Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1890-04-04
THE NEEDLES BRIDGE.
f.rom the Albnaueraue cltIren.

bridge across the Colorado river, near tie
Needles, one Of the most daring engineer
ing achievements in the history of Amer
icl,. Since the construction Of the great
trsnscOntinental Atlantic & Pacific IAN
the year round" railroad across the con-
tinent, the company has been compelled
at various times to spend hundreds Of
thousands of dollars te try and keep a
bridge across the Colorado river and at
times business Of the whole road was inter
ruptsd by a sudden rise in the river and
the washing away Of the bridge.
There is no possible room for doubt but
what this is one Of cases where the dearest
is the cheapest in The long run. Where
toe entire business Of great transcoGti-
Mental railroad is liable to be blocked for
weeks at a cost Of from five thousand to
ten thousand dollars day, 1t Is absolutely
necessary to take measures to prevent the
recurrence of such calamity. There
fore, the minds Of the best engineering tai
ent Of America, it not of the world have
been engaged for years in preparing a
plan to master the rolling, surging waters
Of the great Colorado river, which is Ii
able at certain seasons OF the year to rise
from bank to bank. height of twenty
/ feet or more, within few hours. The re-
suit mas been to finally start the consiruc-
tion of C. great cantilever bridge.
Every person is famliar with the pr;nci-
pie Of the suspension bridge; how the
structure ig suspended on chains, which
are secured over bigh pillars at each end.
The cantileyer, hoyeyer, ,is merely a
bracket built ont from the shore by weld
lne iron beam until it meets similar
bracket sent out from the opposite side.
The hOmely Illustration has been used that
1t Is like two men on opposite sides Of a
stream stretching out their arms to join
hands. aud using a stIck 10 complete the
connection. In general appearance the
Needles bridge resembles two towers OF
the opon steel work, With az enormous
bracket extend 'ng from each side Of each
tower, the Interveutng space between the
ends of tn bvacists being covered by lat
tice work girders.
The capable superintendent Of the iron
work, A. E. Miliken, gave tue Citizen rep
resentatiye some valuable information.
The IRON and steel work is boiug made and
placed in position on the bridge by the
Phoenix Brdge company of Philadelphia.
This company now has sixteen gangs OF
men at work, and employs 1000 men.
The span over all ii $40 ted;; Two anchor
arms Sre 1865 feet eaoh two cauilcvey
arns are 16J feet ear5, which cousist OF
one suspended oil $50 feet constructed OF
iron aud steel The span hetWera mason
airy is $50 feet, the longest uns upporttd
span in America, il uot IN the world, AT
connection OF anchor aud .canteuliever
arm, which forms tower for both arms.
is l0l feet at center Of pms. Depth OF
truss Of suspended spans is IS feet at cen
cantiIever bridges in the country. The
approximate weight of this bridge is
3 200, 900 pounds, and it would take over
200 cars to carry the iron and steel work
alone, Superintendent Milhken intends to
have l50 men busy in the iron work for
nearly three months, and he expects to
have trains running over the bridge by
May l4th, or at most by June 1St, so as to
have 1t completed before the jane rise
(which may wash out the present wooden
bridge) comes The traveller, which is a
high massive structure built solely to carry
iron and steel to its proper place, cost
$4,000.
Superintendent George Adgate, rep
resenting Sooy Smith & Co. of New York
city, who have the contract for the mason
work, is nearly through with his part oi
the work. Tnis firm started work on th,
masonry year ago last January. The
high water iLterferred With their work
They began work the last time on October
lst, 1882 on the east side of the river
Work was continued in the caisou till they
have now struck solid rock foundation or
the east or Arizona side, 64 feet from thC
bottom of the river. and the work in the
caison is stopped.
On the Arizona side of the Needles
bridge, Chief Engineer S. NJ. Rowe has 4
comfortable office. He selected this poin
for the bridge because here the river runi
between two bluffs about hundred fee
high and the Atlantic & Pacific railroad
will never have to expend one dollar t.
keep the water running under the bridge
as at some bridges that the Citizen Nigh
refer to where almost as much money a'
the original bridge cost has been paid ou
for this pdrpoSe.
He was in the eenginesr department OF th
Atchison Topeka q Santa Fe railroad 70
eight years and has been chief engineer 0
the Atlantic & Pacific railroad for the pas
three years. He began the surveys 70
this bridge IN July, 1888, and began worl
on the bridge January. 1889 The princi
; pie of a Cantllever bridge is simply carry
ing The $50 feet suspended span over tn
Z river by anchoring the anchor arms
y ,ryh;ch io dnna il tbss hrido,a h,, "A foot n