New-York tribune., 1901-07-31
PROBASCO LOOMS UP AGAIN
,ooK OUT FOR HIM, MR.. DURYEA;
DON'T DoITER ON THE BRIDGE.
MENT IS DIVIDED AS TO THE
CAUSE OF THE BREAK

There would have been comparative quiet IN
- Rrsdge Department yesterday but for an
.he- EXPLOSION from Samuel r. Probasco the
os,s+snt engineer Of the Brooklyn Bridge. Ever
80 rhe breaks in the rods which were dis
.o,ered last Wednesday Mr.. Probasco has kept
.he other officials and engineers in the depart
-,.nt on the alert contradicting statements and
-esssuring the public that Mr.. Probasco was
o,,x n g '-facititious" mood.
accordingly when Mr.. Probasco said that heat
ass prostrating the bridge. on the discovery of
,,ne broken suspender rods. Mr. Martin, the chief
Engineer found it at once necessary 10 contradict
n, Probasco and issue a formal statement that
haat had nothing TO DO with it, but that de-
.Active steel was the cause. A little later Com
missioner Shea attempted TO effect harmony by
sov,ng that both heat and defective material
caused the break
Because OF his heat theories, and the heat
,eused by the friction which he has with others
,n the department, the assistant engineer has
recently been nicknamed by. certain of his ad-
miners ''Tabasco Sam
Mr.. Probasco found an opportunity yesterday
- show stin further the appropriateness of his
new, tile on learning that Edwin Duryea. jr..
mas the engineer whom District Attorney Phil
tsp had appointed TO examine the bridge and
collect evidence. if possible. TO show that the
Bridge Department had been negligent. Mr..
Probasco Immediately primed himself to give
Nj. puryea a thoroughly up to date West Point
bezing Without consulting Commissioner Shea.
Mr. Probasco let loose on Mr. Duyea in some
such vein as this:
Nobody IS going 10 loiter around here on this
bridge without an official request. Now, neither
Nr DqIryea nor Mr.. Phibin has served any
oe7ciaI request on the Bridge Commission TO
,-snect the structure. II Mr.. Philbin wants TO
have the bridge inspected by his own repre-
sentative. il is only courteous OF him TO make
such 2 request If he doesn't and Mr.. Duryea
&c found on the bridge. he may get ordered off.
,ohoav Is going to loiter around on the bridge
81 know it
when Nr. Shea was told of what MI Probasco
had announced. he smiled painful smile. as
onA might after a surgical operation, and then
said:
= an very much pleased TO learn of the ap-
o,r,-7,ant Of Mr.. Duryea to examine the bridge
structure. especially so as Mr. Duryea is. un-
5erstand a Brooklyn man, and as the bridge is
,,saa almost entirely by Brooklyn people. they
will be deeply interested.
.Fverything viii be done by our force Of en-
eineers and master mechanics. who have been in
charge Of the bridge for nearly thirty years, 10
facilitate this examination. which / trust will be
as vigorous as Nj Duryea is capable Of max
ing it"
since the bridge accident half hundred or
more letters have been received by the depart
7nent telling what caused the break One man
wrote that in June there was blockade Of milk
wagons on the main span. and he was sure he
heard g crack somewhere under the roadway.
Engineers on the staff of Mr.. Probasco have
Of themselves put forward theories as TO the
break. IN consequence Of one of these, Arthur
Merritt. Of the Henry Bonnard Bronze Company,
Of No. 40 West sixteenth-st. gave out the fol-
lowing statement yesterday;
a few days ago was in the ONCE of the en-
prominent engineer. one Of the department, say
that ne believed the passage OF the bassreet or the
breakage Of the suspenders He said the bridge had
been lestec against any suSu eu etelIt'
and that II very bad management 10 nave
''sTEaitIed the passage OF the load ,,-, ...,.a
this country it was found 10 be broken, ana was
sent Us for repair. When We had repaired il We
day at the entrance, because the bridge people
would not let the truckman cross during the time
across the river but the truck1nan told II could
not be driven under the elevated structure along
total weight Of the group and truck was about
The conversation was not addressed to me. but I
was naturally interested, and interrupted to say:
= y vas on april inat the pass-reneI was taKen E
SaE - The breal, Two or or three of the force who
heard The conversation put in q few words, and il
Is very evident that the department IS not a unit
as 10 what happened, when il happened and who
was OF is responsible.
Mr.. Merritt declined to give the name OF the
engineer whose words he reported, on the
ground that there seemed to be a controversy
already in the department and he did not de-
sire 20 be mixed up in il.
Commissioner Shea said he regarded the state
Inent that the Henry Bonnard Bronze Company
was responsible for the break on the bridge as
TOO absurd even for the slightest consideration.