Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-01-30
WAS AN ABLE PAPER
j. H. r. Spilman Handles Bridg
Building in Strong Manner.
FAVORSS1EEL SEWER PIPE CULyER1S

says Iney VIII wake saving OF dt
Least SO Per Cent-WapelIo County
Supervisor Has Made an Exhaust
i've Study of the Bridge Matter.
paper ON county bridges by Chair
man j. H. r. Spilman of the Wapello
county board of supervisors, and
which was read before the annual
meeting of the board of supervisors
association of Iowa has caused con-
siderable discussion. The paper goes
into detail over the matter of bridge
building and shows that the author
has given the matter careful consid-
Grafton. Mr.. Spilman makes a sug-
gestion in his paper, that will no
doubt prove very beneficial ere long,
when he says if the county had the
means to replace wooden structures
with steel sewer pipe culverts it
would be saving of at least 33 per
cent. Where this system has been
used it is very highly recommended
and it is probable that change to it
will be made as rapidly as possible.
Mr.. Spilman also speaks heartily in
favor of Oregon fir long span under
truss bridges up to forty feet in length
and claims that they are much more
satisfactory than steel structures.
The Paper.
! The paper is as follows: n
Mr.. Chairman and Gentlemen of the
Convention:
The question of county bridging now
under discussion is one Of great i'm
portance throughout the state, and es-
pecially is this so in my county of
Wapello. We are situated with the
Des Moines river running diagonally
through our county, and this, with it's
many tributaries, requires about 1000
bridges, running all the way from
eighteen to $50 feet in length, of which
the county has three across the Des
Moines river outside of the city of OF
tumwa, which is separate bridge
district and does not contribute in the
building of the 1000 county bridges.
Ottumwa represents over one-half of
the wealth of our county. and the
present limit of three-mill tax for
bridge purposes yields about $4,000
of bridge funds which approximate
about $40 annually for each bridge
This includes the replacing of worn
out structures with new, keeping those
in repair which have become defective
from time to time, which, gentleman
of the convention, from your expert
ence you realize means some slight
expense on nearly every bridge in the
county. This is true even though
there is no more to do than to replace
floor plank or patch a hole. Some
times the condition is such that it is
necessary to put in a great many feet
of flooring, that il is often necessary
to replace floor joist which has be-
come defective and therefore unsafe
There is also new piling to put in to
i support old bridges which have outliv.
ed their foundations and quite fire,
quently an old cap or needle beam
must be replaced. The item of paint
ing the steel bridges is one of no
small Importance, also.
Close Financiering.
So, gentlemen, you realize that the
Wapello county board has to do some
close financiering in order to keep with
: in its limit Yet it is a fact that we
are proud of, that Wapello county
: bridge warrants for several years
y have never been carried away from
5 our court house for the want of funds
y with which to cash them. And YET
our bridges compare favorably with
those Of the best bridged counties Of
: the state.
Practical Methods.
i Now, in order to obtain these re
suits we have to apply the most prac
7 tical methods of which we are capable
We have found by actual experience
;, that UP to forty feet in length Oregon
fir long span under-truss bridges Sc
v on southern red cedar piling fill ever,
) requirement as well as the very eX
pensive steel bridge which requires
. on account of it's great weight, withe
:. stone abutments or timber filled witt
% concrete to support them. The interes
on the cost of this method after dc
" Quoting first the cost of putting in re-
u cedar piling keeps said piling in re
D. pair indefinitely and shows nice div
idend besides. You will also readil
IS see that there is nothing gained il
d steel structure from the fact that al
k which decays or wears out on eithe
e form of bridge is the floor joist. foo
s. and banisters, which have to be II
h. placed alike on either. On the stee
ID structure there is an additional e,
c. pense necessary to keep it painted
lie and the said steel bridges are no Ion!
lie er lived than the under-truss stee
a. rods. In erecting these bridges W
25 use three rods under each span, frol
lg one to one and one-quarter inches
n diameter as the length of the spa
Mt may indicate. In one OR two place
is we have used five truss rods, the GU
lel side rods being somewhat lighter, bl
lg we only use this number where th
is travel and class of roads are abnorr
to ally heavy. We use ten floor joists @
IT. all spans and on from twenty to fort
i'd foot spans we use 3x14 inch joist
n. We also thoroughly brace our bridge
to laterally.
r. To Use culverts.
70. 1t is also the policy of Warel
II. county to replace wooden bridge
". when worn out with stone or concre
ne culverts or steel sewer pipe when IL
inlio thA 4,