Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-05-25

OoNA 90 lOOo hI. AlusSioJ H1dluISG d DEluge
project in his mind, settled its termini, hired
an engineer to draw plan and make esti-
mates, paid him out of his own pocket, and
then called his moneyed friends about him.
When organized endeavor is to be condemned
we call the organization q "riDg;" when it is
to be commended we call it a combination.
Whichever it was, there was then formed, at
the instigation of Mr.. Kingsley, an organiza-
tion of which he was the head d-center, which
secured legislation in Albany, moulded pub
lie opinion through the press, and interested
what was deemed by many, and especially
by the old fogy, first citizen" element in
Brooklyn, dangerous and hazardous ex-
pertinent Of no possible practical use.
LEGISLATIVE AID.
Two years after The fret suggestion had
been put before the public a charter was
granted by the Legislature with a flexible
capital of S5,000,000, S3,000,000 of which
was to be snbscribsd by Brooklyn, 81 500, 900
by New York and $4,000 by private par
ties. Among the private subscrihers we're
Messrs, Kingsley, Murphy, Isaac Van Anden,
John L. Hoffman, s. B. Chittendep, Smith
Ely, ir.; Samuel Booth, Henry G. Stebbins.
Martin Kalbfeisch, S. l.. Hustled, Andrew H.
Green and John II. Prentice. Several men
at that time prominent in municipal matters
and then in favor with the great body OF
voters were also interested, but they subse-
queuty withdrew from the enterprise, as
also from the country. All the capital was
subscribed for, and the subscribers Of the
S500000 elected the trustees who served
until the act of 1875, when the bridge wss
made public work and this money was of
course paid back. The m ayors Of Now York
and Brooklyn then named the trustees, and
have done 20 ever since. The engineer, John
A. Roebling, was engaged in May, 1867, and,
having Mr.. Kingsley's personal procurement
for his guide, devoted his entire time Ia
preparation of surveys, plans aud estimates
uutil September, sUhen he presented his
report. He thought the bridge proper could
be built for 100000, that the land for
approaches and 50 on would cost about
81, 100000, and that the popular procession
from shore to shore could begin to move
across in about five years. The fact Is, the
bridge will cost, with land and so on, about
S15, ,0O0, 900, and it is now not far from six
Teen years aimee be handed his document in.
Mr.. Kiugsley was the master mind and soul
OF the enterprise then as now, and after Mr..
RoeblIng's report was submitted he suggest
ed that board of most eminent engineers
should be convened for the purpose of criti-
cising the plan. Accordingly Horatio Allen,
w. j. MeAlpine, J. I. Kirkwood, julius W.
Adams, II. B. Latrobe, Chief Engineer Steele,
J. J. Serrill and A. w. Craven were invited
TO give their opinion on the report. They
did so, and unanimously approved it. In
1869 Congress passed an act declaring the
bridge, when completed, to be a lawful sruc-
ture and postroad for the conveyance of the
e. sils OF tae Uatted Gtates, provided tbst-aAA
bridge did not ohstruct, impair or Injurious
ly modify the navigation of the river, but
making it an essential that the Secretary of
War should frat approve the plan. This the
Secretary of War did, in June, 1903.
SOME RADICAL CHANGES,
10 reference to the increase from Sl0,S00,-
900 10 over Sl5,00O,000 in the cost OF the
bridge a. designed ny Mr.. Roebling it is but
fair to say that-First, the Uniied States
government required sn increase of five feet
| in hight, making the clearance under the
| center Of the bridge 135 feet. At the same
| time il was decided to widen ihs brid, e from
eighty to eighty-fye feet. These changes
| involved au increase OF eight per cent. il
| the cost Of The entire bridge, including super
structure, towers, foundations and anchor.
| eggs. Second, the amount set apart for
| building The foundations of the towers in the
original estimate Was found to be entirely
| inadequate. For The New York tower pile
| foundation was originally intended, whereas
| ii was found necessary 70 go down seventy
| eight feet 10 the bed rock, ana ;he cost of
| labor in compressed air at such uuprece-
! dented depths proved TO be four and halt
| times as much as was anticipated, az was
| aIso that Of excsvating the hard congom-
crate under the Brooklyn tower Third
| steel was substituted for iron as the
| material to be used in the con.
structlon of both the cables and the
suspended superstructure, thereby vastly in
| creasirg the strength OF all the parts. The
! items thus far enumerated foot up uesrly
| s., OOO 900, which covers the excess in cost or
the bridge proper. In his original plan and
estimate Mr.. John E Roebling contemp plated
approaches constructed Of light iron girders
or trestle work, supported by piilsrs of brick
! or stone, but il was concluded TO build en-
| tirely OF granite and brick-a change tina
| has resulted in one OF the inest masonry
viaducts in the world. This involved in
creased expenditure OF bout 81 800, ,000 Tn
archwsys nave been construcied with view
| to their utilization as warehouses, and S400,
/ coo has been set apart oy the trustees fol
| the placing Of fronts and floors in them. A
| Mr.. Roebling in his original report says, th,
cost of these improvements shonld not b,
charged in that Of the bridge, and it was &C
cordinsly omitted by him. Then there ar,
tue station buildings and the elevated rail
way structures that are now building OF
| the approaches, making a connection O
the system of rapid transit of New Yori
| with that of Brooklyn whtn 1t shall havl
been built. OF cor zee, II is was not origin
ally contemplated, and it has swelied tht
cost Of the bridge by nearly half million
| Finally, there is a comprehensive item whict
could not have been anticipated, but whict
would be uuderesiim sled at half a million
-uamely, the preliminary expenditures
general euperintendence, interest and dis.
count on city bonds, and expenses legal
medical, funeTeal and p-and al. These ad
ditions to the cost, however, would nevel
have sWelled 10 so large an amount If / ma
not been for the needless sud costly delal
caused by the failure of the city OF New Yorl
TO promptly provide its proportion of tht
necessary funds That this hss caused a.
enormous increase in the cost of the bridge
we'll known, but it would be difficult to nam
AN amount. The land expenses will b
largely redeemed by the rentals tho cite
will receive from the warehouses under tn
approaches.
THE CAIsSoN MARVEL.
The surprise is not that the engineer esii
mated 40 far from the fact as that he estim 81
ed so near the truth, Tor he was not aware @
the changes 10 BE- made in the hight an
width of the bridge i.self, Dor OF the d fsr
euce ia certain materials used, nor OF b
vsristions in price, of IRON, stone and Labor
ich in the long stretch OF tims hav
seriously affected tas enterprise. Ihrong
good and evil report the original protector
Kept on. Public opinion was Tor or agaIni