The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-07-22
NORTH RIVER BRIDGE
- WILL BE THE BIGGEST BRIDGE IN
THE WORLD.

o,aa I'm Five Years-Connected With
:, VIII BE the Largest Railway Station
In the World.
Work on the biggest bridge In the world,
.he New York and New Jersey bridge, Will
heoin this fall 1t Is no idle boast that
rs structure will beat the worlds record
a. bridge building. AT present New York
roc only one bridge over its waterways,
.houab another is building, and this third
ono will be begun this fall. Nevertheless
the metropolis takes no second place among
.be cities of the world in point of bridges,
Cow brooklyn bridge still is at the head Of
the suspension bridges, though the new
Tost river bridge will wIest this place from
.he old structure at the opcningot the new
century. As for the cantilcyer bridges only
ono that over the Firth of Forth, is able
90 snrnass the East river bridge that Is TO
ho This Scottish structure has two 100
soot suans, beating the Brooklyn bridge by
to5 feet and the new East river bridge by
100 feet
Tnt tho New York and New Jersey
bridoe will have single span 1000 feet
LONGER than either of the Forth spans.
This bridge, soon to he connecting link
betwecn two states, will be $50 feet wide.
What this means is shown by tho fact that
the Brooklyn bridge is only 50 feet wide,
and the new East river bridge will be only
1ts feet wide. A for that Scottish struc-
ture. it carries only two tracks while the
North river bridge will carry six tracks
and perhaps carriage roadway The
North river bridge will cross the Hudson
nj Fifty -ninth street, New York. From
the end of that street viaduct will sweep
south and east TO vast union station in
broadway between Forty ninth and Fifty
first streets.
No railway station in the world will be-
Gin TO approach this in size. Its front will
be ten stories high. The station will have
40 tracks, 20 for incoming and 20 for out
going trains. 1t Is expected that all the
railroads that concentrate along the Jersey
shore will unite on the bridge tracks and
send their trains over the structure at un-
diminished speed.
No bridge in the world has towers as
high as those from which will be suspend
ed the cables of the North river bridge.
Tbev will rise 587 feet. What this means
is evident by comparison with the height
of the st. Paul building, the highest In
New York. This skyscraper Is 3OS feet
high. The towers of the Brooklyn bridge
rise above water only 27S, and even the
towers of the new East river bridge will
be only 335 feet high. The Brooklyn bridge
Is 1876 feet above high water, and the new
East river bridge will be of the same height;
but the North river bridge will cross at
$50 feet above high water. 1t Is interest
ing to know that when the bridge Is load
ed on a summers day the sag will be or
feet in the center of the bridge.
For its size the North river bridge will
be the cheapest and the quickest built Of
tho great bridges of the world. 1t will
cost ST., 900, 900. The structure OF the
Brooklyn bridge cost $4,000, 900, and It's
approaches 90, 600, 900 more. The new East
river bridge will cost 81, $780, 900, with an
untold amount for approaches, and the
Firth of Forth bridge cost at its compile
ton in 1889 SIG, 100000.
The Brooklyn bridge took IL years TO
build. The Union Bridge company will
complete the North river bridge, 1T says,
i'm five years from the time work Is begun
on the site.
The territory and population practically
added to Greater New York by the North
river bridge is embraced In 20 mile
radius from the New York city hall.
Based on tho figures of the interstate COM
merce commission in 1890, 1t Is the esti-
mate of Charles H. Swan, secretary and
treasurer of tho New York and New Jersey
Bridge company, that nearly 76,OOO,OOO
people annually cross the North river un'
der the auspices of the railroads. This
means zoe, 900 persons day. Twoshirds
of these the bridge people expect to get.
The passenger toll will vary from cents
for local passengers to 25 cents for through
passengers. This, added to the freight toll
of, cay, 81 q car on $780, 900 cars, 1t Is be-
lieved, will give handsome return on the
investment.
The cost to date of the bridge has been
close to 81, 900, 900. No work has been done
yet on the site of the bridge, although the
company asserts that work on the bridge
has begun. This, it is explained, consists
In shop work, patterns and so on.
Tho foundations of the North river
bridge will be the deepest probably OF theil
kind, ut least 1876 feet below the water line
Up to the present the foundations OF th'
Hawksbury bridge in New South Wales
beat the world for depth, though the Ead'
bridge ut st. Louis Is close second.
In getting down to bed rock the tubulal
system will be used for the first time In Tn
construction of such big bridge. Cylin
drical steel tubes will be driven down, muci
In the same manner as well Is driven
The mud and water will be pumped GU
and new sections of pipe screwed on a
fast as the lower ones disappear. Thus
source of danger to the workmen will b
completely eliminated In the building
the new bridge.
There will be a footway across TN
bridge, bnt whether ordinary vehicles VII
be provided for Is not yet determines
Perhaps In the revised plans provision VIII
be made for them. Passengers on loot cal
be elevated, both at the station and at I'd
entrance to the bridge, but vehicles canno
be hoisted SO readily.
To Stop Misuse of the Flag.
A meeting of the general court OF tn
= IL lore nd