The Portland daily press., 1900-06-05

matter to the finance committees. TheEH
is some safisfacsion I know In pun ting
ths responsibility for this action where y
belongs but there h more entisfsction In
getting the pest honse II possible"
The motion TO re-considsr was then
adeptsd by vots Of II 10 q
Mr.. For made another effort 30 induce
the council 30 stand firm In this matter.
He sid; "This Is plan Of the upper
board 10 save the contingent fund. They
have already fooled away large part Of
it and / believe that this viii be the best
thing TO do with what remains. Let US
spsnd It and get "a Of IL. It has been
going to the Dickens for this thing and
that. Let us put some Of 10 where n viii
do some good"
The order was referred to the commit
tee on finance however and 30 disposed Of
l,y the aldermen In concurrence.
vAuGHAN's BRIDGE.
Portland, Maine, June 4, 1900.
To the Honorable City Council.
dentlemen:-
BY an order OF the City Council APP
roved April cath, 1900, the Committee Of
quiry into the condition Of Vaughan s
bridge. and TO report as soon as practi-
cable what action is advisable In respect
20 rxpairing or rebuilding the same, !"
and said Committee ask leave 20 report
rs follows:-
vaughan's bridge Is over Fore river,
from ianforth street In the City OF Port
hand TO Main street In the City Of south
Portland Il Is wooden bridge on pile
having q total length OF 1914
feet and q width o. about 30 feet. The
bridge has no sidewalks Over the chan
mel Is lift draw with single opening Of
a bout az feet, and ON the Portland side
Of the draw Is fender pier extending
up and down stream, having q total
length Of yl5 feet, and width OF % feet.
The City OF Portland maintains SS4
feet Of the bridge including the draw,
which Is located on the boundary line
b~rween the two cities. Portland also
maintains the fender pier. South Port
land maintains the balance, or go fest In
length.
The floor Of the bridge is at about the
level of extreme high tide, and during
the high tide Of March, 1900, railroad
ties. drift wood, etc, were hoated on the
bridge.
ings to consider the questions involved,
have visited the bridge while temporary
repairs were In progress, and have re-
oeived reports on the condition OF the
bridge from The Commissioner OF Public
Works, responsible bridge builders, and a
submarine diver.
The bridge 10 constructed ON piles
driven In bents from ten to sixteen feet
sunrt and spur-shored one each side of
the bridge. The piles are generally small,
and badly split and decayed nj the upper
ends. ms well as badly worm eaten nc the
bottom. Many Of the spur-shores are
badly worm eaten, and also badly de
cayed at the top ends where connected
with the main piles, and do not afford
sufficient lateral bracing TO the bridge.
The caps, which should extend In one
piece across the entire width Of the
bridge, are in two pieces, and are not
fastened together where they naeet in
the middle of the bridge, and do not
afford sufficient lateral support TO the
structure. The caps are also for the most
part 80 badly decayed that the stringers
cannot be securely fastened to them. In
many cases the caps are double, or one
on top of the other, showing that the
bridge has either been built up in places
ON account of the settlement of the piles.
or that the piles have had to he cut on
to afford a more secure fastening for the
caps. The stringers are OF small size,
tion. .....-.. ..
The pianking Is in very had condition.
and IL has been necessary during the
present season to reconstruct u section oil
the top work OF the bridge near the draw.
Many of the planks now on the bridge
are only one or one and one-half inches
in thickness, and 10 has been necessary
for the past two years to make constant
repairs TO keep the bridge temporarily In
safe condition for travel.
1t appears that the Commissioner Of
Public Works reported to the Committee
Of Public Works I'm the early part OF 1898
that this bridge would soon require re-
building, and he also stated to the Mayor
early in 1899. that the bridge would re-
quire quite extensive rerairs TO make 1t safe
for that year. The repairs done last yeyr
were made only where 1t was actually
dangerous to travel.
1t has been necessary this year for the
Commissioner to make temporary repairs
on the planking, and where such repairs
were made it became necessary to remove
all Of the striHgers and caps and renew
them. This work was done on the old
piles, and 1t Is regarded as only tenn
porary work, and the Commissioner does
NOS consider that the repair work ~
done has made the bridge sufficiently
strong to sustain the heavy travel for
any length of time, and only as ma Ike
shift, pending definite action Of the City
Council
The piles i'm the fender pier are also in
bad condition, and the caps, stringers and
plankiug are in such a state Of decay a.
to be dangerous.
The draw itself is in good condition
having been mostly rebuilt in 1899 but
the strength of the draw. owing 10 its
peculiar construction, depends to greal
extent ON the strength Of the bridge bach
of It, to which IL must be thoroughly
tied.
The diver who examined that portion
of the piling submerged at low water.
reports 10 your Committee that at least
two thirds of 1t L. in such condition than
IL should be renewed nj once.
Your Committee Is informed by practi
cal bridge builders that the superstruc
ture of the bridge Is not, in It's present
condition, safe for heavy loads to pms
over 1t. The fender pier they condemned
as being unsafe.
The Commissioner of Public Work.
estimates that IL win cost in the neigh
borhood of SIS, 1880 to make snch repair
as are necessary 60 put the bridge in I
safe and proper condition for the demands
Of public travel.
Your Committee learn that the trave
over this bridge Is heavier than that ovel
anyother highway bridge entering the city
the teams OF the Standard Oil Compan,