The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-12-23
Spanning the Niasnra.

lng-boxes or resonators.
Spanning the Niagara.
THE OPENING OF THE CANTrLEyER BRrpgE-
/ BEARING THE WEIGHT OF TWO TRAINS OF
TEN LOCOMOTIVES AND ELEVEN CARS
WEIGHING NINETEEN TONS.
"A Buffalo special OF the 10th saws The
great csntilever bridge over the Niagara
river was formally opened to-day. The
morning was bright and pleasant, but az
the time for the ceremonies approached the
sky became overcast and leaden.hued, and
showers OF snow fell, obscuring the falls.
which, looking southwark from the bridge.
are to be seen In all their grandeur. Ex.
cursion trains came ia from ali directions.
crowded With sigbt-seers, who, standing
on either bank, relieved by the background
Of snow and clad in varied colors. con-
stantly shifting positions in order to obtain
a better point OF view, presented kaledo-
scopic picture not inferior in interest to the
exercises OIL the bridge itself.
The villages on each side OF the river
had bur few decorations. Those on the
bridge were limited TO an American flag
hanging from the telegraph wires crossing
the American entrance, and the British
jack lazily floating from the staff at the Ca
madam end. The Frontier House, on the
American side. was covered with flags.
and its roof was occupied by the Tona-
wanda Indian Band. which shortened the
waiting hours with popular music. to the
great delight OF the rustics present. The
crowd was estimated at 5000. most OF
whom, despite the cold and storm, re-
NAMED on the banks until the exercises
were over. Packed on either side of the
river were all the idle engines in the yicin.
| ity. and the old suspension bridge, 300
feet below the new structure. was black
with spectators, who defied the cold winds
that whistled through It in their anxiety
to obtain good view. The roofs OF the
houses along the bank were occupied with
enterprlsing photographers, who, from
these elevated positions, took views at
every stage Of the proceedings.
The opening was set for If O'Clock. and
promptly at that hour the observation en-
CINE OF superintendent Burrows, with
President Rutter, OF the New York Gen.
trail, Vice-President nllinghast. and Gene.
ral-Superintendent Toucey. crossed the
bridge, amid the cheers and hat-waving OF
the crowd, to wait the coming OF trains
from the West. These were late, and the
engine returned and remained on the
American side, from which these officials.
with those OF the Michigan Central and
other roads, witnessed the tests. AT Il
NJ. the experts, consisting Of George 5.
Morrison, Charles Macdonald. Theodore
Cooper, Charles Lilienthal. and Thomas
Rideout, assistant engineer OF the Canadian
railways, began their tests. In few mo-
,a,,fa oil 10
test trains started side by side from the
Canadian bank. They consisted OF ten
locomotives, prOfuseIy decorated with
flags, and eleven loaded grayeLcsrs,
on each track, with an estimated
weight Of 1900 tons. They stopped on
each arm OF the cantileyers and also on the
middle truss in order to make efficient and
thorough tests. This operation lasted one
hour, aud ut / O'Clock the train reached the
American end, its arrival being announced
with simultaneous footing and shrieking
OF whistles and ringing OF bells on en-
gines. One engine, in its eagerness TO
| Guido the others, triumphantly initiated
| the Growing OF rooster with remarkable
correctness. elicitlng uproarious cheers
| from the crowd At the same time the
Indian band, from its exalted station,
vented its enthusiasm in a rendition Of
Yankee Doodle" in n manner in which
yigor and power made up for lack OF finish
| The trains were them backed TO the Cana
dian side, and in few minutes process
sion OF visitors and townspeOple, headed
| by the band, proudly marched on the
broad footwalks to the Canadian shore.
| This ended the ceremonies on the bridge.
The engineers, railroad men. and guests
then repaired to the Monteagle Hotel and
partOOk OF banquet, during which iniOr-
NAL speeches were made by Mayor Carter
Harrison, OF Chicago; ;. 5. POmeroy; Col
onel Miner. OF the United states army:
General George :. Field, and DR.. Fergu-
son, a member OF the Canadian Parliament.
At p. NJ. everything was over and the
new bridge thrown open for traffic.
Among those present at the ceremonies,
| besides those already mentioned, were
Chei-Englneer Fisher ana Master-of-
| Transportation Buchanan, OF the New York
| Central; President Ii. b. Ledyard, Chief
Engineer Phelps, and General-Superu-
tendent Brown, OF the Michigan Central:
nearly all the local officers and engineers Of
the many roads ceDtring m Buffalo, and
many OF the leading railway and civil Ell
gineers OF the country The Governor,
who was expected was unable to be pre-
sent.
| Tue bridge, which IA a slender, graceful
structure, resembling In general appear
ance o gigantic letter W, with tlattened
and heightened arms, rises on open tow
ers OF steel from massive blocks OF ma
sonry built right at the rivers edge.
| Apart from the principles OF which II is
practically the first embodiment, the re-
markable feature connected with It's cree
ton Is the rapidity OF It's construction. On
Il massive iron plate, set in the stone Of
the American abutment, this is briefly set
forth:
WORK COMMENCED APRIL 10, 1888.
WORK FINISHED DECEMBER l, 1888.
The tests to which the bridge was sub
mltted are stated by engineers TO be the
most rigid possible. They consisted Of
loading the central spans without loading
the cantleyers, and the advance of the
trains on both tracks side by side, the stop
ping and starting OF heayy trains on the
bridge causing the slipping OF the loco
motive-wheels, conditions which. though
their precise effect cannot be deter
mined, are tests quite as important a,
the imposition OF weight. After the
trains reached the middle OF the bridge the
maximum detection from levels simulta-
neously taken from the ends was six and
three quarter inches. When the trains left
the bridge the parts returned TO their orig
inal position. no permanent set being de-
tected. The experts declared the tests TO
be most satisfactory. The extreme hori-
zontal motion OF the rocker link applied at
the anchorage to allow for expansion and
contraction was about one inch.
This bridge stands monument to Ameri-
can engineering skill. The credit to be
awarded Is due firstly TO the genius OF En-
gineer &. {. Schneider, and in no less de-
gree to the executive ability and tact Of
President George ;. Field, Of the Central
i L p..A.Io ..hn a,-aclltal md