The record-union., 1898-06-02

three 1eet high, .OI OF cuDlc ydTu'
five-foot culvert,, four feet high, " OF
cubic yard, without wings; a five
foot culvert, with five-foot side walls.
1.15 cubic yards. Then let cul-
vert be twenty-four feet long, nve
culvert be twenty-four feet long, fve
feet high, with a span OF five feet; 1t
will cost, at Sc per yard, $16o 6O, con-
tanning 27.6 cubic yards Of masonry.
The same span placed with lumber can
not be constructed for less than 500,
and frequently costs as much as the
stone structure The wooden structure
lasts from five to ten years, while the
concrete or masonry lasts forever.
Here are some illustrations on the
screen: This wooden structure was
built this year in San Mateo County. II
is located in the country near the ocean
shores, where some eight or ten feet
Of sand forms the SOIL covering sand
stone bedrock The watershed drain
ing into this drainway does not exceed
twenty or twenty-five acres, yet, owing
to the nature of the soil, deep gulch
ten or fifteen feet in depth crosses the
road at this point, requiring the con-
structiOn of a thirty-foot bridge to
span it. We have not the figures of
the cost of the bridge, but, judging
from structures similar to this, the
bridge must have cost at least S2OO,
and possibly $3.50. A two-foot sewer
pipe could have been laid sixty feet in
length, with a solid fill over the pipe,
with concrete guard walls; for $3.50, and
you would have a structure that would
last for generations.
The Supervisor of this district could
| not remedy the matter with pipe be-
| cause he had no money in his district
funds, and the board would only allow
him lumber from the general fund; or
perhaps he was afraid to break away
from the old-time rule of lumber and
nothing else. Here are other structures
of a similar character.
Now let us turn to the other side Of
the case. and see what we can do with
stone. Here are some slides showing
rock culverts built in Amador County
by the County Surveyor, under the in
structions of the Department of High
ways. / will explain. 1t was our in
tention to construct these culverts of
stone and mortar, but when on the
ground we found the country rock
would split well, that we could procure
slabs of sufficient length and thickness
to cover the span we desired, and We
lUtIGlOTG lilt CulN VI
dry stone, as you see.
This culvert is 2x111a feet in the clear,
40 feet in length, with wing walls on
each end. The bottom Of the culvert is
protected from wash by well-laid fiat
stone throughout its whole length. The
rock was quarried in grading the road
bed and split to fit the requirements Of
the case. This structure cost just S120.
0f nf
not so large, they taking the place of
pipes designated in the specifications,
and two like this, were laid for $50.
They are durable structures, and will
last as long as the road is used. This
is the end of expense so far as culverts
are concerned on this road. 1t seems to
me it will be very important to Super
visors to know what bridge work should
cOst-not what, under contract, it does
cost, but what it ought to cost the coun-
ties, with fair profit to the contractor.
This can only be determined by a per-
son thoroughly conversant with the de-
tails of such work. In order, however,
that we may form some little concep-
ton of the real cost of such structures,
desire to call your attention to the
cost Of some combination and steel
bridges constructed in this State
The first bridge / will ask you to con-
slider is structure built in the County
Of Sacramento over the Costumes River
on the road from Sacramento City to
Gait, constructed in the year 1897. It
consists, as you see, Of two span steel
truss ITO feet each, with twenty-foot
roadway. The center cylinders are
5 feet 6 inches in diameter, and
the end piers are four feet 6
inches in diameter. Constructed un-
der contract by Darby, Laydon & Co.
of San Francisco. The contract price
for the building of this bridge was
81. 594, without any approaches. You
will observe that the spans are 10
feet each, and therefore cost So, 797 per
span. The structure is an excellent one,
and will. if properly cared for last for
| fifty years or more.
The Board Of Supervisors of Yolo
County have taken a new departure in
constructing bridges, authorizing their
County Surveyor, P. n. Ashley, to build
all their structures. sIn doing so they
have found very excellent agent-one
who can build steel and wood bridges
cheaper than they can do the same by
contract
The bridge that / now show you on
the canvas is one constructed by Mr..
Ashley over Willow Slough in Yolo
County, known as. the Merritt Bidwell
bridge.
The cylinders are three feet in diam
eter. filled with concrete, no piling, the
piers or cylinders being all sunk in the
ground. The bridge is 100 feet span,
twenty-foot roadway, covered with 3x14
stringers and 3x6 Oregon pine on edge
in flooring; depth Of truss, % feet
The cost by items of this bridge is as
follows:
Steel frame and cylinders. ..........s1 ,475 90
Lumber NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 327 Il
Cement OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 50 90