New-York tribune., 1901-07-28
INQUIRE, SAYS CROES.
rYpERTS SHOULD PASS ON
REPAIRS AND TRAFFIC.
.,rsIDENT OF AMERICAN SOCIETY OF
CIVIL ENGINEERS THINKS BRIDGE
WAS OyERCROWDED.

a7-,sre should be a commission of three to five
snponted by the Mayor to examine and
o-t On the present condition of the Brooklyn
eel,aoe q" said ]. J. r. Croes president of the
1a%scan Society of Civil Engineers. to Trib-
%. renorter yesterday. When asked to explain
he thought such an investigation should be
ode he continued:
aWhatever may have been the conduct and
,,s,inline of the Department of Bridges serious
.hsrges have been made of neglect of duty in
ling for the bridge. Whether these charges
.ro true or false 1 do not know. Nevertheless
= view of the accident which has happened to
.be structure, and because of the present
Harmed state Of the public mind, a most thor
ouph and far reaching examination ought to be
made"
What kind Of would you suggest, Mr.
croes?" asked the reporter
Men who know the business. Not engineers
simply but bridge engineers. who have made
bridge building subject of special study"
For what specific purpose should this investi-
ration be conducted?" was asked
TO determine two things" was the answer
first, the bridges need of repairs, if there be
such need, and second, the amount of traffic
which it carry with security. The latter
mint should be considered of the greater i'm
potance. The traffic the bridge has been
Increasing gradually year by year. The time is
therefore ripe TO draw the line, to learn how far
this increase of burden shall continue and
whether or not it has already overtaxed the
BRIDGES strength
DO you think that the present traffic is too
heav?'
THE TRAFFIC TOO HEAVY.
Il do. The bridge was not built for the bur
den Of travel TO which it is now subjected The
strain the structure, Furthermore, comes in
terrnittently, and hence is far more wearing
There are lapses of light traffic, followed by the
great strain in rush hours. The cables are
strong enough to stand much more than the
present loading OF the bridge. but the trusswork
supporting the roadway is too light"
Would you recommend such investigation
as you speak OF. when the District Attorney
has already instituted one?"
YES, l would This investigation should be
conducted by men entirely without the city
government Mr.. Phibin may do a great deal
of good but additional benefit will be derived
by another inquiry, carried on by private citi-
zens who are expert engineers. The purpose,
! have said, is not alone to learn if the bridge
is suffering from lack of repair. but to ascertain
how great a strain il can bear
How may a bridge be kept in perfect order
and its strength be assured?"
BY constant. careful and systematic investi-
gation' was the answer 1T has been said
that the Brooklyn bridge has been cared for in
a haphazard fashion 1 don't believe that. /
don't believe il possible Mr.. Martin, the chief
engineer. is q man of too great experience and
too mature mind to have anything else than
the most systematic methods in examining and
repairing the bridge.
The life Of q bridge is like the life of
building. There must be constant investigation
and prompt renovation AS soon as a weak or
defective part manifests itself. immediate re-
pairs should be made. 1t is so with everything
Il Is the old adage, A stitch in time saves nine.
SMALL PARTS NEED SCRUTINY.
The small parts of the bridge are those which
demand constant scrutiny; the small suspension
rods for example, the bolts, and the trunnion
plates With the breaking OF one bolt short
suspension rod, greater strain falls upon the
neighboring rods. The latter then snap, and the
break grows with increasing rapidity. Such was
the case with the break which was discovered
last Wednesday.
often defective parts are put in place in the
original construction OF the bridge which only
prove their weakness in after years. Hence the
need Of constant care and repair.
How often should such bridge as the Brook
lyn Bridge be painted"
THAT depends on the durability of the paint.
The metal work of the bridge should never be
exposed TO rain and rust
Mr. Cres declared that he could not believe
that bolts had been found rusted loose from
their places along the roadways of the bridge.
He added:
1T is impossible that the bridge has been al
lowed TO rust. ! would not believe it till had
examined il myself"
Mr. Croes. on being asked if he thought tun-
nels better for the transportation Of cars than
bridges, hesitated. Finally he said
The subject of tunnels touches me in ten
der place. You see, ! live in YOnkers, and have
to travel through the Park-ave. tunnel"