The times., 1900-12-26
AMERICAN WORK IN INDIA.
Highest viaapct in the World PuiIt
by Our Mechanics.

| HARRISBURG, Pa. Dec. 25.-Anot her
| great American engineering feat has been
accomplished and the visduct which spans
| the Gokteik gorge in India will stand as
| an enduring monument of the Pennsyl-
vania Steel Companys skill in bridge
| building. Ii is not the first great under
taking of the bridge and construction de-
partment of this company, but it has at
| tracted attention throughout the world by
| reason of the difficulties in the way Of n
successful completion of the work. Thou
sands of miles distant from the plant of
| the company at Steelton, and with in
Vulnerable obstacles to be overcome be-
| fore the construction of the viaduct could
| be even commenced, II required sublime
courage to invade the eneny's country
and snatch from English competitors the
| contract for viaduct of this character
| on an English railroad. Following close
| ly upon the heels of the Atbara Bridge
| contract, also won. over British bridge
| builders by another Pennsylvania COM
pany, the foreign bidders stood agape,
| and il should not be a matter of surprise
| that they are now considering the remoy
| al of their plants to this side of the At
/ lantic.
The British Government having invited
| proposals for the building OF a yiaduct
across The Gokteik gorge, wild and pic
turesque rift in the Shan Hills of Burmah.
about eighty miles east of Mandalay. the
Pennsylvania Steel Company secured the
contract at figure approximately $780,
The site of the bridge is about l50 miles
inland from Rangoon. the principal sea-
| port of Burmah. }. V. ". Reynders. su
perintendent of the bridge and construc-
tion department of the company. prepared
the preliminary drawings and estimates,
and representative was sent to London
to submit the proposal and explain any
thing which needed explanation. Chiefly
for the reason that the Pennsylvania Com
pany agreed TO complete the work in such
| a brief space of time was the contract
given to the American bidder. II was
thought by the foreign bidders that the
Pennsylvania Company would surely fail.
but a cablegram just received states that
the viaduct has been accepted by the Brit
ish Government. J. c. Turk, of New York,
as resident engineer and agent Of the con-
tractor. has had personal direction OF the
construction work in India, and having at
tended to the formaiities incident to trans
ferring the yiaduct to the Government. he
is now on his way home with others OF the
American force. including Louis \. Gross,
the foreman.
The wonderful steel traveller used in
design of F. W. Cohen, the assistant
superintendent of the bridge department
| of the Steelton works. where it was made
and shipped to Rangoon with the first con-
signment of materials This colossal
crane had the unprecedented overhang OF
lei feet and weighed 10000 pounds. 1t
was built CT iron and steel and was capa-
bic of lifting a girder Weighing twenty
five tons. With this huge machine the
NJ ba Via dua ad
as fast as one span was completed 1t was
pushed along TO the next. picking up from
the ground hundreds of feet below the
various parts necessary to finish another
section of the work In this way the
gorge was spanned without the loss OF
one man and with no serious accident.
The viaduct is 2.2e0 feet lcng and 32o feet
high In the centre of the gorge. but the
central tower rests upon a wonderful
natural bridge the river flowing through
natural tunnel $50 feet below.
Twenty rsen iof the construction force
left the wcrkslof the company at Steel
ten in the summer OF 1899. sailing from
New York on the Majestic on August %
of that year. Ten more followed on the
Teutonie last February. The erection OF
the viaduct WAS started on December i,
1898. and coRapieted October 16 this year.
Since the la.ter date the traveller had TO
be removed. the tools shipped and some
riveting and painting done. There were
employed thirty Americans. fifteen Euro
pe6ns. and about 400 natives. To obtain
these it was necessary to send a man all
over India and Burmah. The natives are
worked in gangs. each gang controlled by
a maistri. They were paid about u GEMS
a day.
Great trouble was encountered at the
outset Oh account of a fiood which in
terrupted communication between Man
dalay and the site of the operations. and
also on the main line 10 Rangoon. To
make matters worse. the railroad
used TO transport the materials was a
narrow gauge line with a gade Of one
foot in twenty-five and the total train
capacity was forty tons less than the
average capacity Of one of our American
cars. Un,ler the circumstances the short
time in which this mighty undertaking
was completed Is marvellous. The ma
teriaI was shipped rom Steelton to
Brooklyn. and the cars necessary to
transport it would make train one and
a half miles long. 1t included the
structural iron and steel. complete
pneumatic plant four hosting engines,
seventy coils of rope. the steel travel
er and other appliances TO facilitate
the work This material was shipped In
three vessels to Rangoon. and the total
weight was about 5000 tons. exclusive
of the erection outfit, which weighed $50
tons.
Until recently the gorge which the
bridge spans was a wilderness and the
company was compelled to transport
special clothing. portable houses, medical
stores. and other necessary articles for
the Americans. The climate was very
peculiar In the morning IL was clear
and hot and by noon il was almost i'm
possible to work in the sun. During the
afternoon there would be a steady down
pour and at night. owing to the rain and
the high altitude. it would be SO cold
that heavy blankets were necessary.
But>the Americans were able to withstand
the yagaries of the climate very we'll
One died, however, and three others re-
turned home.
The yiaduct is on what is known as he
Mandalay -Kunlon Ferry Railway, d. yis-
ion of the Burmah railways. The towers
are built of double track, but only two
lines Of girders for single track, have
been placed in position. These are on cne
side of the tower and two or more lines
will be required when it comes to double
tracking. This railway. however, is under
Government control and il is also q high
way from Mandaay to Kunlon. which
made it necessary to build solid floor
with railing so that pedestrians could
walk over the viaduct. The natural bridge
on which the central towers rest is only
little wider than the base of the highest
tower.
As now completed and turned over to
the British Government the bridge is one
of the highest IL not the highest, in use
on any railroad in the world The high
est point on the Kinzua viaduct in this