The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1882-01-27

the superstructure, and along its length
ran a track, at the outer limits, upon
which piece of mechanism provided
with ropes, pullies and elevators, and
called ssThe Traveller" was pushed for
ward as the work of uniting the panels
of iron progressed. The pieces, some
of them weighing several tons, We're
moved this way or that by the aid of
the traveller with great ease by six or
eight men, and could be adjusted to the
fraction of barley-corn. Not more
than fifteen men were required to per-
form the labor in this way, which 9TH
erwise would have been impossible.
Most of the men were we'll up in their
calling, having been often employed on
similar works, and were not the least
nervous when we'll up in the air climb
ing ropes and posts and pacing along
the top cord of the bridge at an eleva-
ton of seventy or eighty feet from the
water.
Riveting the pieces of the first span
together as it stood when adjusted, the
bearings on the false bridge were re-
moved, and span No. 1, 243, inc he
In length, was complete and self-sup-
porting. Placing the stringers, cross
ties and q temporary track inside the
span, preparations began to build
THE DRAW.
The false work of span No. 1 was
taken down, and the material employed
for a similar work as q basis for con-
structing the draw. Piles were driven
on either side of the draw pier to a
distance of equal length with the draw,
but up and down the river, SO that nav
igation would not be INSTRUCTED as the
draw was being built. This arrange
| ment, however, increased the labor,
since the material had to be lowered by
the Transfer elevator, boated to its
place and elevated with derrick.
The false work for the draw complet-
ed, the worKmen began arranging the
turn-table for the draw. The table is
secured to the granite Gaping of the
piers, on its outer and circumference is
circle of iron cogs into which fit the
cogs of small wheel fastened to shaft
which has near its top second, but
larger wheel, which is turned by cogs
secured to a capstan the top of which
stands on level with the cross ties and
| by moving which, as with the ordina-
ry capstan, (the men standing on the
track) motion is communicated to the
draw.
! The draw was put together from the
centre outward, and combines the prin-
ciples both of tension and compression,
the former while at rest and the latter
while swinging, the chords, upper and
lower, both being rigid. 1t turns on a
pivot set in the center of the pier. A
base of twenty-eight feet supports
forty-four iron rollers of fourteen inches
diameter each, on which rests the
draw with its total weight of 45O, 900
pounds. In the pier there are GOO, 900
brick, supported by eleven rows of
piles of eleven piles each. The ma
sonry of the pier is forty-thrce feet in
hight, circular in form, with Il base OF
thirty-four feet sloping upward to thirty
feet in diameter at the top.
The first effort to swing the draw was
entirely successful, and was properly
enough greeted with the boom Of q
cannon. Constructed, as stated, al
right angles to the bridge, there was
some doubt among lookers-on whethe,
the draw was not either too short OF
too long for the opening it was to close
The result was fit, correct mathemat
ically to the eighth of an inch. AT
enthusiastic by-stander, seeing this anC
looking toward the Pacific, waved his
his hat and greeted IN .fut,u'o the in
coming train from San Francisco! The
draw swung gracefully into position
the whole evenly balanced and moving
without perceptible perpendicular mo
ton at either extremity, Superinten
dent Houser looking on with the faitl
and stoicism of a Persian monk
The construction of the remaining
spans, and 4, was on the same plair
as that described with reference to tn,
) first span, the material being carried
| thrOnvh the draw noo1ol nh,