Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-01-22

SHE BAGS HER GAME.

The Power Of Norman Over Some
Great Minds.
Bridge Across Nsdssa- Greatest Engineering
Feat Ever Uatestahsa.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 81. - (Special). =
| The proposed bridge across the Hudson
river at New York will when completed be
the greatest engineering feat Of its kind
| ever attempted. By comparison the great
Brooklyn bridge, of which the metropolis
and the entire country have for years
been proud. will sink into insignificance.
The Brooklyn bridge is l,400 feet in the
clear, while the proposed Hudson river
bridge will be over 600 feet in the clear.
Its total length will be 2,l0O feet. The
largest single span in the world at this
time is over the Firth of Forth. The plan
| of that bridge is much the same as the one
adopted by the promoters of the Hudson
river bridge and is called the cantalever,
differing materially in construction from
the old suspension plan used in the con-
struction of most of the big bridges of this
country for some years past.
The Brooklyn bridge, the one that crosses
the Hudson at Poughkeepsie, the one that
unites the United States to Canada at
Niagara Falls and many of the largest
bridges of the west are suspension bridges.
The radical difference in these two meth
DDS of bridge building is that by an accu-
rate method of counterbalancing OF weight
there is less strain in the cantalever plan.
thus rendering possible larger single
span.
Revolution of Bridge Building.
Thoroughly competent engineers who
have years of experience in this direction
assert with great confidence that the build
ing of the great bridge across the Hudson
will revolutionize bridge building in this
country. 1t is truly u great undertaking,
and some idea of its immensely can be OBJ
tanned from its estimated cost, placed ut
from $50, COO, 600 to s35, 100000. Besides this
immense sum of money not a few lives will
be iost before it's completion, although the
percentage will probably be less owing to
the improved methods of procedure re-
sulting from experience with other big
bridges. There will be six railroad tracks,
and it is expected that the'bridge will be so
strong as to allow trains to run as fast us
though ON land.
The western connection will be made on
the lowlands of New Jersey, while the New
York end will be at Seventy second street,
and by serpentlike switch will land pas
sengers in the union station at FOrty-sec-
ond street and Broadway. But few years
ago this location would have been laughed
at rs absurd and too far removed from the
center of New York But New York of to
day is rot what it was 10 years nor even
five years ago. The march of progress has
been steadily up town until nov Forty-sec-
ond street is but very short distance from
the heart OF the big city. assoc. t-.s
Men Back Of the Project.
Those having this big enterprise in hand
are men of standing They have the abil-
ity to carry this thing to "a successful ter
mination, and, what is almost equally i'm
portant, they have the money. They con-
fdently assert they can complete it within
three years, although they have wisely had
10 year clause inserted in the bill passed
by congress granting to them the necessary
authority to bridge navigable stream.
Tho men who have pushed this big enter
prise have met with many obstacles and
have been battling &c. its accomplishment
for seven years and have already expended
over 100000 Think of it! Seven years
work and IL fortune gone and not a stroke
done toward the building of the bridge.
1t takes nerve to undertake such an enter
prise. The question that naturallyarise to
an outsider is, Why this weary and vexit-
tious delay of seven years, and why the e..
penditure of this immense sum OF money.
In the first place, it was necessary to get the
authority of both New Jersey and New York
for the approaches. After that it was nee
essary to get the authority of congress to
bridge the Hudson. 1t takes money to
push a bill through two legislatures and
both houses of congress, and it takes good
deal of it, as this bridge bill demonstrates
This would seem to refute the mistaken no
ton of some good people that the day OF
the lobbyist is gone. No. the occupation OF
Othello has not gone, and the third house,
as the lobby is called, flourishes yet, not
only in New York and New Jersey, but in
the capital of the nation. The only differ
ence discernible in Washington is that
there are fewer of them, the smaller fry
having been killed off by their most clever
and perhaps less scrupulous brethren
A Fair Lobbyist.
just after the war there were almost us
many members of the lobby AS there were
of the house itself. Today there are scarcely
a dozen. Bat they all make money and
plenty Of it. This bridge bill just put
through congress was directly in charge of
former congressman from Kentucky
who gave up politics rs a losing game and
has had no cause to regret the step. He
gets So, coo in cold cash for his work on
this bridge bill, and only last session he
got ST 600 in one lump. He never takes
any one in with him on any equal basis.
He relies chiefly for any work he cannot do
himself on dashing young girl from Ken
lucky who is known to all her intimates
as Cooley" She is first cousin Of a United
States senator and has the entree to the
best houses in Washington. She is good
looking, clever talker and is always in a
good humor.
To her is intrusted bringing over certain
members or senators known to be radically
opposed to any measure in which the lobby
is interested. Apd she always bags her
game, and, strange as it may seem, con
tinues to hold her good name. During the
earlier part of the fight for the bridge bill
it became known that two prominent sena-
tors from the east were opposed to it. One
of them had even said publicly that he
would never vote for the bill. But he did,
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