Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-05-28

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1876. It was lifted into place over
the towers and fastened to the an
chorages. A second wire was then
run across and the two were fastened
together, making an endless wire
running over driving wheels. 1t was
then an easy matter to run across
other wires, and cable-making really
began on June IL, 1878.
The making of the strands for the
cables, which were begun on June
II, 1877, was not completed until
October Is, 1878. Each of the four
cables contains 1926 PARALLEL (not
twisted) galvanized steel, oil-coated
wires, closely wrapped to a solid
cylinder, and is 1914 inches in diam
eter. So many wires could not be
handled at once, so that each cable
is divided into - strands. When
twelve strands were finished in each
cable, seven of the central ones were
clamped into the form Of a small
cable nine inches in diameter. This
was made into the center core. On
June IA, 1878, the first serious acci-
dent in the operations of spanning
the river occurred. A strand was let
loose at the New York anchorage.
1t swept over the top of the tower
the river, killing two men and injur-
ing three more. Altogether some
twenty persons have been killed dur
ing the erection of the bridge.
When the cables were ready for
their loads suspended bands made Of
wrought iron were fastened on at in
tervals of seven and one-half feet.
To these bands were attached sus-
pender ropes made of sheet wires.
These ropes are made to hold 100
tons each, but not more than ten
tons weight will come upon one of
them. The suspender ropes hold up
the steel structure which forms the
roadways.
On the approaches the width of the
bridge is 100 feet. Here the wagon
ways are paved with Belgion blocks,
and the footway, which is only three
feet above the roadways, has an
asphalt pavement. But from anchor
age to anchorage the bridge is differ
ent. 1t is a deft combination of
steel beams, trusses, girders and
chords, S5 feet wide, fioored with
timber except in the space reserved
for the railway tracks. The total
weight of steel in the bridge is $500
tons. The great delay in the deliv
cry of this steel according to contract
postponed the completion of the
bridge for nearly one year.
AS now completed there are five
parallel avenues on the bridge. The
outer two, nineteen feet wide each,
are devoted to vehicles. In the CEN
tire is an elevated foot path fifteen
and one-half feet wide. On either
side of this are the railway tracks
one for cars going to Brooklyn and
one for those coming to New York.
The promenade has a capacity, if
persons move at the rate of 200 feet
per minute, of allowing $4,000 per-
sons to pass over every hour. The
roadway will admit the passage of
l ,440 vehicles per hour of an aver
age weight of 31a tons each, estimat-
ing three moving vehicles in every
100 feet. The bridge will sustain
10000 soldiers marching, better than
any ordinary bridge.
The cars are propelled by an end
less chain, but when they leach the
centre of the main span they will run
TO the end by their own gravity and
momentum, being under the control
of brakes. Passengers will get in at
one end and will be unable to get
out until they reach the other end of
the bridge. 1t is calculated that
eighty cars, such as are used on the
elevated roads, can be kept in opera
tion at once, twenty of which will be
on the bridge at one time. Each car
can accommodate 100 passengers,
and $4,000 persons can be taken
across in an hour.
The total length of the bridge is
5,6S9 feet. The length of the river
span is 1896 feet, and at the centre
it will be 135 feet above high water
in summer, and 1873 feet in winter
the difference being caused by the
effect of the heat and cold on the
steel. The wind blowing at veloc.
ity of 100 miles an hour would not
hurt the bridge. The greatest veloc
ity of the wind here is 76 miles al
hour. The centre of the suspended
structure is Is feet higher than the
roadways of the towers. Not over
per cent of the vessels that enter thi:
port would have to strike their top
masts in passing under the bridge
From anchorage to anchorage thu
bridge is 3,460 feet long and th'
total weight of the suspended struc
ture is 1870 tons. The cables
Chief Engineer Roebling says, ar
strong enough to pull up the anchor
ages, which weigh 10000 tons each
The bridge is to be lighted by 10'
electric lights.
By bad management and the de
lays caused by political opposition
over $1,000,000 at least has beel
added to the cost of the bridge.