The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-10
MEMORIAL BRIDGE PLANS
The Report of the Board of En-
gineers Sent to Congress.
Approved by Secretary Root-Dcsign
of William H. Burr, of New York,
to the Official specifcntiOns-Tbc
Structure Contemplated Described.

The Secretary Of War sent to bott
Houses of Congress the report of the
Board of Army Engineers and Architects
| appointed last February to receive and
recommend plans for a memorial bridge
across the Potomac River. extending from
the old Naval Observatory to point di-
| lecJy across the river on the old Airing
ton estate. The board recommends tne
| construction of a bridge which will cost
I about ~ SGT. 600
The report reviews at length the plans
| submitted by four prominent bridge archi-
| tects and engineers. and selects those of
William Fl. Burr. of New York, as con-
| forming most closely to the general speci-
fcations called for
BY an act OF Congress passed during the
last session money was appropriated for
! prizes TO be given to architects and bridge
engineers submitting the most appropriate
and suitable plans Four prizes were Of
| fered.
The general outline specifications gov
| erning the competition, issued under date
| of July Il. 1899. called for the presenta-
/ tion of two designs for n bridge with a
| draw opening: one design to provide for
| street cars as well as for ordinary vehicles
/ and for pedestrians: the street cars TO be
/ below tunderneath) the highway. The
width of the structure to be sixty feet.
/ including sidewalks. Material mainly
granite and steel. The second taltcrnnte)
/ design to be for n bridge with draw open
/ ing, but without provision for street cars.
The question whether street cars should
be allowed upon the bridge being an Tin
, portant one and admitting of considerable
difference In opinion. 1t was deemed best
| that designs should be submitted for each
! kind of bridge in order to make Il better
! comparison OF their architectural cHcet.
adaptablity and cost. respectively.
The designs and drawings were to be
paid for in the order OF merit Of the do D
signs. as recommended by board OF en-
gineers. and approved by the Secretary OF
War. as follows:
For No. |, 81 200; for No. 2. 81 100; Tor
No 3, 81 600; for No. A. $500.
The designs. drawings and estimates
were then to become the property OF the
United States.
MIR. Burr's design, the one approved by
| the board. with few alterations, is sum
married in the report as follows:
This is a design for a single-deek
| bridge. so feet in width between railings,
providing for two sidewalks, each 10 feet
wide. and a roadway 40 feet wide This
design makes no provision for street rail-
way tracks The total length of the open
work of the bridge proper and approaches
is about 3,400 feet.
THE bridge proper is to consist of three
192-foot span masonry arches. one steel
draw span having clear width of 199
feet and three more 192-foot span ma
sonry arches.
THE 192-foot masonry arches are circu-
lar (segmentaD. the springiug line being
"a feet above mean low water. the rise
above the spring 20 feet, and the radius oil
the intrados 1873 feet.
The clear head room under the crown OF
the arch is So feet. clear head room oil
about 81 feet at low water is provided un-
der three arches for width of 80 feet al
the centre and of about 40 feet inches
for a width of 100 feet. The face of the
arch ring is of granite. but the construc-
tion of the main part of the ring is on
the Melan system, there being five main
concrete steel ribs. The granite arch ring
is feet inches deep at the crown and
. feet inches deep at the spring, while
the concrete steel ribs are 30 inches deep
at the crown and feet 3 inches at the
spring. A solid masonry spandrel wall,
partly of granite and partly of concrete,
rests upon the granite arch ring. The
asphalt roadway and granolithie sidewalks
are supported by concrete floor arches be-
tween I-beams. The weight of this floor
system is carried down to the arch ring
by framed steel posts. between the above
masonry spandrel walls.
The draw span has two bascuie arms
supported on trunnions. balanced by rear
extensions and CONFERENCE.-The. The clear
opening is about 135 feet, the clear span
at low water level 159 feet, and the span,
from centre 10 centre Of trunnions, 10
feet. The bascule arms are composed of
five steel trusses OF the lattice girder type
with parallel cords twelve feet six inches
deep between centres. The clear head room
q -hat. drar i-
closed The floor is to be of asphalt cork
blocks, nodded to fit the buckle plates.
which are supported by the floor beams and
stringers carried by the trusses. 1t is pro-
posed to operate the draw by four fifty
horse power electric motors.
THE Washington approach is to consist
of twelve sixty-foot span masonry arches,
back of which is an earthen embankment
about $50 feet long
The sixty-foot span masonry arches are
full semi circular. the springing line being
twenty four feet above low water. the rise
above the spring thirty feet and the radius
of the intrados thirty feet. The arch is
constructed OF the same materials and in
the same manner as the 1872 foot masonry
arch above described. The granite arch
ring is four feet deep throughout, while
the concrete and steel ribs are sixteen
inches deep at the crown and forty-eight
inches deep at the spring"
The principal divisions Of the bridge are
marked by massive masonry arches and
towers. decorated with emblamatic groups
of statuary Upon each of the bascule
piers is erected a single arch transverse
with the roadway. This constitutes the
most prominent decorative feature OF the
bridge.
After a careful consideration of the
architectural features. ornamentation, and
cost of the plans the board has decided
upon the following order OF merit:
No. 1. design No. 3 of William f. Burr
No. ., design No. OF William r. Hut
ton.
No. 3, design No. OF L. L. Buck
No. 4, design No. l of George S. Mor-
son.
All of the foregoing architects are from
New York City and were especially re-
auested by the Secretary Of War to enter
the competition. The board OF engineers
and architects in whose hands rested the
Judgment of the merits of the plans con-
sisted Of Lieut.. Col. Charles j. Allen.
Major Thomas W Symons and Capt David
DUB. Gailard. all OF the Corps of Engin-
eers. L. S. A; Mr.. Stanford White. OF
New York, and Mr.. James G.. Hill, of this
city.
FUNERAL OF GENERAL BACON