Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-04-02
ance Of about so citizens Of The vicinity We
made a move of feet

made move Of feet.
On the morning Of the 9th We fOur guild
ed all the capstar, except one and moved
the one haif OF the arch OF side ways, IL
feet on the runners 1Sj feet long. On the
10Th We fixed the cross runners (upOn
which We moved it siieways), on to the
runners that extended len. .thways with the
arch and confined all tight together. On
the 18th III the forenoon it rained in the
afternoon VIC leveled the ice before it
would free again. The 18th We moved the
arch g feet, the weather soft 14th we
made some rollers. the weather was still
soft but showing. 18th had but few hands,
moved the arch so feet 10Th We intro
duced the rollers everywhere and moved
the arch 2l7 feet in three hours 18th
made move of 800 feet 18th aud 10Th
got up one half Of the arah.
We now commenced upon tho other
half, which We fitted and got up in days.
Now We wheeled to the right and left, one
half of the arch to the abutment and the
other half to the pier, fitting the butts to
their places. cut off the ScatiOid posts 1T
bottom, some more, some less from to IL
inches, so Us tn bring the whole arch to its
perfect height and curve, and then united
the centre. On Monday, the 3Oth, ut
about nine o'clock at night, We had the
arch everywhere keyed up, and on Tues
day morning IL stood Of Itself along the
middle way Of the arcl; the scatfOldiny had
| fallen away or inches, but less and less
towards the abutment and pier to have
| an idea OF the cause of this. you must un-
| derst.nd that there is i regular ebbins and
| flOwin, in the river ut this place. once in
24 hours OF from 2 to feet, which has a
| proportianabie effect on the ice. causing
| it to rise aud fall from Is inches to 3 feet.
which ut the same time is continually
workin. itself down stream slowly and i'm
! perceptibly to the eye.
On Tuesday morning as | observed the
arch supported itself, VIC examined every
part of it. drove some keys and made
everything ri lht us possible in the after
noon We began to cut away the scaffOldinS
and got down two thirds OF it before dark,
then stopped III hour for Refreshments, and
before we began again had two large fires
made on each side abot GO feet from the
abu,ment or shore. We then set to cutting
down the remaining part Of the scaffold
ing which WAS completed about half past 8
o'clock. The whole now exhibited the
grandest spectacle the world ever saw
Aided by the ligh: of the fire We would sec
the shore, and the arch rising from the
abutment and extending itself west out Of
sight it was joyful moment to my brave
fellows. and you may well suppose they
gave way to the impulse in loud and re-
peated hurrahs-the next day was set apart
as day of rejoicing.
| The centre ot this arch is 81 feet from
common low water to the lower, and 76
feet inches to the upper segment, and SO
and 61 feet and inches from the surface
OF the leo when it was put ON. During
the whole Of the struggle. the humane
feelings and kind disposition of the inhabi-
tants for 12 to IA miles distant on both sides
OF the river, was manifested to Il degree
that | believe WITS scarcely ever equalled.
They voluntarily assisted from day to day.
so tha. from the 18Th of January to tho
1st of February. had Of this class from
40 to 120 men every day, aud none ever
discovered more zeal Or behaved with
more order AMI decorum i'm any service
where the most exact discipline was rigOr-
Ously exactcd. They came early, staid till
dark and returned home after nisht-sOme
attended every day. whilst others at time
would ride day and night to notify &
bring Oh troops.
One day VIC would call Oh Lancaster
county. the next on York. and sometimes
on both in the same day, and for the most
part We did not want for men. To move
an arch Of such an enormous weight fifty
or sixty feet in the air was no small bust
ness aud had it not been for the friendship
Of these people, almost doubt whether
should have effected the object What is
perhaps remarkable is the fact that Gal
though liquor was handed around in grea.
abundance) there were but two persons
. during the whole time that were the least
intoxicated.
And what is still more remarkable, there
was bat one man injured. and that was
Augustus Stonghton. He fell 81 feet, hit
on the braces twice and then into tn,
water. He in u few days was again at
wOfk-:iud NO other persons hurt.
On the whole VIC were from the first J
October till the first of February in doing
what might have been done in four weeks
of steady weather without floods. 1t is
lons arch and you haye:s long letter yet
it does not explain to you one half the diff
culties we had to encounter in getting il
to its destined place.
lam, siI:. respectfully yours,
THEODORE BURR.
| Mr. Rculcu Field