Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-12-08
WILL GIVE THE DIRT.
Liberal Offer Made lbs The CHI. 81 peak= and
:. Ohio. u.uEF. Ga.

OhiO.
The Chesapeake & Ohio railroad
which has manifested from the start 4
desire 10 do the proper. thing in con-
nection with the building of the rwe.l.
cS-fTth and Thirty-foulth street
bridges has made the city another lib
el*1l proposition. ...
For filling in the approaches to he
bridges, the railway company offers I,
give the necessary dirt and to furnis.,
the cars on which to carry this material
from the site of the new elevator TO the
places where the dirt is needed. Gen
eral Superintendent Doyle t-pnmuni
catelathis offer to the city through Ger
ei-al Ia;dnaster +. T. Ford. who has
been instrumental in bringing about the
present friendly understanding ri,a!i ex-
lists between the railroad and the city
wednesday, Superin tendent Doyle
Terminal 'superint en1dent Parker AID
Councilman Ford made an inspection
OF the bridges and they are Thoroughly
satisfied that the work comes up to the
Specifications
Will open ba.s Tor filing in the np-
proaches to the Twenty fifth and Tnir-
ty-fourth street bridges. 1T has been
Il question among contractors who con-
telnplated submit tting bids where the
dirt for the approaches was to come
from There need no longer be any
question about that. as Superintendent;
Doyle's proposition will obviate all diff
ticllty i1 mat direction.
MI. Doyle offers to let the city ha e
che 10000 rubic yards needed from a
bank ON the elevator site in Which thera
are 10000 on. 10000 yards Of earth He
will also furnish one engine and thirty
fiat cars to DE placed at the disposal cf
the city FOR transferring this dirt TO tie
bridges until the last of the dirt IS
taken out The contractor, of course,
Will NAVE to dig the dirt and unload it
at the bridge sites. This offer is an ex-
tremely liberal one and it is needless
10 say that tlle city Will be only too
glad TO accept it. In This way the time
for opening the bridges to traffic. will
'be FASTENED and it is confidently e.
pected now that the IwentE fifth
street bridge will be ready Cor USE by
January 10.
The work of building the retaining
walls for the approaches TO the TWEEN
ty-,ifth street structure Will be com
pletSd BY December Is ar,i The bridge
will be ready TO he turned over by Jan
uary l. the only work remaining to De
done on it being to fill in the ap-
breaches.
All Of the iron work on .he Thirty
fourth street bridge has been completed
t1N2'.n abutnent to abutnent and nov
It only remains TO put down the. floor
ing. put UP the railing ana do the paint
iEg. This bridge should be ready FOR
use by February at the present ral.
OF progress.
After inspecting the bridges Wedn s.
day. in company with the railroad oil
Gals here. Superintendent DOYLE ex-
pressed himself as thoroughly satisfied
With the work on the bridges and he
said he Thought that TO duplicate them
It would cost in the neig'nborhood Of
$4,000 apiece more than these bridges
are costing the city on account Of ne
advance in material.
The Chesapeake & Ohio will not send
~,
Work-that much is certain now, as Mr..
Doyle does not see where such a step
is at all necessary. He examined the
abGrmeCts and feels satisfied that they
Will stand che test. In some places the
timber is not the best. but It comes I'D
TO specifications, which call for mar
chantab,e timber.
Yesterday a representative Of the
Daily Press accompanied Ccun-
crFnlan Ford and Mr.. T. c. Hatton, en-
Safe Deposit and Title Insurance Com
panE. OF Chester, Pa, to the Thirty
fourth street bridge for the purpose Of
making an inspection of the material
in the abuuments and the timber to be
used in the floor. The timber arrived
from buckingham county on Monday
1t is. OF better quality than that used on
the Twenty-ffth street bridge care be-
ing taken TO get the best that could h,
gotten TO comply With the specifications
As Mr.. Ford pointed out. this lot Of tim
Der is largely heart. many OF the pieces
containing from 80 To SO per cent Of
heart and it was the opinion OF boil.
Mr.. Ford and Mr.. Hatton that the city
in this lot was getting better. if any
thing, than the specifications called for,
the mood being very good for merchant
antaIble timber.
The abutments are certainly hard and
70 the eye OF an inexperienced observer
they seem to be all that is required If
them The knives and pencils which
some people have said could easily pen
citrate the cement and sc!ape it away
would find considerable resistance IN
these aIbutrnents.
The members of the bridge committee
Of the council are thoroughly satisfied,
it is understood. that the structures
will comply with the specifications when
they are turned over to the city. If not,
they will not be accepted by the cons
nittee. II there is any doubt about til.
bridges standing the test of time. the
| cantractors, it is understood, will will
ingly give a bond as guarantee.
'.All of these criticisms" said Mr..
Fiord, who has followed the construc-
ton OF the bridges from the beginning
! and has been alive to the city's inter
ests IN connection with this work. ARE
not backed by the facts. There has
been nothing in connection with these
bridges which is not open and above
'boal,l and the structures are here 10
speak for themselves That 2,oncre e.
in the abuuments is hard and strong
that timber is better than it was nee
essary to put in the floors, according 10
the specifications, and the bridges them
selves are certainly a good piece Of
! work. This company has something at
stake in this work and it surely will not
build fine bridges on poor aburments
just to save few dollars, with the pos
sibility of collapse at any time tina t
would their rStN;Jt1tinfr