, 1880-02-21
MADISON STnEEY, BRIDGE
It's Condition Ii Suoh that It VIII Be
Swung This Morning.
Ronte Of sIie West Side Cars Until the
Work Is Completed.

nent repairs to tho east nnd west abutments
of the Madison street bridge. Tho jrltIEe
will be swung open this yst,y,ng, aaWl, III nsl
probability, kept open to strrcl-cnrs atu other
yUlllclrS for three Or four weeks to come,
thougt, pedestrian travel Is not llkely to hc
interrupted but for fow days. 1t hAs been
tonnti TINT tho patch,ng-tp process wil! no
longer meet tho cnse, aml, although. It has
taken the city n long time ia gctaround to this
way of thinking, sill 1t Inns got there, md tho
public, perhaps, ought to be correspontl!nFly
thanktus' Tint It iook 10 longer. That Il
bridgcf,l1 Of people and n procession Of yelli-
cles oE MI kinds has not been dumped into
tho river and received the choice elnptyings
of two sewers where they would do the ,nt'st
good, Is not the fault OF the city, nor, 1t may
be added, of tho newspapers, which hive
called attention tn tho uncertain coutlltIol or
tho bridge and its approaches oyer and over
agaln.
THE wonsE-1.ooK1Sa AnuTMESr
Is the ot,e 10 tho LIFT, though its companion
isn't left far to the rear. Each of these abus-
mcnts Is built on piles. which nro covered
with henvy pflt1ks, mid these IN turn form II
bed for tho masonry. Near tho bnsa 0f
tho masonry are the buttons Of tic
sewers,-0no In each nbntineilt, thrGe
or four feet III diameter. Tho lIluso,ry sur
rounding these slop-holcs Is cracked scanned,
and split,-soille Of the tissures being fully
half an inch wlttc,-alsA the stones have
bulged out dny after day tntti tic whnfe
structure l,ns been III apparently imminent
danger OF tulnb1Ing into tho river. Tlle i,Isl-
terihl behind the masonry, h,lh upon which
the street, with Its car.tracks. Is supported,
Is n soft clay, which l,us bee,l pressed dawn
BY the heavy luasls travelling over II until this
itLnP
n lateral pressure, a,.d tho bulgsng-out pro-
abntments been stronger, tloy wo.til
lnxe stood It. .As 1t is, tlelr aEr, together
md yielding, ana eu,istnnt pressure alns ttonc
thu business. One day Que aLl,tn,ent would
outbu,gu It's fellow, a,ni 1t WAS fp,,ns nrccs-
sary 70 cut away soll' Gl The opposite al',
prolcll ln orlcr. to perIult the .oI,urillg AllA
closing gf the bridge. Another t|ay. the other
approach wnltd bulEr, nlh Tho cutt1ng-awAy
process would be transferred to the 9l!oslt
skle. When the ahntneMts Eot i pretty bud.
ard the pavement between them sunk mill
the, rails .were below, tho rntis on tllg
bridge, ai! tAS cars woi'blga, stuck, started
sS Sp ain sH Sd ioa niy M pfa 1 %" whsS vs thsy hey
without hny tr0i.blu whatever: III order To
raise the approacIl.trackst wedges llavu bcen
driven Into tile who'd bcntatl! tlle ftcofson,
as1.t solnctl.ilag less than Il card or wood uttu-
prop up md patch upso1llctll!nE TINT needed
rebuilding from tho bottom up. The laltci-
ing WIS Sill! going on yesterday Afternoon!
even, to II limited extent, although It hul
ten!pnrI'zlnE ss;Xpe.lieMss, a'sl 70 to work III
Learning Ut this suttdon. determination to
do sonet,E H1Mt Eiye ~ f"o,!lnE, 4 rsp"rter
how things wcle working, cnlletl up0ii
SUPERINTENDENT LAKE,
Of tile West Division HALLWAY Company, to
gtt Ills Impressions Regarding the condition
Of the bridge, A,la tn 4scertnln tho aetHlIs
with rensnl III the rl!mnng Ut cnrs while tic
apllroacilrs afr undergoing repairs.
Atr. Lake said llu llld l0ii Iced for soune time
past tssat, tho 1nnsn.iry M both sIes Ut tho
yivT ',ad !,een giving why, probably ,o%ln;
Ms It WIS pressed d4wllwArd by the heavy
tea,ning above, crowded thu 1lins01lry-wGui
Mt besl-ollt Into the river. Iii other
words, tho tlGwiwarI pressure o.. the clHy
caused the sso,,e-worlt to bulge nut. Tlint
this downward prGss,irc WIS snltethlng cn0r-
NOUS wns batent tn everybody WHO saw lioW
sunk until tl,ctr ends ,were several inches
below tho eits OF the trucks or the bridge.
Although tho sittktnE WINS golug 0n nil thC
time, he l,att not Thought there WIS my In,.
mediate dnhger To bu appreflenlctl. a week
ago suntlny morning. when he PIT bis men
nt work NJ tllo gaAt npprUau, tho whnG
bridge lla.l settled &sow,l fnrty feet from the
river flont ,' buck. 50 IT,. tllat tl'o traska were
things were III just MS 'mtl shape, and 3ester:
best to
MAKE AN IMMEDIATE EXAMINATION.
He accordingly visited tic bridge In com
pany with C!ty<Engincer Crfglcr, n,,l his III
ther conclusion that something must be done
or In would have to stop tllo r,lll,llig nf eur.
over tho structure. by going below, Ills nler
Ind tNkGtt measurements nlld Iulntl TINT Ullt
given WY half an lncli III the Inst twenty
four hours, alitl Il later statement w,ls that
le ,eS movement amounted t', t. ~ sigtll q
aquestlon Of time, Ii, Ills uplnIul,, when tilt
thing would glye way, nltlnush the plllnt
lYght prevent q yrent tumble Into the river
Mr; Crsgler VII" readlly Say tle h., trouble
Ing, when tho bridge would By SWING opUl
and 9ll travel suspended over AfatlisO,, stree
until the work hid been thoroughly dotc,-
opilon tei j jcb m!sEt bo nissi M its'Ss ii tw,
weeks, though Mr. Luke WIS Inclined to II
him two better. nllu mike 1t four weeks. Al!
the in4sollry OIL both si'les would come down
piles would be driven underneath, al,d tn
In regard to the
RUNNING OF CARS
while the approaches are being rebuilt, Mr.
Lake stated thaf, nfter consHltation ~. Wltl! S,,
Company, the arrangements, eoinmencin!
with this morning, would be as follows:
The Madison street a1!d Ogtlnn avenue car
Clinton to Randolph, ana east on Ialitlolp
TO tue terminus, near tho foot of tlse lasl
;rile Halstetl street md 1}lnc 1slnntl aveuu