New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-21
DRAW MOVED UPSTREAM.
Connecting Link Of Nezp Railroad
Bridge SCI IN Place.

Bridge Set an Place.
Engineers Of the Lackawanna Railroad Com
pany successfully swung a double deck. 9sJ-ton
steel draw in place in the Passiac River bridge
at Newark yesterday, and lowered the draw
eleven and one-haIf feet to the level OF the
bridge by means OF sand Jacks" a new device
used by Chief Engineer Lincoln Busch for the
first time The frst train from Newark TO New
York ran over the elevated road and the new
bridge and draw at $50 last night.
At 1;5S o'clock yesterday morning the last
passenger train. left Newark on the old surface
tracks for New-York and after that passengers
from west OF Newark were sent to New-Yorr
bv the Erie and Pennsylvania railroads AT
O'Clock the scOws on which were the huge
sand boxes were foated under the draw. which
was resting pier. and the water was
pumped out Of the scows 70 force the sand
boxes up TO the draw. This was done at mean
low tide.
At 5 O'Clock. when the Hood tide began. the ha-x-
sers were cut or and the draw and sand boxes
and scOws-a total weight OF about two thou
sand tons-began to float UP TO the bridge open
ing In eighteen minutes after the start tho
draw was carried thirty-fve feet UP the river
and into place IN the bridge opening. Chief En-
gineer Busch and his assistants and other en-
sineers were pleased at the quick work
After the worknnen and engineers. breakrasted
the work OF lowering the big draw. which IS
20 feet long. and has two tracks on the. upper
and one on the lower deck. was begun This
work has been done heretofore with hydrauIic
Jacks. with the assistance OF the falling tide.
But the use OF sand jacks was decided upon
by Chief Engineer Busch as not only cheaper.
but more certain. than the old method
There were two sand boxes. each rest
ing on two scows. Each box was forty feet
Ions and twelve feet high, and It was hIle4 to
seven inches Of the top with dry sand. and
one box was on the Newark side Of the central
pier and the other box on the Harrison side.
The boxes held 1860 cubic feet OF sand. At the
side and bottom or the boxes were holes.
plugged. and when the plugs were knocked out
the sand ran from the boxes into the scows and
the draw sank On top OF the sand were heavy
plungers-wooden beams 12x12 inches-and their
weight and that OF the draw forced the sand OUT
OF the boxes At 9-35 o'clock the work Of low
ering the draw was started. After the sand
was running from all the holes the draw set
tied a foot in four minutes; but this rate was
not continued, for the engineer wanted 10 avoid
any possibility OF an accident Therefore. thu
lowering was carried on in seesaw fashion. one
end and then the other being lowered few
inches.
President ". H. TruesdaIe of the Lackawanua
Company and several officers Of the company
were present. and Sanford & Harris, the con-
tractors, had party Of railroad men as guests
in the Pullman car Montclair. Those present
besides Mr.. TruesdaIe were ce-Presideuts E. r.
LOOMS and B. D Caldwell and ". 3. Hixson,
superintendent OF bridges and building; D. L.
Stewart. superintendent Of the Buffalo division;
C. II. Ketcham. superintendent OF the Norris
and Essex division; z. H Rudy, superintendent
Of water service; Patrick Bowling, general road
master; G. ]. Ray. division engineer: NJ. White.
engineer Of the Buffalo division. r. / Cantine,
engineer OF Morris and Essex division, and T. s.
Lloyds. superintendent OF mechanical pOwe- and
machinery. A. J. Neafe. first assistant to Chief
Engineer Busch, and former Chief Engineer W.
K. McFarlin were also present.
The Harrison end Of the draw was level with
the bridge at that side at 40 O'Clock and
wOrkmen Joined the coupler Of the draw and
bridge and prepared TO lay two lengths OF rail-
TO connect the draw and bridge tracks. At 5I5
O'Clock the Newark end Of the draw was in
place and coupling was started Chief Engineer
Busch had announced that he would have the
draw level with the bridge at o'clock He was
congratulated by the officers and engineers OF
the company on the success Of the work. Then
all hands walked across the draw and bridge
while WOrkmen were laying the rails A few
minutes after ) o'clock a working train from
the Harrison side ran over the draw and the
workmen cheered when the draw was declared
all right. The first passenger train over the
bridge and draw from Newark was the S.21
for HObOkan and NeW-TOrz, following the
presidents car and the one containing the in
vited engineers
In spite of the rain that prevailed al day
several thousand people gathered on the Passaic
River docks 70 watch the work In the afternoon
a number of women braved the storm also.
Eice-President Caldwell said 10 a Tribune re-
porter that the last train had run over the
BrOad-st. crossing. Newark at grade. as be-
ginning this morning all passenger trains VIII
be run over the elevated tracks across the Pas
west OF High-st- Freight trains viii cross
the bridge TO Newark on the lower deck OF the
bridge. but they viii go only 10 the freight yard
and station east Of BrOad-st.
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