Evening journal., 1901-08-24

TO WALK HORSES
il UNNECESSARY
Drivers Now Regard The
Injunction as Obsolete
Proof Conclusive That Bridges Are
Constructed Sufficiently Strong
for All Traffic

Many complaints have been received
at the office of the Evening Journal re-
garding the attempted enforcement Of
provision requiring all vehicles
which pass over the bridges in this
city, to proceed at Il rate not exceeding
a walk.
Some weeks since, needing these
protests this paper expressed the opin-
ion that the regulation is absurd and
should be withdrawn. A reporter no
ticed yesterday that certain drivers
paid no attention to the provision, but
allowed their horses 10 go over the
bridge at a lively gait, while others
not wishing to evade the law and meet
a possible arrest, moved at a walk.
A doctors carriage was noticed go
ing at a lively clip, and when inter
viewed later he said he was on his way
to see a patient, and didn't propose to
be hindered by any fool provision.
There is a great deal Of discomfort
because the snairs pace required con-
sumes time. and this is not regarded
as necessary to the safety of the
bridges
The heavy Darby cars passing over
Market street bridge sweep along at
a rapid rate, while light wagons are
compelled to move at a slow pace. An
engineer stated that this business of
walking your horses was a relic of by
gone days when bridge building was I'm
its infancy. Why" said he, lin build
ing a bridge these days, everything is
taken into consideration. and trotting
horses are an item" When one thinks
of heavy express trains going over
trestles at the rate Of a mile a minute,
he is inclined to smile at this prchibi-
ton"
A prominent attorney who investi-
gated this subject several years since
in the interests OF his clients. has
handed us two letters which should be
regarded as authoritative. The first
from Henry G. Morse, president OF the
Edge Moor Iron Company, which de-
signed and built the Washington street
bridge, says:
November IL, 1895.
Dear Sir: In reply to your favor OF
November 8, beg to advise that do
not believe that the Washington street
bridge would be injured by allowing
horses attached to dearborns, milk
We1OAo %AAAA RANAAouAG Gdllldkto " llOl
over it. / advised some members OF
the Levy Court to this effect a month
or six weeks ago. Yours truly,
II. G. MORSE. President.
Another letter from c. II. Iatrobe,
of Baltimore. who was the engineer in
charge OF the Market street bridge,
says:
August II, 1895.
Dear Sir have just received yours
of the 18th. and hasten to reply. There
Is no reason in the world why horses
should not be allowed to cross the
Brandywine span at any reasonable
rate of speed, or indeed at any speed.
The bridge was designed to carry 100
pounds per square foot of floor space,
in addition to its own weight. There
always will be vibration to any framed
bridge structure however strong, due
to the elasticity of the material, and
the vibration is frequently greater I'M
der light than a heavy load. If you
will estimate the carrying capacity Of
the span from the above data you will
see how rarely the bridge even will be
loaded to its fun capacity. Hoping
that this may be of value to you, l am
Respectfully yours,
G. p. LATROBE, c. E.
With these expert opinions to back
them, the people who have occasion to
drive over the bridges of Wilmington
will be justified in regarding the man
date requiring all horses to go at a
walk. as unnecessary and arbitrary
and wiz doubtless demand a recon
sideratlon of the matter.