The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-01-29
Ruilding
DuKIUIH DKHUSSS
.nnnd Of fLo' Euinn Tilnpe

Correspondent o. Me. CHton ItWeS.
For more than twenty years have been
of building more permanent bridges in Spar
tanburg and Union counties, and respectful
~ ask space in your columns to present my
views to the people upon True economy OF
building Bridges. hoping that what l shall
saw will be read and carefully considered by
the people. but more especially by the Conn
ty Commissioners, who alone CAN control the
matter.
My special attention was attracted to this
By the many dccaying and Otherwise delec-
tive bridges at Grindal Shoals, durinS.my ten
years lease of the Mills at that place. When
/ went North to examine the improvements
in mills, I also examined the excellent bridge
work l saw there. A few years later bought
Trough Shoals. about six miles higher up the
river, which was without Il bridge or any
improvements. The great fall of water at
that place, for half a mile-the bridge place
being about midway of the falls, at d rather
narrow pass of w~ater-called for the ablcSt
wood work resist the immense power OF the
raft during high frcshets and also to rccurc Il
durable plan against decay.
Soon after purchasing and before building
the bridge, | again visited the North and
travelled much of Georgia, as far West us Co
lumbus, examining the Cotton Factories and
FIGURING Mills with their latest improve
ment: bridge building receiving Il full share
of NY attention, especially IN Georgia. !
even left the cars at Gainesville and went
out on the Htghtower river and examined
three covered bridges JUST DullJ aJ IuTce lcT-
ries on that river, leading to different points
on the State Railroad. l was mnch pleased
with the plan and construction of those
bridges. Each bridge cost about hve thou
SAND dollars, having the best stone abut-
ments running from about the waters edge
back up the rising ground, with wings filled
between with clay, well rammcd in as the
mason work I've, vent q up 1;o Each Zach or sdGet h t%e Two
feet above low water, the foundation being
about six feet under water. These water sec
lions of the piers were built Of large, we'll
fastened log pens nearly to top OF the water,
closely filled with rough stone.
Three years previous to this ] examined the
Maxwell and Knox covered bridges on TIL
gale and Sedeca rivers, and l think their stone
piers were built on wooden pens, as above de-
scribcd. l have recently heard that the stone
piers of the bridge OF Piedmont Factory,
Greenville County, are built on such wooden
lean practice to build the most costly and
permanent structures, by using wood under
water, it having proven to be a very practical,
essential and permanent ingreciant IN secur-
| places it requires the p!ling to be driven
down, to make the foundation about as firm
as q granite hill, when the earth was soft, con-
sIsting Of sand. mud, &c:
have said more on this subject of wooden
foundation under water, because ! have OBJ
served for twenty pears that many nhscnooi-
ed minds give more or less opposition to Its
utility, they believing it will decay and, give
way. especially when used on sandy and mud
fonndaiions for stone abutments. This Is q
great mistake, If the work Is properly done.
In 1876. whilc1 wasa County COMMISSIONS In
Spartahburg, / superintendent the wooden
foundations for two stone abutments built at
| the waters edge upon the tery sonsettlings IN
the mill pond at hurricane Shoals, on Pacolet
river. My plan, in soft and sandy places,
where the depth was as much as b feet or more
to q solid or firm foundation would be TO
drive down to q more or less depth, TO be dr1.v-
en- with u heavy battering RAM, rs l term 1t,
ten or twenty feet long, Weighing from one to
three hundred pounds, and manned with
from four to eight men, standing on n two or
three story scaffold, the ram filed with au-
ger holes to adjust the pins for holdingat any
section OF the ram that may be necessary. A
heavy ram, we'll manned, gives astonishing
niomcntive power. After the piling is prop
erly driven down, a wooden platform Is then
laid on this for the stone work to rest on. AS
a general ruie it Is bridge economy to add
cost In the abutments, in making them
strong and so that they may embrace as large
q per cent Of the bridge length as practicable
to shorten tthe wood work-the later being
less permanent even If covered. In many
situations the current Of the stream is that
especially on the side, o large part Of the
abutment can safely be built out Of dirt, the
stone wingsTo only running back a short dis
lance. Such dirt embarkments can easily be
protected from wash by resortinE to different
methods rs the circumstancesof the SITUATION
may indicate. In short our bridges should be
built more out OF. dirt, stone, and Ear less
tpo0d.