The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-12-05
The Cauttlever bridge.
Mr.. DEPEw DESCRIBES TUE NEW BRIDGE
SPANNING THE NIAGARA RIVER.

Mr. DEPEW DESCRIBES TUE M" bhiDoh
SPANNING THE NIAGARA RIVER.
Mr.. Chauncey NJ. Depew, Of the New
York Central railroad, has described the
new cantilever bridge over the Niagara to
a reporter who interviewed him for the
purpose. He said: 81 find cantieyer
defined. III Webster's as a supporting brace.
The principle of the bridge OF Niagara Is
that OF a trlIssed beam, supported at or
near its centre on the shore, and anchored
at the shore end. No bridge on this prin-
ciple has yet been completed. but two
Others besides this Niagara cantileyer are
now building. AT the Firth OF Forth, IN
Scotland, one Is being built with clear
span Of 1000 feet, and another with 30
feet clear span Is gradually spanning the
Frazer river, in this country.
6The Niagara cantilever is designed to
be a double-track railroad bridge, and Is
intended to carry at one time two freight
trains OF the heaviest possible kind, ex-
tending the entire length Of the structure.
When sustaining this great strain the
bridge will be tested to but one fifth OF its
full strength. The bridge proper will be
s95 feet, and will span a chasm below the
falls Of $50 feet from bluff to bluff. 1t will
on the Canadian side and 395 on the Anne
rican side. These will be supported on
steel towers rising from the waters edge.
The arms OF the cantilever extending
over the river will be connected by a
fixed span OF 125 feet, suspended by
the cantilevers themselves. The steel
towers are reared on masonry foundations
rising fifty feet above the water surface.
This masonry in turn rests on blocks OF
beton twenty-five feet wide, forty-hve Feet
long, and ten feet thick. These blocks are
buried in excavations OF earth and repose
on the solid natural rock bed. The super
structure that rests on the masonry, that
rest on the beton block, that rest on the
solid rock Will be built Of ingots OF steel
having a strength OF $4,000 pounds TO the
square inch. Splendid machinery enable
the engineers to cut, punch, bore, ana
plane this steel as easily and rapidly as II II
were 30 much pine plank. The shore-end
OF each arm OF the bridge will be anchored
In masonry.
1.-THE difficult part OF this great under
taking" observed Mr.. Depew impressiyeiy,
after readiusting his gold eyeglasses, sis, OF
course, to throw the span over that roaring
river whose force no earthly power can
stay. No temporary structure, you Will
readily understand, could survive it an in
slant. just here the skill OF the engineer
hurries to ouraid to battle nature and laugh
at her powers. He battles and laughs by
the following ingenious means: After the
shore anchOrages and towers are compile
ted he runs out the arm OF the cantlleyer
from the shore by means OF travelling
derrick. This derrick enables him to set
sections twenty-five feet long one after the
other, like a tinsmith fitting stoveplpe.
until the great arms finally meet in tri-
umphant embrace over the river centre.
When the arms form this arch the steel SUI
perstructure that upholds the tracks will
be built upon it like any ordinary bridge"
"Now," said the railroad lawyer in con-
clusion. "you have pretty general idea
OF the bridge. | like TO tell everybody all
know that will be Of service to the pub
lie. The cantilever will be ready for trains
about Christmas, and it will be happy
new-year for us all when they get to rum
ming"