The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-22
sWORLD'S GREATEST BRIDGE.
1t Is Expected to Join New Jersey to
New York Within Five Years.
Pittsburg Dispatch.

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 beat the worlds record in
bridge building. Though it will be a sus-
pension bridge, it will have the longest
span of any bridge of any kind, suspension
or cantilever. 1t will be the widest bridge
in the world. It's towers will be the high
est of any bridge in the world, it's founda-
ton will be the deepest, and, more than
all, it's union station will be the largest rail-
way station in either hemisphere. More
over it will be the cheapest and quickest
built bridge of great size. AS for cantilever
bridges only one that over the Firth of
Forth, is able to surpass the East river
bridge that is to be. This Scotland struct-
ure has two 1,700-foot spans. beating the
Brooklyn bridge by 105 feet and the new
East river bridge by 100 feet. But the New
York and New Jersey bridge will have a
single span 1000 feet longer than either
of the Forth spans.
This bridge, soon to be a connecting link
between two States, will be $50 feet wide
What this means is shown by the fact that
the Brooklyn bridge is only So feet wide and
the new Erie river bridge at Rlvlngton
street, New York. will be only IS feet wide.
AS for that Scotland structure, 1t carries
only two tracks, while the Nortn-river
bridge will carry six tracks, and perhaps
a carriage roadway The North-r1ver
bridge will cross the Hudson at Fffty-ninth
street, New York. From the end OF that
street a Viaduct will sweep south and east
to q vast union station in Broadway, be-
tween Forty-ninth and Fifty-frst streets
No railway station in the world will begin
to approach this in size It's front will be
ten stories high. The station Will have
forty tracks, twenty for incoming and
twenty, for, outgoing trains 1t is expected
hat oil 10
along the Jersey shore will unite on the
bridge tracks and send their train over the
structure at undiminished speed
No bridge in the world has towers as
high as those from which will be suspended
the cables of the North river bridge. They
will rise 5S7 feet. What this means is evil
dent by comparison with the height of the
st. Paul building, the highest in New York.
This skyscraper is 30S feet high. The tow
ers of the Brooklyn bridge rise above high
water only 2l8 feet, and even the, towers
of the new East river bridge will be only
1886 feet high.
The Brooklyn bridge is 1875 feet above high
water and the new East river bridge will
be the same height But the North river
bridge will cross at $50 feet above nigh
water 1t is interesting to know that when
the bridge is loaded on summers Gay the
sag will be eight or nine feet in the center
For its size the North river bridge will
be the cheapest and the quickest-built of
the great iron bridges of the world. 1t Will
cost ST.. 900 600 The structure of the Brook
1vn bridge cost So 600 600 and its approaches
sc, 900, coo more. The new East river bridge
will cost $7,500,000 with an untold amount
for approaches And the Firth of Fourth
bridge cost at its completion in 1888 SIG,
The Brooklyn bridge took thirteen years
to build The Union Bridge Company will
complete the North river bridge, it says,
on the Site
added to Greater New York by the North
river bridge is embraced in a twenty mile
radius from the New York City Hall. Based
on the figures of the Interstate-commerce
Commission in 1890 it is the estimate OF
Charles II. Swan secretary and treasurer OF
the New York and New Jersey Fridge Com
pany, that nearly 76,000,000 people annually
cross the North river bridge under the aus
pieces of the railroads. This means 100000
persons a day. Two-thirds of these the
bridge people expect to get.
The passenger toll will vary from 3 cents
for local passengers to 20 cents for through
passengers. This, added to the freight toll
of say 81 a car on $4,000 cars, it is be-
lieved, will give a handsome return on the
investment.
The cost to date of the bridge has been
close to 81, 600, 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 INSIST
in shop work, patterns, and so on. There
have been some reports that the company
has forfeited it's charter because of the al
legged failure to begin work and expend
900 within year after the location 90 o.
the bridge was approved, March is, 1870
The general counsel for the company, now
ever asserts that work has been begun IN
accordance with the terms of the charter
The foundations of the North river bridge
will be the deepest. probably, of their
kind; it is believed they will be at least
165 feet below the water line. Up to the
present the foundations of the Hawsbury
bridge. in New South Wales, beat the
world for depth. though the Eads bridge al
St Louis is a close second.
In getting down to bed rock the tubular
system will be used for the first time ir
the construction of such big bridge NJ
men will work to the detriment of health
and sometimes even at the cost Of life fal
below the surface of the water in cham
bers fed with compressed air. Nor vii
the open dredging system, employed in the
construction of the Poughkeepsie bridge
be used. Cylindrical steel tubes will bt
as a well is driven. The mud and water
will be pumped out and new sections OF
pipe screwed on as fast as the lower one:
disappear. This source of danger to the
workmen will be completely eliminated II
the building of the new bridge.
The towers of the bridge, shooting Up
ward for nearly 600 feet, will afford mag
nifcent opportunity for observation. Ele
vators will take up sightseers The an
chorages for the cables will be $50 fee
high. and will give fine chances for roo
gardens or something of the sort
There will be footway across the
bridge. but whether ordinary vehicles vii
| be provided for is not yet determined. Per
haps in the revised plans provision Will b.
made for them Passengers on foot ear
| be elevated both at the station and Al
| the entrance TO the bridge, but vehicle:
/ ca,a.nf ha hoAmfel so READILY.