The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1893-02-11
THE PROPOSED sssnDGE
The Engineers TO Begin to Take
S0undings

S0uEadings
CHICAGO, JAN 29.-President
Horrison has just signed bill which
authorizes two Chicago men to con-
struct over the Mississippi river at
New Orleans.th largest cantilever
bridge in America. Surveyors and
engineers will leave the city at once
to begin preliminary operations and
within three years the SIS, 100000
structure will be open for traffic.
The plan is one in which all the
railroads in the South are interested,
and the contract has been given to
Corthell and Kalner. civil engin-
GERS. The bridge will have many
stupendons dimensions. It must be
built of steel with three nnbroken
and continuous spans between the
river banks, as defined by medium
stage of water and with but two
piers.
The length of the main channel
span will be 1895 feet. and the two
side spans will be 1856 feet long
with the lowest part of the super
structure IS feet above the extreme
high water mark. This will make
the bridge itself but a few feet less
than a half a mile in length. Being
of sufficient height to allow the larg.
est river steamers TO pass under it,
the approaches will each be at least
mile long. Thus from end to end
the giant affair will be two and
half miles in length which is nearly
as long as the great Memphis bridge.
There will be no footways or
roadwaps. It was originally inten
ded to have these, as was the inten
ton in the Memphis bridge, but the
location of the structure SO far from
the center of the city would make
them of little value, The contract
calls for the construction Of booms,
dikes, piers and other appliances for
the guidance of RATS. tows and
steamboats, under the bridge. I. is
also unnecessarily specified that the
work must begin within two years
and end within five.
The building of this mighty piece
Of engineering is an undertaking of
more than ordinary daring. It will
be necessary to 60 down at least
fifteen feet for the foundation of the
two river piers. The engineers who
built the Memphis structure went
down LOB feet, using pneumatic cais-
sons. These are only available to
depth Of llO feet. at which depth
man cannot work under it.
Thus some other equally expen-
sive device must be used Mr.. Cor.
thell will personally direct the work.
The exact location of the bridge
will depend upon the findings Of the
men who 90 to make the borings to
discover where the best foundations
can be secured. The charter grant
ed by Congress provides that one
approach if practicable shall be
within the city limitsof New Orleans,
In case it is found the substrata
near the city is not sufficiently firm
te support the immense piers, it is
allowed to locate it not more than
FIVE miles above the city, but under
no condition may it be built below
the city, since then it would possibly
interfere with the ocean vessels.
/ The place now practically selected
for it is at Nine Mile point and not
| far from Carrollton.
! There is a gradual rise to the
banks at this particular spot, a fact
that will materially help the con-
struction of the approaches.
/ From the east approach of the
bridge a joint railroad will will be
built to the new Illinois Central
railroad depot, now building in
/ New Orleans. As it is the new de
pot will not be made q Union sta
tion for all roads entering the Cres-
cent City,
Il