Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-03-10
THE ARCH ALL RIGHT.
THE CENTRES" STRUCK AT THE STONE BRIDGE
YESTERDAY.
A Settlement Of Two Inches Recorded Up to Last
Night-Another Half Inch May Ultimately
be Added to This-A Remarkably
Successful Result


morning without support.
The timbers were dropped free OF the
masonry yesterday, while large num-
Der of interested spectators looked on,
and when it was announced, about
three o'clock, that no portion of the
weight was supported by the massive
timbers, and that the settlement was
but two inches, the engineers,
Messrs. Hoge & White, were congratu-
lated upon all sides at the rather re-
markable result which had been
achieved. The settlement is one OF the
smallest upon record for engineering
works CT suoh great magnitude, and
shows that the work throughout, upon
the part of the engineers, the contrac-
tors, and the inspector, has been Of the
very best nature. OF course, there
will be a further slight settlement, pos
sibly a quarter OF an inch-certainly
not more than half an inch-and then
,
it is hoped, for centuries 20 come.
MeSsrs. Hoge 81 White fully expected
a settlement of two or three inches.
upon the striking Of the centres" and
would not have been alarmed had IL
been considerably more. Engineer Gil
more Brown, last evening, said he
would not have been alarmed had the
settlement been six inches, and other
local authorities expressed themselves
ia the same way. In view OF this ex-
pectation, the very slight settlement OF
two inches, in an arch 159 feet span,
approaches the remarkable, and shows
conclusively that the big arch will APP
pear in full detail in the next editions OF
the engineering text books as striking
example Of fine work.
While the celebrated stone bridge at
Neully, France, consisting OF five
arches OF l20 feet span each, was under
construction, the crown OF, the arch
sank 1874 inches, and after the ''cen-
tres" were struck there was a further
settlement of liz inches, or q total
settlement of 23% inches. Some Of the
Joints on the tops of the arches, towards
the abutmentS, opened TO the extent OF
an inch, and at the crown Of the arch,
underneath, the joints, tightening up
at the top, opened a quarter of an inch
at the bottom; but for all that the
bridge did not fall, and is still standing
firm and capable Of resisting all prob
able strains. When the "centres" of
the Gloucester, England, bridge were
struck, il having a span OF $50 feet,
with a rise of 80 feet, there was settle
ment OF 10 inches, and at the Elyria,
O., bridge, of $50 feet span, the settle
ment is variously stated at II TO Is
inches. This shows fine work here in
Wheeling. fully eQualling the work
at Grosvenor, England, where the
settlement in giant 200-foot arch,
the second largest in the world,
was but two and half inches. Several
peculiarities contributed to this favor
able result, however.
OF the several ways Of lowering the
wooden centres" supporting the arch
by wedges, screws, and sand-boxeS-
the latter was chosen by the Wheeling
engineers, MesSrS. Hoge & White, and
the result seems to show great supe-
riority for that method over others,
not only in the freeing Of the timbers,
matter employing but very few men,
for comparatively brief space OF time;
but the descent of the timberS can be
regulated to nicely, thus avoiding any
thing like a sudden strain upon the
masonry. When the boxes were first
opened, the sand in the boxes
was found to be wet, and it
thus had to be scooped out,
little at time, with sharp iron. This
was rapidly done, however, less than a
pirt being taken out at the first round
of the boxes They were gone over
again and again, little more sand being
released at each box, until by Tuesday
night, half gallon had been taken out
of each, which allowed settlement
of about an inch. There was no ap-
parent dimunitioI of the weight upon
the timbers up to this time, over the
middle three fourths OF the arch-the
extreme ends having been dropped
some weeks ago-but yesterday at noon,
it was apparent, after an additional
settlement OF fraction OF an inch,
that the weight bore very lightly upon
the timbers, and about three
o'clock levels taken showed
settlement Of two inches. At this
time there was an interval OF quarter
of an inch, on the average, between the
bottoms of the sheeting stone and the
tops of the timbers, and the arch stood
free. So gradual had been the
settling that to the casual observer it
was not perceptable in any part Of the
ko ka
top OF the arch went on with their
work without noticing tremor Of
jar. A close examination of the wing
walls and spandrels, however, at a point
over the tines Of the Skewbacks, dis
closed narrow crack, nowhere exceed
ing an eighth of an inch wide at the
top, and gradually narrowing as it de-
scended until it became perceptable.
These cracks, one at either end Of the
arch. were the only breaks which could
be found yesterday, and are not entitled
to consideration. No others are expect
ed TO appear, and little liquid cement
will forever obliterate these.
The work of clearing the centres"
out OF the bed of the creek will COM
mence in a short time, with the aid Of
barge and a steam engine, and in few
weeks at farthest the channel will be
once more clear.
The idea Of covering the tops of the
spandrel walls with large fiat store, to
support the street, has been given up,
and yesterday bricklayers began to build
arches on top Of the walls, at the north
end OF the bridge. This will take lit
tie longer than 10 put down stone, but
will be as good or better, and in the end
will materially expedite the completion
of the structure.
In answer 10 inquiries received from
time TO time, it may be here stated that
the Wheeling bridge stands forth in the
list OF long stone spans in the world,