Evening star., 1897-05-05
NIAGARA's NEW RAILROAD BRIDGE

Steel Structure Being Built to Take
the Place of the Suspension Bridge.
From the New York Herald.
The historic suspension railway bridge
over the Niagara gorge will be entirely re-
moved By July 1 and new steel struc-
ture remarkable in many of its features,
will be in place. The new bridge is be-
ing built around the old and the change
from one to the other will be made with
out Interference to traffic This new bridge
will consist of one mighty steel arch span,
500 feet between springing points-the
largest arch in all the world-flankcd on
either side by trussed span, 115 feet in
lergth. connecting the same with the cliff
on each side of the river. In addition to
this there will be approaches aggregating
29O feet in length. This mighty structure,
to cost half million dollars. and to weigh
7,2OO.OOO pounds. Is to take the place of
the present suspension bridge, which was
long considered one Of the best in the
world. 1t was built in 1865 by John A.
Roebling for the Niagara Falls Interna-
toral Bridge Company of New York. and
the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Com
pany of Canada.
In 1850 the original wooden suspended
superstructure was found inadequate, and
was substituted by a new steel stiffening
truss $40 feet long. Six years later the
stone towers on top of the cliffs supporting
and were replaced by new ones of steel,
without interruption of traffic Both of
these changes were made under the direc-
tiCn of L. l.. Buck, chief engineer in charge
of the rev structure for the Pennsylvania
Steel Company, which is doing the work
for the two corporations owning the bridge
franchise. Now comes another and a great
er change. The old bridge, with its single
track. is inadequate for the enlarged traffic
and the increase in weight of locomotive
engines. and will be replaced by new
bridge with two railway tracks on it's up
per deck, and with wagon ways, sidewalks,
and trolley tracks beneath. The lower
tracks will be used for an electric line from
the United States to Canada around the
Whirlpool gorge.
A strange feature in changing from one
bridge to the other is that 1t will be done
without interference with the heavy traffic,
though the new bridge is being built on the
exact site of the Old one which it sur
rounds. and with which it is interlaced
The rev structure gets not one ounce of
support from the old. as it extends from
the cliffs on either side out into the air
In an apparently mysterious manner and
to the eye of the tyro defies gravity. Its
huge pieces OF steel, which in some in
stances exceed thirty tons in weight. are
Deing extended with apparently only the
atmosphere under them. When these two
sides of the arch meet in the center of
the span and are Joined. the old bridge will
be blocked up on the new one, the new
bridge carrying it in addition to its own
weight and the regular traffic. The latter
will then be disconnected piece by piece
and the new floor system placed in position
as the work progresses. The last work
Will be to remove the four cables of the
SUI persion bridge. each Weighing ITO tons
and having length of 1,6OO feet. Then the
towers will come down. and a landmark
long familiar to tourists to Niagara Falls
will have disappeared.