The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-02-04
A Wonderful Bridge.

The New York Sun of a recent date
says: OF fall the plans to throw an
iron highway across the Hudson
River that is the most stupendous
which has ever been suggested by
the men who have selected for their
points of anchorage HoDoken and a
spot on the New York side between
Fourteenth and Twenty-eighth
streets. 1t is greatest in engineering
features because it involves the solu-
ton of problems which no engineer
has attempted to solve, and it is
greatest in financial aspects because
the total cost is placed at between
S37. 100000 and S50,O00,OO0. How
vast this is one may appreciate upon
by rejecting that the great Brooklyn
bridge cost only SIS, 100000 including
the purchase of property. The Brook
Ign bridge towers are 276 feet high
above water. The HobOken bridge
towers will go down beneath the va
ter Is and $50 feet, and the rise above
the rivers level 500 feet, making
them not only higher by far than the
uppermost points of the East River
structure. but even higher than the
loftiest structure or monument now
standing anywhere in the world. The
Brooklyn bridge from anchorage to
anchorage is 3,454 feet long; the Ho-
boken bridge between the same
points would be $3.50 feet. The
strands used on the Brooklyn bridge
are 16 inches in diameter; those OF
the proposed structure would be As
inches. The Brooklyn bridge carries
only two railroad tracks besides the
pedestrian and horse ways the con-
| templated marvel is designed for six
roilroad tracks at first, with room fol-
four more upon the dem and, besides
wagon and pedestrian ways. Should
the plan ever be carried into effect
the bridge would be the bridge of the
world, for it would be longer, higher
and larger for traffic than any other
bridge now existing or proposed,
This scheme was first formally
presented to the public at meeting
of the American Society of Civil En-
gineers some three weeks ago by
Gustav Lindenthal, an engineer who
has studied the North River bridge
problem for a long time, and ha;
made surveys surroundings, and
complete examinations. The Engi
neering Ne,Cs, commenting upon the
paper which Mr.. Lindenthal read
before the society, thus refers to the
thought of impossibility which is APP
to arise in the mind of almost any
layman
The grandeur of the project IS al
most appalling, creating at first sigh
a natural feeling that the chance fo
its construction must be small. Blu
this is an age OF great enterprise an6
OF superabundant capital for any
thing which it can be shown will
pay, either directly or indirectly. W.
think there is abundant reason t.
belive that such a bridge as that pro
posed would pay even now, Will
the engineering difficulties are GER
tainly less formidable for the re
sources of to-day than were thos
which confronfronted the st. Louis
East River, and many other bridge
when their construction was begun
AS to the probability of this bridg
being a safe investment for superb
bundant capital the figures presente
by Mr.. Lindenthal afford an emphat
ic affirmative answer. His estimate
are that the bridge itself will cost S15
600, 1000, and the property which mus
be purchased $4,000, 900. On thi
total cost the interest at per cen
would be 81, $4,000. There are te
; existing railroads to use the bridg
for both local and through traffic
For the first year the whole passer
ger movement is estimated at 22,OOC
: 600, or an average of 10000 a day
The toll proposed is ten cents fo
each person on an average, the great