Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-06
THE AQUEDUCT BRIDGE
Gen. Casey Signs the Contract for Repairs
Today.
1t VIII BE Done Under War Depart.
ment Supcrintendents and Not
by Private Parties.

by Private Parties.
Gel. Casey, chef of engineers of the
army, today awarded to the Schailer-Schlin-
gan Company of Chicago the contract for
repairing the faulty PIERS OF the Aqueiuct
bridge for total sum Of S3G,31J. This
work is to be done by means of the appro-
priation of s5i.ov for the purpose CON
tained in the District appropriation bill
and thus il will be seen that the contract
price is s14G25 less than the amount avail
able. The work is to be done under the
direction of Major Davis, engineer in charge
of the Potomac river improvement, and viii
doubtless begin in a short time. Some of
the materials are now on hand, the COM
pany having secured the use of wharf in
Georgetown adjoining the Dent iron works.
The work is divided in the contract into
four parts, thus: $4,000 for building a
Golfer dam around pier No I, which has
long been a menace to the safety of the
bridge. $50 yard for 2Gi cubic yards for
placing concrete around the base and sides
of this pier to make it solid So a yard for
81 cubic yards of concrete to repair piers -
., ;, q. Z and $. and Si.500 for the removal
of the Golfer dam.
Signed by Gen. Casey.
The contract for the work was signed by
Gen. Casey at 1870. A Star reporter had
gone to ask him If statement published
this morning to the effect that the repair
work was to be done by the electric railway
companies desiring to cross the bridge was
true. He replied that he knew nothing
about that. and sent for the papers. When
they We're brought it was found that they
were not signed, although all ready for the
final stroke of tine pen. Gen. Casey ascer-
tanned that the contracts We're all formally
drawn and then quickly affixed his sigma
ture, thus relieving the contractors from
their Waiting.
An Incorrect Statement.
The statement that was made this morn
ing that this work is being done by private
parties is not correct. The bridge is under
the control of the engineer bureau of the
War Department, although the District
Commissioners have charge Of the ordinar ~
repairs and the policing Of the structure
Last winter several efforts were made by
local railway people to secure legislation
that would enable them to use the bridge
the plan being to lay ne tracks on rirders
TO be rested on the portion of the piers that
projects outside Of tho bridge itself But, In
view OF the condition of ISer No T. and of
the general belief that the rest OF the piers
were meme too strong, the engineers of the
army reported adversely OH the scheme and
all of the bills to this end, which were con-
sidered by the District committees of the
TWO houses, We're either reported adversely
or pigeon-holed.
1t was positively decided that no one
should be allowed to use the bridge for
other than purposes Of ordinary traffic in
It's present condition. ThReupon one conn
pany proposed to repair the bridge itself.
but the Senate comnistee mega lived thIs
suggestion, Senator Mcmillan declaring that
he would never consent to allow any pri-
Vate parties to attempt 10 do such an I'M
portant work. The Qarelessness might
1eopardfze the entire structure.
Pier No. 4 Injured.
So the project of private repairs went to
the ground. and the work was ordered
through the War Department, whose off,
GERS superintended its reconstruction sew
eral years ago. when the old trough was
removed and a new iron bridge was laid on
the stone piers. These piers are generally
stanuch. except that number has a hole
under 1T, caused by heavy log striking
1t during spring freshet some years ago
The log lodged in a fissure under the ma
sonry and SO swerved the current that there
was large hole scooped under the founda-
ton. This caused the pier to settle, and
the iron straps connecting II with the
framework of the bridge to buckle. 1t was
this that first caused an examination to be
made.
What May He, Allowed.
IL Is HlSnly pTODaDle that the bridge Will
eventually be used for electric railway pur-
poses. Indeed. 1t is conceded by Senator
Mcmillan. and other members of the Dis
trict committees, that this must be done or
there must be another bridge built in the
upper reach Of the Potomac at Washing
ton. 1t was partly to this end that the
omnibus railway bill'' was passed along
in the latter part of the session, containing
provision for a union passenger house to be
built by the Washington and Georgetown
Railroad Company ut the north end of the
bridge, and for the terminus there of the
new Great Falls electric road. There was
no dispute at the time against the sugges-
ton that this union station would be shared
in time by a road crossing the Potomac by
means of the Aqueduct bridge.
Hence these repairs were ordered. and at
some future session of Congress the ques-
ton of regulations under which roads shall
use the bridge will be considered The priv
ilege of using the structure will probably
not be given exclusively to any company,
hat there will be as many allowed to cross
on the same tracks as can do SO without
overlooking the bridge.
The plans for the repairs were drawn by
the clerks under Maj. Davis. and not. as
published, by private parties.
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