The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-08-24
AS TO THE new BRIDGES
Select Councilmaa JOta e. Roche Re-
Views the Situation.
HONEST WORK HAS BEEN DONE
The Taxpayers Win Get More for the
Money Expended Than Was Dreamed
Of st tho Time M0uey for tho
/. Bridges Was Voted.

bridges. written for The Tribune by
Select Councilman John f. Roche, OF
the Seventh ward. will be OF interest
to residents OF the city generally:
Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: Much attention has been give"
to the bridge project by tne newsp"
pers recently and the question mas
come so misrepresented that ven
ture To trespass on you for space sur
fici,nt TO give to the public all the
facts.
The first estimates prepared We're
for the purchase of the approacnes
and the building of the bridges oni!'
No one thought of the city being aoie
to do more with the amount OF money
to be raised The grading OF the APP
proaches was to be paid for OUT OF the
general city funds. Indeed, IL was
feared that the amount named IN tue
ordinance ($25O, ,0OW would not be sur
ficisnt To meet these limited require
ments, and the mayor In chat Win
me on the subject at the time. said II
would be better to Increase the
amount to $275.O0O than to take
chances Of being short. Owing To
want Of time to 50 amend the oruih-
ance, his suggestion was not acted
upon. During the discussion OF TINS
question the opponents OF the proJect
insisted that the cost would be nearer
half "A million than the sum appropri-
ated.
When /, was found that the bonds
netted S2IO OOO-in round numbers-an
amount $4,000 more than was antici-
pated II was deemed best to have the
specifications changed so as to have
paved floor instead Of a plank floor. as
first intended The weight of an as
phalt floor Is five times greater than a
plank floor. and this meant stronger
bridges and increased cost
Floor Materia, Was enlarged.
When plans. etc. WERE finally set
tied the city engineer addressed letters
to all bridge contractors requesting
them to send in two bids, one for
bridges with timber flooring, the other
for Trinidad Lake asphalt pave on
concrete base on buckle plates, as
phalt not to exceed three inches In
thickness Bids showed difference
in cost Of about 30.000, and as the to-
tails We're within our means from the
standpoint from which We then viewed
it. councils decided to accept the low
est bids for bridges paved with as
phalt.
Here was another increase in the
cost not originally intended. Finding
that there was money left and the
bridges as well as the purchase of ap-
praches having been definitely settled,
attention was now turned to the ap-
proaches
The original plans. ETC.. for the west
erly approach to Linden street bridge
contemplated the approach to end at
Sixth street. The city engineer now
made another estimate and found that
there would be money enough to grade
from Swetland street bridge to the Lin
den street bridge, a distance Of 'l190
feet. and to pave GO feet at Sixth street
and 40 feet OF the street where the
grade is heaviest at this end Of the
SHETLAND street bridge. and induced F..
Robinson's Sons to pave so feet addi-
tional. making the pave begin at the
alley back Of the brewery and reaching
clear to SHETLAND street bridge. This,
with the pave at the Linden street ap-
proach, exceeds the appropriation. but
there is 500 standing to the credit of
SHETLAND street on the books of the
controller for more than three years
that can be used to make good the de-
ficit
Approach to be Paved.
The northe.ly approach to Roaring
Brook bridge Is to be paved commence
ing at Jefferson avenue and the changes
made in the plans OK the Linden Street
bridge were also made in these plans.
This creates a deicit Of less than 81, ,OO0
A review Of these facts will demon
stfate that instead Of bridges with a
plank fioor and approaches without
grade. We have bridges with an asphalt
paved floor, graded approaches, more
than LOO feet Of street graded and
I 70. fsf CT a.,
stone block, all for little more than the
sum originally intended to build cheap
bridges and buy approaches.
Were these changes necessary and Of
advantage to the city? We knew very
Ettie about building bridges when we
undertook this project From that
time to the present these interested in
the matter have been close students
and have acquired sufficient knowledge
to convince tham that the changes were
not only economical, but absolutely nec-
esSary. All engineers agree that paved
bridges are much cheaper In the end
than plank floor bridges and no one
viii dispute the wisdom Of making the
bridges of use as soon as they are fin-
ished. If we carried out the original in
tention 1t would be a long time before
the streets would be graded. The
chances are no part of them would be
paved for some time after and the city
would be put to the expense of keeping
them In repair until they were paved
and every one would be dissatisfied.
As 10 Swctland Street Grade.
Now a word as to the grade on Swet-
land street. The public has been led to
believe thit this grade is as bad as II
can possibly be. Or the contrary, the
grade Is so easy that an ordinary team
OF hsrses can draw two tons on wheels
on q run up the steepest part and any
assertion to the contrary has no foun-
dafion In fact. The committee of coun-
cils that considered this matter viewed
II from every standpoint In the begin
Hng. Indeed, there has not been a sug-
gestion made by the newspapers since
the matter was closed that was new to
its members.
Plansfor two overhead roadways were
prepared by the city engineer as well as
the one for the surface road. and these
were submitted to a meeting of ctti-
zens held In THE council chambers.
Each plan had Its advocate and the dis
over them Nxedwarm. Among
the citizens Tresent ait the meeting were
Hon. T. V. Powderly. William Blume,
William r. Smith, Captain w. A. Nav.
Nathaniel Halstead. ]. M. Kemmerer
and many others, and the sentiment ap
peared to favor surface road.
The councils did the very best that
couu be done. considering the sur
rounding circumstances. There Ia no
doubt that an overhead roadway would
give an easier grade. but the cost, dam
ages and litigation that would follow
would make Vt 80 expensive that Il
woulo be foolish to consider II, unless
the city had money to burn" The cdtv
mas money enough idle and drawing no
interest to make good the deficit, The
viaduct on West Lackawanna avenue
cannot be buit this year and the SO.
wv that was appropriated for that pur-