Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-05
Reasons Why the Iron Structure
Should Not Be Built.
NEITHER DURABLE NOR SAFE
An Earnest Advocate of the
Proposed Stone Arch.
Another Correspondent Would Pay Webb
Damages and Not Build Any Bridge
Use the Money to Widen shrews-
bury Street.

To the Editor of the Spy-As an en-
in the sketches of the proposed lake
bridge, as published in your columns,
and now beg leave to call your atten-
ton and that of your readers to one or
two points in connection Herewith.
To begin with, 1 am in favor of
stone arch bridge, if any is to be built,
because it will be more economical
durable and beautiful thar an iron or
steel structure.
There is one good reason why an iron
or steel bridge should never be built at
this point Every experienced engineer
knows that the worst strain that can
come upon a bridge is an unequal,
variable, moving load, like a herd of
cattle or a throng Of people.
Now the only object of an increased
waterway is to stimulate and encourage
boat racing at the lake, and this bridge
would be the very best point from which
to view a race. Imagine then 4 race be-
tween Harvard and Yale with the
crowds upon the shore all struggling to
gain a position Of advantage upon the
bridge which would be completely
covered with the variable load above
described, and disastrous results would
follow unless the bridge were built to
stand such a strain.
1t is no answer to say that policemen
could be stationed to keep people off
at such times for the crowd would over
run the bridge in spite of policemen.
To build an iron or steel bridge that
should be perfectly secure, under the
above conditions, would probably cost
more than has been estimated for the
proposed structure.
That awful hump" to which the op-
,ponents of the stone arch object would
probably be larger with the iron struc-
ture than with the stone, unless a large
sum should be spent in grading.
Some doubt has been expressed as to
the safety of the foundations of the
stone arch bridge now under contract.
Having had a moderate amount Of
experience on bridge foundations of the
heaviest character on the Mississippi
and other large rivers, have no hesi-
tation in saying that these foundations
can be made broad and long enough to
50 distribute the weight of the bridge
that there shall never be the slightest
difficulty in regard to settlement
But If steel bridge must be built
why build more than one sran?
There can be no bridge as good as the
existing solid causeway, and if the steel
bridge is to be built, from shore to
shore, as proposed by some, it means
greatly increased first cost, expensive
repairs, constant supervision, and in
time renewal Of everything above the
foundations
To build a steel bridge 800 or 800 feet
long across the still waters of am in
land lake, to take the place of a solid
causeway already built at great ex-
pense, is as ineXcusable and unneces-
sary as Il would he to build the same
structure across the valley between
Harvard street and the Normal school,
and if it should be accomplished the
next generation will tear ont the super
fious spans. restore the causeway, and
curse the present generation for its
wastefulness and folly.
Daniel M. Wheeler.
Worcester, March 1, 1898