The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-09-20
CANTILEVER BEST
Annual Meeting of the New
York and New Jersey
Bridge Company.
SECRETARY SWANS REPORT
The Most Feasible Plan He Says
Does Not Admit of the
Suspension.

The stockholders of the New York and
New Jersey Bridge Company held their
annual meeting today at the office of he
company in the Park Bank Building,
New York City. Thomas C. Smith, Pres
ident of the Greenpoint Bank, acted as
Chairman. The following directors were
chosen:-
John B. Kerr Vice President, N 7.
o. & w. r. r. Co., New York; Louis
Windmuller, Director, Title Guarantees
and Trust Co. New York; Charles A.
Smylie, merchant, New York: Frederick
Potter, Potter Building, New York; Will
lam Bell, Produce Exchange, New York;
William II. Ely, Leather Merchant, New
York; Lorenzo Duncan, Merchant, New
York; John Loughran, President Manu-
facturers Bank, Brooklyn, New York;
Charles 81. Swan, Treasurer, n. Y and
n. ]. Bridge Compay, Brooklyn, New
York; Daniel n. Lockwood, Buffalo, n.
Y; General James S. Clarkson, Des
Moines. Iowa; John s. Runnells. General
Counsel. Pullman Company, Chicago, Ill;
John C. Adams, President Gas Company,
| Newburgh. N. Y.
John S. Runnells, the General Counsel
of the Pullman Company, is a new mem
| Der of the board The directors will meet
| next Thursday and elect the officers.
The ticket agreed upon Tas:-President,
| John B. Kerr; Vice President, Louis
Wfndmuller; Secretary and Treasurer,
| Charles H. Swan. The stockholders also
| elected two Inspectors OF Election. JOS
| eph H. Swan and Adolph E. Smyhe OF
| Brooklyn.
| Secretary Swan presented report in
| which he said
SECRETARY'S REPORT.
s'In reading the report of the engineers
| it must be carefully observed that it
specifically declares that the figures of
| estimated cost are not to be taken as
| in any sense absolute or approaching
| correctness, but are to be taken only
| relatively in determining the comparative
| costs as between the various plans men
| toned. The report shows that the plan
| proposed by your company for two
thousand foot cantilever bridge is the
| cheapest and safest structure. The con-
clusion about the suspension plan re-
| ferred to is not that it has been found
| safe and practicable, as required by the
act, but simply safe if certain modes of
/ construction mentioned in the report are
geileweas and its practicability is not at
| tested; the remark is simply made that
4
| Of construction of suspension bridge
| would be so high as to make it imprac-
| ticable. thus showing that the board did
not feel warranted in declaring sus-
| pension bridge plan as entirely and posi-
| lively practicable from a financial stand
| point.
! ONLY FEASIBLE PLAN.
| THE plan proposed by your company
/
to be adopted both from an engineering
| and financial standpoint The question
! of building a railroad bridge over the
| Hudson River is not easy OF solution.
| To raise the large sums needed for such
| a structure its cost must not be SO
large as to repel capital from investing
in it as a safe and profitable enterprise.
| The outlay must be warranted by the
| traffic so as to make it attractive to cap
! ital. The bridge being designed exclus-
lively for railroad traffic must conform to
| the needs of such traffic and the desires
of railroad managers generally. SO that
| it may be popular with those for whose
| use il is constructed.
| ut must be rigid and safe from the
| chances of casualty and the benent or
/ every doubt must be given in favor OF a
| plan which shall not only be financially
| practicable, but of such Undoubted
| strength as to enable all the railroads
| using it to make the usual speed of
| heavy express trains. The question of
financial practicability involves tile fix
| ing of a rate of fare so reasonable as
| to make its use popular. The consensus
| of all railroad authorities is against the
use of a suspension bridge. The sus-
| pension plan is contrary to the lessons
| taught by experience. would involve
| nearly twice as much time in the course
| of construction as the cantilever plan,
| and the cost would. from careful esti-
| mates, exceed by at least fifteen millions
| of dollars the cost of a structure OF the
\ plan adopted by your company
/ THE CANTILEVER BEST.
| '@rhe cantilever bridge of TWO thou
\ sand feet span can be finished within
| four years. at a cost not to exceed
| interest on bonds during construction,
| whereas the suspension plan would cost
! thirty-five million dollars, and would take
| nearly four years longer to build; the
| said thirty-fiVe million dollars do not in
| clude the interest account upon bonds
! during the four years that it would take
| to build it beyond the time it takes to
| build the cantilever bridge, and this item
| alone will amount to several millions OF
| dollars, to say nothing of the great loss
| of further millions IN the traific lost in
| these four years. The stockholders can
| not reasonably adopt any system or plan
| except one which is both safe and prac-
not be prohibitory to its use by railroads
| and must further be of such rfgidity ia
! structure and with d grade so nearly
| zero that trains can speed at the same
| rate as on the soil and the cost of tram
| sit must be so reasonable as to command
| the traffic None OF these qualifications
! can be found in the suspension plan. j.