The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-11-06
BIGGEST IN THE WORLD.
A BRIDGE THAT WILL JOIN NEW JER'
SEY TO NEW YORK.

Existing Bridges Are Mere Pygmies De-
side 1t Construction Is to BE bes""
This FaIl-It Will BE the Largest Upon
the Great Round Earth.
Work on the biggest bridge in the
world. the New York and New jersey
bridge. will begin this fall. 1t Is no
idle boast that this structure Will peat
the worlds record in bridge building.
Though it will be a suspension pfiage'
i will have the longest span OF any
bridge of any kind, suspension or can
tilever. 1t will be the widest bridge
in the world. Its towers will be the
highest of any bridge in the world, Its
foundations will. be the deepest, and,
more than all, its union station Will
be the largest railway station In either
hemisphere. Moreover, it will be the
cheapest and quickest built bridge OF
great size. At present New York has
only one bridge over its waterways,
though another is building, and this
third one will be begun this fall.
Nevertheless. the metropolis takes no
second place among the cities OF the
world in point of bridges, for Brook
lyn bridge still is at the head OF the
suspension bridges, though the new
East river bridge will wrest this place
from the old structure at the opening
of the new century. As for the canti-
lever bridges, only one. that over the
Firth of Forth, is able to surpass the
East river bridge that is to be. This
Scotland structure has two 100 foot
spans, beating the Brooklyn bridge by
100 feet.
But the New York and New Jersey
bridge will have a single span looo
feet longer than either OF the Forth
spans. =.
This bridge, soon to be CONNECTING
link between two states, will be lou
feet wide. What this means is shown
by the fact that the Brooklyn bridge
is only IS feet wide, and the new Eas'
river bridge at Rivington street, New
York. will be only 118 feet wide. Al
for the Scotland structure, it carries
only two tracks, while the North rlve1
bridge will carry six tracks, and pei,
haps a carriage roadway. The NORTH
river bridge will Gloss the Hudson a
Forty-ninth street.. New York. From
the end of that street a viaduct VII
sweep south and east to vast un1ol
, station in Broadway between Forty
ninth and Fifty-irst streets. No rall
way station in the world will begin t.
approach this in size: Its front wi
be ten stories high. The station vii
have 40 tracks, 20 for incoming and 2
/ for outgoing trains. 1t is expecte
: that all the railroads that concentrat
, along the Jersey shore will unite o
the bridge tracks, and send their tram
? over the structure at undlmlnlshe
speed.
3 No bridge in the world has towers
d high as those from which will be sui
r pended the cables of the North rlv.
s bridge. They will rise 587 feet. VIII
g this means is evident by compariso
= with the height of the st. Paul bull'
ing, the highest in New York. Tn
= sky scraper is 308 feet high. III
towers of the Brooklyn bridge ri
above high water only 27S feet, al
even the towers of the new East riv
: bridge will be only 335 feet high.
4 The Brooklyn bridge is l35 fe
e above high water and the new Ea
d river bridge will be of the same heigf
d But the North river bridge will Gro
j. at $50 feet above high water. 1t
/. interesting to know that when t
y bridge is loaded on summers d
l. the sag will be eight or nine feet
~ the centre of the bridge.
". For its size the North river brid
"a will be the cheapest and the quickt
a built of the great bridges of the wor
. 1t will cost 1000, 900. The STIR
&c. ture of the Brooklyn bridge cost 5
be 300, 600, and its approaches So, 900, G
ut more. The new East river bridge "
al cost 81, 500, 900, with an untold amou
or of approaches. And the Firth
)r. Forth bridge cost at its completion,
in 1889, SIG, 100000.
It's The Brooklyn bridge took thirte
ul years to build. The Union Brio
h company will complete the North ri'
ut bridge, it says, in five years from
ed time work is begun on the site.
Is The territory and population pr
'er tically added to New York by the No
~ river bridge is embraced in 20 m
he radius from the New Y0k city hi
ne Based on the figures of the interst
IN, commerce commission in 1890, it
mt the estimate of Charles II. Swan, s
OF rotary and treasurer of the New Y
eo and New Jersey Bridge company, t
~. nearly 10000, 1000. people annus
sef cross the North river under the
Us spices of the railroads. This me
200, 900 persons day. Two-third
these the bridge people expect to {
nd. Washington Silver Knight.