The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-01-15
FREE BRIDGE CHANGES.
THE COMMISSIONERS CONSIDER
THE c. AND o. PROPOSED PLAN.
Colonel Cutshaw, Mr.. AxteIl and Mr..
Isaacs Give Their Respective Views.
Action I'm the Matter Postponed.

There was meeting of the James River
Bridge Commissioners yesterday even
ing, and the subject Of the plans Of the
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company
for extending its proposed overhead
tracks over the Free Bridge consumed
about three hours Of the commissioner
time.
The meeting was held In the Office of
the city Engineer and there were pres
ent besides the commissioners, Colonel
! Cutshaw, Vice-P President Axtel, OF the
Chesapeake and Ohio railway, and Mr.
Isaacs who prepared the plans OF the
| railroad bearing upon the changes pro-
! posed TO be made in the bridge The
/ plans OF the Chesapeake and Ohio were
/ spread out before the body, and Colonel
Cutshaw went into an explanation of the
! situation in a general way. lie said that
| there were several objections TO Fhe
scheme of the company for changing
the bridge He was first of the opin-
ion that 1t was not a good thing to
squeeze down the bridge. and IN the
second place, IL would not be well for
the city TO grant the company the right
10 construct its road over the bridge with
only a clearance OF l3 feet. The clear
ance should be at least II feet, "a the
ordinary trOlley-cars were II 1-2 feet high
and a clearance of l3 feet would allow
an elevation OF only a foot and n half
for the pole of the car. He had gone
carefully into the details of these objec-
tions with a subcommittee Of the Bridge
Commissioners. and had pointed out the
obstacles a. they had occurred TO him.
He was not In favor OF putting I'm new
spans TO the bridge, and only allowing
distance Of about 2 1-2 feet from the
high-water mark Of 1877, when the great
freshet occurred.
MIGHT BE SWEPT AWAY.
Col Cutshaw here referred to the pos
sibility OF the bridge being entirely swept
away IN the event OF a food. especially n
there should be any great amount of
drilt-wOOd o. rubbish. lie was Of the
opinion that it would bc better 20 erect
new bridge, which would cost between
$4,000 and 10000. and extending from
point on the Manchester side to point
about Byrd street, on the Richmond side
OF the river going above the tracks OF
the railroad. Col. Cutshaw said that he
could not say whether the cities Of Rich.
mond and Manchester would be willing
10 ray any part I'm tho costs of such n
structure. but that the question, as IL pre-
sented Itself 10 him, was whether n was
expedient TO 10 this or squeeze down the
present bridge and have so slight a clear
arce.
Mr.. II. w. Carter, one Of the Richmond
commissioners, asked If the 1lan as pre-
sented by the railroid company was prac-
ticial, and II IL was also feasible 10
build bridge over lis tracks, commencing
a Byrd street
Mr.. AXTELL's VIEWS.
Mr. ANtel said that he felt confident
that tie Chesapeake and Ohio Company
would not possibly do any better than il
had already proposed He could not. as
a member % tho Board Of pir .etars OF
the company. recommend the expenditure
Of any more money than the company
contemplated eXpending here, and he
could not urge the raising of the tracks
so as 20 give any sleeper srade at the
point mentioned The latter would not
be consistent with the general scheme of
the Chesapeake and Ohio I'm this matter,
and If II were done would operate in
juriously 10 the business OF the road
This was a big scheme and one which l
would operate greatly 10 the advantage
of the city Of Richmond. but II any great
or hardships were to De imposed on the
company. Mr.. Axtell said he thought the
Chesapeake and Ohio would have TO aban-
don the SCENE entirely. He said that II
he found that his company could possibly
make the clearance a few inches more
than thirteen feet. he would gladly do So
He added. however that In many Of the
greater cities in this country. notably
Philadelphia. Brooklyn, Cincinnati. Louis
Vile. and others, the clearance between !
such roadways was thirteen feet and |
even less. Mr. Axtell spoke Of the chan |
ges the road proposed making In the |
bridge. saying that when Richmond and |
Manchester became great enough to build |
such n bridge as Col. Cutshaw had spoken |
OF the scheme Of the Chesapeake and |
Ohio would IN no way interfere with H. |
and that n there should come along a |
food sufficient 70 carry the bridge away |
il would be carried away anyhow.
WOULD WORK 80 HARDSHIP.
Mr. lsaacs, who appeared before the !
commissioners I'm a dual capacity. rep |
resentng both the board and the rail- |
road, said, in answer 10 questions pro- /
pounded. that the slight change I'm tAe |
grade on the bridge would not work any |
hardship OF consequences upon teams.
by the proposed alterations, the lower
cords OF the structure would be just as
far from the water as they were now
Chairman Bradley said that the city
Of Manchester had spent $4,000 i'm tno
scheme OF the Chesapeake and Ohio
meant the destruction OF the bridge,
he was opposed 10 giving 1t the prlvi-
lege IL asked at the hands Of the Jane
River Bridge Commissioners. tie clio
not like the idea Of q grade on the bridge
but il his people were not opposed TO IT,
ne would not let that be- an obstacle.
There was some further discussion o.
the subject, and the commissioners finally.
on motion of Mr.. Landerkin, went into
executive session. The matter was then
talked over for half an hour, and Mr..
Landerdn offered a motion that the
City Engineer inquire into the cost OF
such an overhead bridge as he had spoken
II. and report the same TO the commis
,iouers at some subsequent meeting.
rhe board then adjourned TO await this
lnd some further information.
THE PROPOSED PLAN.
IL is we'll understood that the Chesa-
leake and Ohio contemplates bringing
Is lines into Richmond upon steel VIA
lucts and erecting a magnificent depot !
IN lower Main street. This scheme. when
will have cost the railway
,ompany something ike 100000 an
,hanges. as previously explained I'm The
FINES would necessitate the expenditure |
Il quite a large sum in lowering The
ridge. and causing such a clearance a.
would be necessary between the rail
oad tracks and the road-bed OF the
fridge. and the distance between the
water and the under-structure OF the