The times., 1899-02-18

age to the interests of both sections. The
great exodus of Northern people to Florida
and the other Southern resorts would be
blocked entirely. This travel is Just begin
ming, and it will continue for several
weeks. Twenty-Five trainloads of South
ern tourists cross the Long Bridge every
day at this season of the year. The stop
page of this traffic would mean the loss Of
many thousands of dollars to the railroads
and of much more TO the Southern re-
sorts.
THE early spring vegetable crops will
soon begin TO move north. This business
would be killed by the destruction of the
bridge. Perhaps millions of dollars would
be lost in this one item alone.
The nearest means of railroad commu-
nication remaining open between the North
and the South would be by the way of Gin
cinnat, and this would be too roundabout
for either the Southern tourists or the
spring fruits and vegetables.
The Pennsylvania railway, the Southern
Railway the Chesapeake and Ohio, the At
lantic Coast Line, the Seaboard Air Line,
and the Washington and Mount Vernon
railway all run their trains over the bridge.
Some of these roads and the people de-
pending on them for transportation and
freight facilities would be more injured
than others, but to two OF them at least
the blowing up of the bridge at this time
of the year would be like cutting a mans
head of.
Washington itself would suffer greatly
in a pecuniary way also. l suppose that
500 people at least stop over in Washing
ton daily at this season on their way
South. More than that, a large part of
the country from which the city draws its
supplies of food would be cut off from rail-
way communication. causing great loss to
the city and great inconvenience as we'll.
But this side Of the question is per-
haps not more important than others.
believe that every railway using the bridge
would use all its efforts 10 prevent its
being blown up, but / do not hesitate to
say that quite as certainly. all of the
roads would advocate the measure if it
were believed by competent engineers that
il would prevent loss of life or even great
damage to property here.
Two facts have been ascertained by
the railroad engineers, however which
Washington people should be made aware
of:
In the first place the blowing up Of
/ the structure. costly experiment as it
| would be. would not prevent the food in
/ any way, but rather make it worse. An
explosion under the piers of the bridge
could do nothing more than make OF the
/ stone and iron of the structure a much
more effective dam to the flood. The de-
/ bris of the blow-up could not be removed
from the river channel, except very slowly
and after the food had passed and done
| its evil. A mass of rock and twisted iron
would mingle with the ice gorge to make
a solid wall.
"0n the other hand there can be no
question that it is possible TO prevent the
ice gorge at the bridge if the structure is
/ allowed TO stand The Government and
I the city could make a perfect campaign
against the ice with tugs and a proper
organization of forces. And the railroads
would, Of course, add their efforts. Rail-
road engineers have fought ice gorges be
fore and the Long Bridge problem has
no features that have not been coped with
and overcome by them
W. N. Mcconnell, general agent of the
Seaboard Air Line, said of the proposition
The damage and loss that would come
to the country and the railroads through
/ the destruction of the bridge would be far
greater than the flood could cause. / be-
lieve that some other method of averting
the danger will be sought and found. II
does not appear possible TO me that the
engineers of the city and the War Depart
ment must give up the problem unsolved. "
Another railroad officer who did not wish