The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-07
BIG BRIDGE IS SAFE
ENGINEERING EXPERTS so RE.
PORT ON THE BROOKLYN
STRUCTURE
BUT INSPECTION IS FAULTY
Bridge Is as Strong as When Como
pleted, but Traffic Has So In
creased as to Make Present
Margin of Safety Small.

NEW YORK, Oct. 6.-District ATTORNEY
Fh1lbin today made public the report of
Edwin Duryea and Joseph Mayer, the
special engineering experts appointed by
him to look into the condition of the.
Brooklyn bridge. after the breaking of
several suspender rods and suspender
bands July "a last. These experts were APP
pointed to make this report with a view
to presenting the matter to the grand
jury if it should be found that the bridge
department had been negligent.
The report of the experts was first SUBJ
mItted to Mr.. Philbin Sept A. 1t was
full of technicalities such as the general
public could not readily understand, and
stories appeared in public print that the
bridge was unsafe. Mr. Philbin there
upon submitted it to w B. Parsons,
chief engineer of the Rapid Transit
commission, who stated, after reading it,
that the bridge was perfectly safe. The
report made public today is the same
one as was submitted to the district at
torney after it had been stripped of all
but the most necessary technicalities.
The experts find that the inspection Of
the structure as maintained by the bridge
department is faulty but that the bridge
is now practically as strong as when COM
pleted. One trouble is that the moving
leads which cross the bridge have in
creased so rapidly that the structure
must be strengthened. The accident to
the suSpender rods and ropes, which was
discovered July "a though some of the
rods had broken previously, was found
to be due to wind pressure, the wind
blowing against the bridge and cars.
causing pressure to the bridge. thus
causing the rods to bend These rods
were also pulled to the north by the
cables and bore against the edges of
their trunions. This must be due, says
the report, to some defect of adjustment
or construction by which the rods failed
to lie in the plane of the cables or the
trunions failed to be perpendicular to
this plane. The rods should have been
fabricated, which was not done, and had
careful inspection been maintained the
bending and breaking would have been
prevented
The experts maintain that the inspec-
ton of the bridge should be done by
engineers and not by mechanics as at
present.
Referring to stories which have ap-
peared in print that electroIysis had
weakened the bridge, the experts de-
clare that they found no evidence of this
condition. They also say there is no
useless dead load in the form of mail
tubes, telegraph and telephone cables on
the bridge.
They find that the safety of the bridge
can be increased by remedying certain
defects in the construction. They hast
en- to say, however, that they do not
criticise the designer, and call attention
to the fact that since this structure was
designed, great advancement has been
made in such work. and if such a bridge
was now built the designer would have
the benefit of the so per cent gained
since the Brooklyn bridge was erected.
They say that the needed improvements
could be made. with comparatively little
cost, and also believe that the present
margin OF safety is so small that the nee
essity of repairs is very urgent