Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-04-04
AN ARGU MENT
N FAVOR OF A STONE BRIDGE WHICH CARRIES
CONVICTION.
Something from 4 Citizen Of Large Experience
Which Voters Should Ponder Over Between
Nov and the 18th

Citizens who have the welfare OF
Wheeling at heart. and who, when
money is to be spent for Improvements
Of a public nature. like to see work oil a
substantial and permanent character
from which the people will derive the
greatest amount of benefit continue to
believe, as they necessarily must, that
stone bridge across the creek at Main
street is by all odds the best thing to erect.
They argue, and justly. that the city
policy of erecting iron bridges has not
been followed by results calculated
to warrant any further investment IN
/ that direction where anything like
pcrmanancy is to be had. and that
upon an important thoroughtarc like
Main street. connecting the large and
steadily growing South Side with
the business portion Of the city,
there should be bridge possessing in
the largest possible degree the elements
of security. capacity for large water
and gas mains, etc, ability to carry
travel. and above all, built of materials
which. while calculated to last for many
wears. shall at the same time require
| the minimum expenditure in the way OF
repairs and the least possible attention
| and supervision. This argument Is
based upon the soundeSt business eN-
pcricncc. and appeals to the common
sense of every intelligent citizen.
A gentleman who has been for gem
Grafton devoted to bridge supervision
and bridge construction and repair, and
who has had an experience which
makes anything he may have to say
upon the subject of the greatest value
to our people in the present emergency,
said yesterday
1T is my earnest belief that the voters
of Wheeling should order the construc-
ton of "A thoroughly modern and solid
stone bridge across the creek at Main
street. cannot see why there should
be any serious thought of anything else
An iron or steel bridge is only make
shift-a thing which must be watched
with the utmost care, lest it fail at some
point. which must annually require an
expenditure of money in the way OF re-
pairs. and which, after all, has
life of but twenty-five or thir-
ty wears There is nothing per-
mancnt about such structure,
and yet to build such a bridge requires
from sixty to Sevcnty-liye per cent. Of
the sum sufficient to erect Il stone bridge
whose life is only to be measured by
fiftieS and hundreds Of years. Even the
poorest sort Of stone bridgc-Onc like
the old one. for inStance-haS longer
life than the best metal bridge which
can be built. and costs nothing for re-
pairs either. If this be true, what shall
we say OF good stone structure? Take
the Market street bridge. IL cost about
500. 900. and very considerable sums
have been spent in its repair. After
the lapse of but twenty years we
have an old rattle trap. which
must soon be- replaced Would it not
have been money well invested for the
city to have spent even 500. 600 In a
stone bridge at that point, which to-day
would have have been rs good, In all
respects. rs when first erected? We
have $50. 600 for the original cost Of the
bridge. say $1,000 or 1000 for repairs
already made. or now recommended.
and on top Of that what?-SGO, 600 or
SIS. 900 for another metal bridge. which
will only 60 the same way? That was
the result in the Seventeenth street
bridge: it will be the result in the Mar
kct street bridge, as well as in the
cases OF the other metal bridges farther
up the creek. and yet We are told steel
bridge is the best thing. Noone can pos
sibly believe that, in the face of the
facts, unless he give entirely away to
blind prejudice, or is interested in