Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-09-09
| any kind.

any klnu.
The bridge will span the Ohio river
directly IN front of Henderson, KY,
and will be connected by nine miles
of railroad with the city of Evans
vile, Ind. The bridge proper will
be 3,GSG feet long, with trcstlc APP
proach on the Indiana side three
miles long, which, together with the
Kentucky approach, will make the
length of the whole structure over
four miles.
The nature of the foundation nee
eSsitates the use Of caissons for Tie
commencement Of the piers, the cx-
,cavations being made by men work
ing inside of the caisson in compress
'ed air, as was the case with the great
bridges at st. Louis and Brooklyn.
The work was taken in hand by
The railroad company on April 10 of
his ycar-Owing to the slow prog
ress made by the contractors prior
thereto. But four Of the foundations
hak then been secured, and three
calssons rested on the rivcr-bcd out
of position-thrcc feet out of level
md ten feet below the surface of the
water. Great expense and delay was
'ccasisncd in recovering these sunkcn
'aissons. Seven foundations are
low secured and work is being done
IN all Of the fifteen foundations.
Pier number two has been finished,
piers three and four will he complct
ed this month and piers five and SIX,
the large piers of the channel span,
will be completed by October |. The
timber irestles for first span of iron
work are up, and two of the bridge
pans will 6c erected by September
10. Nine hundred and twenty men
were employed during the month of
July D.; about three hundred of these
we're at work in compressed air
The foundations for nine river piers
ire carried by pneumatic process to Il
lept OF thirty feet below the low
water. In two instances eight feet
Of this distance is through solid rock,
The caissons are all beddCd in the
ock of the river bed. The rock
work has made the process of sink
ug slower than usual in pneumatic
work. About 100 yards of stone is
delivered daily, and the masonry is
aid as fast as secured.
More than one and Onr-half million
Get Of white oak timber and $50 tons
# iron have been used in nine Gals
sons of the river piers. More work
has been done in stone during This
season til IN had been acconl.l she |
by the contractors in two years work
and five of the piers are now above
the highest food stages ofthc Ohio.
The stage of the river makes tn"
months of September, October. Nov
rmbcr and even December the most
desirable months of the year Tor lay
ing the masonry and the erection OF
iron work. The Keystone Bridge
company are busily employed in get
ting the iron work out and have a
large force of men preparing for IT,
erection.
The contractors for railroad, earth
md trestlc work OH the connecting
railroad TO Evansville have work
well in progress. They have a good
season for work and large forces Of
men and teams and much machinery
is on the ground.
The bridge is being SO constructed
as to be no obstruction to navigation
rs the bottom of the channel span
will be fifty feet above extreme higl
water and the length of span will b,
j25 feet This is the longest spar
of truss bridge in this country.
II is likely that trains will begin t,
cross the bridge in January, 1885,
making the shortest line between tn
| Northwest, West and the Southeast
st, Louis Republican.