New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-28
MIR. MURPHY AND THE BRIDGE.

HIS REPLY TO GENERAL MENTIONS REPOhI'
HE HEIGHT OF THE STRUCTURE AND THE fAC'o"
OF sAFETY-wHEN THE BRIDGE WILL PROB
ABLY BE FINISHED.
President Henry c. Murphy, OF the Board OF
Trustees of the New-YOrk and Brooklyn Bridge
was asked yesterday by n TRIBUNE reporter Tor MS
views in regard to the report of General Newton
respecting the height of the bridge above the river
and the factor of safety in the structure. MI
Murphy said that General Newton admitted III MS
report that it was incomplete from not having all
the data TO calculate FROM The trustees anu ehgl-
neers had furnished TO him all that had been asked
There was no date to the report to show when IL
was made. hut unless it was made some time ago.
he said General Newton was wrong IN saying thaC
he had received no reply from Mr.. Murphy to his
last letter Mr. Murphy showed the reporter
copy of the letter sent in reply to General
Newton's, on February IL, by Colonel Roebing,
giving the result of recaculatons in regard to the
bridge structure after the additional weight was
authorized He declared that General Newton was
wrong in allowing only fifteen inches Tor the
shortening of the suspcnder rods, as the screws
would admit of their being shortened thirty inches
This would more than offset General Newtons esti-
mate-eight inchcs-of the distance by which the
height was less than 135 feet above high tide The
calculations of the bridge engineers SAID
Mr.. Murphy, gave the height Tor
the completed structure when loaded at 1912
feet At present the height was l4O feet, but III
tie over four feet would be taken up by the weight
of the structure and the load on II. The helghl
would be least land this all the calculations were
based where there was the com6inatlon OF gIeL a
and no one living would PROBABLY see this comDlna-
ton. E, :,
As to the factor of safety, Mr. Murphy said. it was
La. which meant that if the structure was fully
loaded packed from end to end with persons, allow
ing eighteen square inches to each one, the bridge
would bear over four times as much without break
ing. This was enough for any possibility. The factor
was only three in the suspension bridges at I'm
cinnati and Niagara built b. the elder Rochling the
father of the chief engineer of the brooklyn
Bridge The old factor of safety of over ire was
arriv at by different series Of calculations. but
really the result was not much different.
Mr. Murphy was also asked IN regard to The pros
pect of completing the bridge. He replied that he
thought The structure would be finished far inside
of the time now fixed for It. He had jnsJt heard
from Colonel Sellers president of the EdgemOor
Iron Company (Which has the contract for steel
for the suspended supcsructnre t. the eiiect thai
on March st tas Cambria that The G@ lat a@ of
of the steel blooms Wonld be ready tIy
in two weeks. This included all the steel under the
new contract. All that remained was the rolling OF
the steel at Midvalc and It's manufacture at Edge
moor. Most of tine delay heretofore had been caused
at Cambria and now the steel could be got ready
and supplied as fast as IL could be put mp. Every
thing was in readiness to hasten the completion OF
the bridge The carriage and foot rOadways could be
completed if the Legislature dld not pass the
bill before il. There little possibility that it
would refuse to accept Mayor Lows statement that
the bridge must be finished" There was money
enough, with the OK sgpFlOn of 100000, to com
piete ali but the rsil4y over the bridge, and the
land t. be sold would amount TO NOR, than this
But Mr. Murphy said, he would prefer to
see the work all done at once, and
the bridge thrown open completed. 1t
would be a marvel when one could go from Sands
ST. BROOKLYN to the New York City Hall, 1900
feet in three minutes. Cars could be run at inter
walls of one minute each, and there would practl-
callv be no delay. Then, too, the money-savng to
people who walked over the bridge and so had no
ferriage to pay would he considerable. His idea
woul be TO have the structure free TO all loot pas
President Murphy added that it was very proyok
ing to hear complaints in regard to delays from
those who knew nothing about the matter. There
was lust as much for the contractors TO per-
loI1n their work Tor the trustees to want II done.
Money was retained to the amount OF S4O,OOO
or $4,000 on the contracts, and 1t Wouid
he paid as as they were hlied.
There was another delay, and that was
in regard TO the elevated station III Chltham-st.'
opposite the entrance to the bridge iii 'hs city.
The matter had been argued before the court III De
cember and now it was almost April with no decls-
ion Bnt for all the laws delays well as others,
the trustees were blamed. The completed bridge
itself would be the best answer 10 al complaints:
1t would be the cOmpleteSt possible structure ana
the best adapted TO all public uses