Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-04-28
THE NEW DECK.
The Work of Strengthening the
Great Bridge.
tntendent III. ID. Mckee will
Traffic be closed.

The work of strengthening the Rock
Island bridge is progressing much more
rapidly than was at first anticipated. The
force is under the supervision of h. D.
Mckee, of Phoenixvile, Pa. superinten-
dent of the Phoenix Bridge company, of
that city, which has the contract
Already the new deck is prac-
tically completed the entire length
OF the draw, and the indications
are that the immense undertaking will be
completed in much less time than was
originally anticipated. AS has been
stated. the old wooden girders, seven by
IA inches in dimen sion occurring every
16 feet for the entire length of the bridge,
are to be replaced by iron girders. AZ
inches high and of an inch thick, with
caps on both sides, nine inches wide and
os similar thickness. Each new girder
weighs three tons. The wooden flooring
of the upper deck is being entirely re-
placed by a inch iron floor
ing in stringers % inches wide,
and all the old wooden ties will
be replaced with new, sound ones. The
work so far has been on the upper deck
over the central portion of the draw.
Here the work has been pursued under
difficulties that will not be met with else
where. The supports upholding the
roof that protects the engine rooms at
this point had to be taken away and to
| effec: this they were suspended from
above.
The Rock Island road, it is understood,
proposes putting a new track upon the
upper deck as soon as the new girders are
in. The repairs on the bridge are not to
be allowed to prevent the stringing of
wires for the syndicate power, and only
the signature of the secretary of war to
the necessary papers is necessary to start
that branch of improvement going The
Western Union company has also under
taken big job in the replacing of the
high tower over the draw with shorter
and stronger one.
The permit Cor the crossing of the
bridge with the wires that are to carry the
potential current for the operation of the
| tri-city syndicate street cars has been re-
ceived. and the company has made its
contract with the government, accepting
the conditions laid down by the latter.
Engineer Willard. the Thompson Houston
| expert in charge of the work, has submit
ted his working plans for the erection of
the brackets and the stringing of the IA
heavy copper wires that are to be used =.
These brackets will be placed on the rail-
road deck, at the side and rising several
feet above it. The wires will be strung
at such aD altitude as to remove all
danger of injury to any one below in case
any one of them should break. They
will be situated so high up that their short
span between brackets will not allow
them sweep enough, even if they DO melt
Or break in two, to come in contact with
anyone on the walk below. There will,
however, be very little danger of such
breakage.
OF course work on the upper deck will
necessarily have to be done without the
Interruption Of the passage of trains
across the upper portion and it was hoped
that the lower deck might also be left
open to travel, though Capt. Lyon, acting
oommandant, realizing the danger for.
rnally warned the public at the com,
nencement of the work. 1t is very ap-
parent that the work is to be attended by
considerably more danger than at frs
supposed, the battered appearance III,
fridge cars are assuming showing this i
nothing else, and Capt. Lyon has beer
seriously thinking of closing the bridg,
entirely until the work is done