The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-03-05
Estimates Place the Cost Of the
'truetnre at S23, 900, 900
at the Outside.
STIFFENED SUSPENSION PLAN
To Accommodate All New York's
Freight and Passenger Traffic
for a Century.
Meeting of the Directors Today = To-
morrOW's Session of the New York
State Commissioners,

NEW YORK, March 5, 1S95-The Board
of Directors of the New York and New
Jersey Bridge Company adopted today
the report of Theodore Cooper, a mem
ber of the Commission of Expert Bridge
Builders appointed by President Cleve-
land and since retained as consulting
engineer by the company. Bids for the
contracts for constructing the bridge will
be advertised for as soon as the New
York terminus and site fer the union
station is definitely fixed by the New
York State Commission. which will prob
ably De next week.
The directors met at the company's
Office in the Park Bank Building, No.
214 Broadway, at eleven O'Clock. The di-
rectors present were:-
John B. Kerr, President; Louis Wind
muller, Charles a. Smylie, Frederick
Potter, William Bell. William H. Ely,
Lorenzo Duncan, John Loughran,
Charles H. Swan, Daniel n. Lockwood,
and John C. Adams. and Commissioner
for the State of New York Andrew H.
Green. The members of the Construc-
lion Company present were:-George
Young. President; Thomas H gauchle,
vice-President: Joseph H. Swan. Treas
urer; Myers Curtiss. Secretary: Adolphe
E. smylie. Thomas C. Smith and James
.,,l lrsisl..ss- se-ey
-.,,.adefs dses s. saoPER's REPORT.
Engineer Cooper prefaced his report
with the following remarks:-
I'm preparing the general specifications
herewith presented. I have had in view
two principal objects-frgt, a clearly de-
fined statement of the required capaci-
ty and strength cf the proposed struc-
ture, as upon these points bidders should
not be allowed any latitude of variation;
second, allowing bidders as much lati-
tude of design and proportions as is
consistent with the first object.
THE man purpose for building this
bridge is to get a paying revenue by
transferring the traffic of the railroads
on the west bank of the Hudson River
to the city of New York. A bridge in
capable of satisfying the traffic demands
OF these railroads could not be finan-
eial success.
while the transfer of passenger trains
may appear, at present. as the most i'm
portant part of the traffic in sight, it
would be very poor policy to neglect
consideration of the possible changes
which may occur in regard to the han
ding of freight upon Manhattan Island
at some future time.
''such bridge should not be built for
the present only. nor should a false econ
omy cause this bridge to be designed
and constructed upon the idea of re-
stricting the speed, SIZE. weight or fre-
quency Of the trains
A standard of wire for the cables has
been adopted Mr.. Cooper said, which
construction companies to compete, and
70 bid would be received except it con
formed with the terms of the specifica-
tions, or unless it came from a respon-
sible concern.
The general specifications are interest
ing because they provide for a form
of bridge not common. if it ever has
been used before, in a very large struc-
ture.
The bridge is to have clear span of
300 feet, the piers being located inside
of the bulkhead lines on both sides of
the Hudson. The height of the centre
of the span above high spring tides must
not be less than $50 feet. +,
The suspension part will only be in
the middle From the shore cut to the
piers, girder bridges will be used with
out any dependence on the cable. In
this respect the new North River Bridge
will differ from the present Brooklyn
Bridge.
The central span is to be stiffened by
strong lattice girder, either hinged
ia the middle or continuous from end
to end at the option of the bidder
To the eye the whole structure will
look like an immense lattice girder
bridse, with suspension bridge dropped
over it.
No height is given for the towers, but
they must be founded en- rock. be of
masonry until they reach height of
about fifty feet above water level. then
of steel skeleton structures for the re-
naming 800 feet or so.
Fornaulae are given for testing all
strains whether Of load, weight OF the
structure, wind pressure o. momentum