New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-08
SPANNING THE HARLEM.
ONE MIGHTY ARCH SWUNG INTO PLACE


now THE GREAT WORK Is BEINo pUsHEp-nASD-
soMv Ape RANCE OF THE sTRucreRk.
People living in the upper wards OF the city are
especially grat,led at tho rapldlty WIN "n'o"
work on the new Manhattan Bridge, whicn CROSSES
the Harlem River at NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ,
IT.. is being pushed by the contractors Inc
~,auite nicrs and abutments are more than three
fourths completed and week before last the nrst
~ the two great steel arches was swung. By
March the other arch W Il be finished and as WORK
on the metallic part Of the contract goes on ,ust
the same no matter how cold the weather may be
there is little IL any doubt that the spiendid
structure will be entirely completed within INC
time specified; that is by juno l.
The mason work will also be prosecuted as
vigorously as possible during the winter months.
Mr. Turney, who has this portion OF the contrac'>
keeps a full force of men, between one ana TWO
hundred. on the piers and land arches every oay
that the temperature is high enough, say ABOVE
80 or 40 degrees, to enable the mortar 10 se'
The rest Of the masonry remaining undone, cap
ping the piers, cornicing," laying ro"uw"y'
ddewalks. etc. can be completed in comparatiVel'
.hort time The big central pier that stands on
tine enst bank of the waters edge and supports
an end OF both street arches is built up withlp
ten feet of the finishing line which Is about lou
feet above tide water. The other two piers afe
almost as far advanced
IT, Is rather a cold job laying stone at sucD
height this weather, but the men do not seem "
mind il any more than their fellow workers op
The around below All three piers have been
6,,cd in with Portland and Rosendale cement,
instead Of with rubble work and interior walls,
originally intended b ne sSh %tg on the east
hank is 342 feet long and is pierced py I h9Gh
arched passages Of masonry the WideSt q r We
rs s,x.y ifes in On the west bank the abutpent
Is only 277 feet long and contains three TIose
Two Of these are prac,ca,y, in the original
designs which had instead solid blocks OF msoi IL
nv. The improvement made by Ine Gn,'h npt;ro
marked and Justly admired IN the finest speci,
mems Of American masonry ana suheiS m"s" Nv
nv comparison with that time-honorcn anu anu cA-
cellcnt structure Just below ie-h'sn ue
WHAT THE INDUSTRIOUS STEEL ARCHES AhE LINE
Rut the great feature of the Manhattan Bridge
&c the two monster parabolic arches OF steel tha1
sn,n the river and the Ncw-York Centrai r'',-
road tracks which run along the east oahK. Ea'0n
of these spans is sos feet in the clear WIN "
rise of ninety feet in the centre Inc one ''a0
hes already been swung is painted or'gnO ,v"
and such is it's size that at distance ~ LOOKS no
little rainbow rising above the no.Non n NJ steel
huge arches consist of SIX ribs, nlade up v, ;StL
se9ments riveted together and ranging IN WILL III
from eighteen feet siA inches at inc Gnu -, o
Thc average weight of each or these Is apouo VI, ~
tons To handle them might seem SM: oitrIs"
impossible task, but II is done wthouI u
" / heavy staging is first built between the plcrs'
On this The arms of the arch rest during c9n-
structon The end seements OF ,ne ;n stn rlacs
those resting on the piers are nois are set with
traveller All six ribs carried together up 70 inc
centre. Then the key seSments arc calcI a,,is
lowered into place aud the giganIic DOW is nsr
seif-supporting In point of strength u ID Ie
tainlv one of the most imposing structures .lIaS
has vet been erected. The gigantic rps OF seeG i
capable of bearing does not render
tic arch impervious to heat ano coiu' doGrens
time the mercury falls or rises eignaeen On ncb
H. hugo mass expands or contracts III incI.
Some nT Of the floor beams for the roadway on TINS
arch have already been laia. ,,a ami, 10 we,,
under ySay The trestle work had to be punt 80
As not to interfere with nd, igadcn nls na'
I've d, accomplished successfully ~ mrRins 1Us
Of arch in tho tr 'te itself anouS o are already
CO, and as the Passaic Rolling Mill Company Cne
contractors, have these and all the resi- Vi 1e
Sna ssse tbs So meno portions }esef Inside
~ two months il is ex ected that the seconn slOn
will be ready and the roadway laid across 1he ITO"
coxslDrpiNG TIL FINISHING TOUCHES
The selection of a suitable railing for the road
Uavs is the question now chiefly occupying the aV
IGNITION of the commissioners. 1bey reservoir 'ho
.;qht 70 do this and have taken great pans 10
select a design that will be worthy OF the great
work. The multitude of citizens VINO nave
watched the progress of the work from the 6egln,
nng are hoping that the efforts of the Board VIII
Grove successful in this matter, as no ooupI my
oil One of the most agreeable features OF TINS
s,yo million dollar undertaking is the absence OF
sbc usual number of fatal accidents that aVehu
such great enterprises. a., La, NOT
On the metal part Of the work there mas hou
been one accident Of q serious character ana on
MIR lurney's side only two have happened 'nas
resulted fatally. When it is remembered tnaL une
masonry contract included the digging OF Ihfee
immense caissons, one of them. that on which the
central pier rests being the third largest IFGSe
eaisson in America. this is certainly
Jacob IoriIlard. Vernon Fl. Brown and David D.
Kipr n vast amount Of satisfaction
nm n.rnscF WEARING THREE SCORE.