St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-18
FOUR BRIDGES WANTED.
One Ordered North ind Three to
Fight over South.

CT
The matter of bridges bids fair to occupy
the attention Of council from now until the
legislature adiOurns. Foul bridge schemes
now hang trembling in the balance, OF
which the North side asks one and the
South side only three. Council has for
mally decided on the up-river structure,
and last night instructed the committee on
legislation to prepare bill authorizing the
issue of 500, 900 in bonds to construct a
bridge at Twentieth avenue north. 1t has
always been the plan Of the Sixth ward to
have fine bridge thrown across at Frank
lin avenue and matters have gone so far
that the city engineer has prepared and
submitted an estimate Of the cost. Their
plan has been endangered to some degree
by the plan of the millers for a steel arch at
Sixth avenue south. and was still further
imperiled by a proposition last night to
build a bridge at Lake street First on the
order came the estimate of the engineer of
the cost of the Franklin avenue bridge:
1t will require q bridge of about 1,6S0
feet length to cross the river on the center
line of Franklin avenue, if the same were
produced i'll straight line as now laid out.
This line would cross the,river diagonally at
an angle of about 40 degrees, with line in
the direction of the current. while bridge
crossing the river at or nearly at right an
giles with the direction of the current would
not have a length of more than 1000 feet,
hence we have difference OF 40 per cent.
in the length of bridges required. This diff
ference does not, however, represent the
difference in cost of construction of the two
bridges The longer bridge, crossing the
river at the angle that it would, not only
requires more piers but piers of greater
length, in order to build them with the line
of the current, thereby increasing the guam
tity of masonry and excavation of each pier
nearly one third, and increasing the total
cost of the bridge, if built on the center line
of Franklin, about 10C per cent.
over one crossing at right angles.
The engineer therefore took a right
angled bridge. and estimated Tor a Pratt
turn deck bridge. LOCO feet long, five spans
of 200 feet each: eighteen foot roadway and
two SiX-foot sidewalks; the four piers to be
from seventy-fve to Seventy-eight feet in
height, built in natural limestone ledge
The cost was estimated as follows: EX-
cayatiOn, masonry and concrete, S57, 700;
superstructure, S54, coo; total, Sill. 700.
Aid. Cooley then called up his resolution,
instructng the engineer to report estimates
for bridge at Lake street. This work
was to be completed by Jan. 4. and sub
United at the next council meeting, which
was adopted The matter of the bridge at
Twentieth avenue north came up in com
mittee report Aid. Haugan wanted the
matter laid over until special meeting
next week to be considered with other
bridges, but a storm was raised by the
Third ward alderman and the motion was
Withdrawn and the bridge ordered. AID.
Haugan then wanted a meeting next week
to consider the Franklin avenue bridge,
but The friends of the Lake street bridge
saw in it a scheme to kill them off: so they
defeated the motion and will now arrange
that the two plans will come up together
and let council take its choice.