn 100000.
The trustees ut once agreed that even the In
umntlon OF corruption, coming M In thnt way.
must he investigated. and u committee WIS APP
Board on MONDAY. This committee met yester-
day afternoon, after having sent word To the
parsons who hal spoken ~ the subject 70
MesRrs Slocum and Stpinmetz To meet them in
reference to their alsgRtone. but no one an
peared, and after waiting for some tme tue
committee adjourned. agreeing to report tho
Monday.
There Ia general charge made among GER
tain members Of the steel trade that the ongi-
nerrs Of the bridge are casting their influence
In favor of B,saemer steel aa against cru .iblo
steel. and that there is an object in this, which
they alleg" IL TO benefit the steel works Of w.
A. Roebng's sons in Trenton. N j., where
resolution introduced into the Board by Mr..
A. Hewitt soma years ngo. and inrorpo-
rated, in the bylaws, no one connected with
in any contract for supplies To the bridge
After this went into effect. and when the time
arrived to bid for sterl wire for the foot bridge
cables, Chief Engineer Ro"hling retired. from
the firm In which he was Interested, and. II is
snid. put his interest IN tho name Of his wife
The contract Ter the wire used In tho prplimi-
nary structure was awarded to the firm Of
which he had been member, and subsequently
several other orders were flied by the same
factory. This was made cause OF complaint
by some other contractors.
The present specifi ntions are for 5000 tons
OF materials occurs this specification:
Al Of the steel u,ed IN this work must be of mild
members Martin or opel hearh steel or Bcs.
emer steel under The Hay prce-- will be preferrcd
same character, unless specially otherwise ordered
The engineers claim that there ia in this pro-
vision no discrimination against crucible steel
although il is admitted that the steel will moi
have much chanc" Of being adopted under tho
fixed requirements that II must be Of q mild
uniform, elastic. and ductie quality" Those
who criticised the specification say that the re-
duirements are such that those who properly
he able TO underbd those who are not So adj
vantaReously informed. The question OF modi-
lying the specifications will come up again
nj to-morrow's meeting OF the Board. Gen
ktenmetz strongly favore cruclble steel. claim
ing that, while IL Ia somewhat higher In price.
II II the best steel made. and that, bng strong
er. II will require Mt lens 400 tons less than OF
Beesemer steel. thus materially tightening the
load upon tne suspandere. The engineers
claim that they need n steel with some qualities
that crucibls does not possess. and that q re-
duced weight is not gs desirable rs some OF the
ity. They say that the heavier the bridge Ia.
the less liable 1t will be TO be affected by strong
winds