The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-15
TAMMANY BEATS THE BRIDGE,
8 REPUBLICAN VOTES AGAINST
EYE-BAR CABLES BORROWED.
That Made ~ Votes. Just One More Than
Was Needed TO Hold Up Completion Of
Manhattan BrIdge-The Board Talks
Politics and Engineering Mixed.

ben tHe lamHlany members OF Jne DOaTu
defeated yesterday the s8,533,OOO appro-
priation asked for by Bridge Commits Toner
Lindenthal to finish the Manhattan Bridge
with his eye-bar cables Four out Of these
eight Republican Aldermen belong to Man
haitian. They are: Aldermen Mathews
and Jones, who come from the Twenty
first Assembly district, of which ABE"
Gruber is leader; Alderman Whitaker,
who represents Capt. F. Norton Goddard's
district, and Alderman Holmes, who was
returned from George r. Bidwen's, where
Lemuel E. Quigg resides. The other Re-
publican Aldermen who aided Tammany
to delay work on the new bridge were
Meesrs. Alt, Diemer Bennett and Holler
of Brooklyn.
Without the assistance of these Repub-
licaLs Tammany could not have held up
the appropriation. 1t rt quired forty votes
to defeat tho grant, and with the eight i'll
cluded Tamnany had forty-one. None OF
the eight would give any explanation OF his
action at the close of the meeting, except
that he was opposed to the eye-bar cable.
1t is doubtful if any one of the eight would
know an eye-bar cable if he met ii in the
street.
An element in the Aldermanic fuss over
the bridge is the fight that is being made
between the American Bridge Company
and the Re, bling company. Ii Mr.. Lin
dtnthal had his way in the carrying out OF
his plans for the eye-bar cable the only
bidder In sight for the contract would be
the American Bridge Company. because
that concern is the only one in this country
hos y,1n pt la ~
the forty and sixty-feet steel bars. On the
other hand as was shown in the case OF the
Williamsburg Bridge. the Roebling com
parry would probably be the sole bidder
ii it were decided 10 suspend the super
structure from wire cables. Tammany,
besides siding with the Roeblngs, Is credited
with being anxious TO delay the giving out
of the big contract until next January,
when she hopes to come back to power
Senator Patrick H. McCarren WAS at the
rreeting Of the Aldermen. He talked with
all the Democratic Aldermen from Brook
lyn and made no secret of the fact that lis
mission WIS 10 get tie Appropriation
through. Brooklyn wanted the bridge,
he told the men from that borough He
also did lot OF telepEoning, ana II is under
stood tina, lie called up Charles #. Murphy
frG -sSed The leader Of oil the Tammany-
i,f TO Use his influence with Aldermen
Sullyan and Mccall to have the Finance
Committee report taNorably on the scheme.
As a matter of fact, the Tammany mem
lers of TIE committee did sign favorable
report, but, as afterward came out, they
did 50 merely to get the matter before the
house They knew in advance that they
we're to have the votes of the eight Repub-
licans.
When the report was reached Mccall
admitted that he and Sullivan had signed
il because otherwise there would not have
heen a : fficicnt number Of names on the
document to make QuCrnA OF the com
nittee Mccall made the first speech
Ggpinst the grant OF the Appropriation. He
egan reld ding from lCng typewriter
statement. obviously drawn up by some ne
acquainted with engineering Terms, which
criticised the eye-bar cable syst EN-, bur
le"ore he he'd got half way through, lie
ore up the document and began an attGck
IN lie motives of Commissioner Linden
thal He declrred thar there was niger
in the woodpile somewhere, end asked
the Board 10 reject tie appropria lion
until Tammany could locate the little
uarkv.
President Fornes, Alderman Doull and
other members spoke for nenrIy an hour
on eye-bars, steel pins. tensile strengths,
the effect of the atmc sphere on exposed
steel md like subjects and mCst of the
fer a change Of smoke. II was not until
Alderman Parsons got mp that there was
any interest arc used in the debate MI
Parsons was the FIST 10 make the asser-
tiCn that the whole qles ION was one OF
politics
"Thia is not the first TINE that Tammony
has held up appropriations for Improve
rnents," he said "Tanmany held up for
some tine the appropriation forthe Williams
burg Bridge, and for fifteen months 1t held
up the rapid transit project. / appeal
10 tie n'cmhcrs Of this board not to allow
TammaT Y to continue to-day its hoid-up
policy will regard to public improvements:
~ am sorrv,' responded Alderman Sllli-
van, that Mr.. Parsons has made this matter
u political discussion. | want to tell nm
thntTHmmany is in favor OF building bridges,
hut not bridges of the sort that are con
demned by competent engineers, heh
Mr. Parsons speaks about Tammany mold
urs he Is getting of baby talk, because
Tammanv Hall has doLS more for this adj"
miristratiOn than any other party in the
greater city. Tammany has shown, or,
I might saw, will show in day or two,
that n Republican ex-lfader, l mean DOCK
Commissioner Hawkes., has done more 10
retard public improvements In this city
thar arv one else, inside or out OF the adj
mnistration.'
After the meeting Mr. Sullivan was asked
if he was limiting at some new develop
nent IN the COCK III Jury, btt HC icihS'd w
say anything further.
Alderman Movers said There has
been FOR some reason or other an evident
desire on the part OF Tammnny Hall to
defeat this appropriation. The reason IL
not clear to me, but it is sail that certain
Tamrnany leaders have II effect said among
Themselves, Let Is hold up this apprCpria-
ton because here II. an opportunity Tor
largo contract 10 hc let, possibly - Tam
many administration 10 Tammany con-
tractor bv Tamnany commissioner !! so
can or " ruld il of 10 Jan. next"
Alderman Wafer, q Democrat OF Brook
lvn said ne would vote aRalnst mo &pPro-
priation bccause the people in his district
wanted paved streets more than bridges,
and he added, referring evidently to SeEG-
tor McCarren:
"Tnere is "A politician trying TO force us
to do what he wants in this mdttur, but
| don't wear any mans mu~zle, and Will
vote as please"
The appropriation was Ultimately beaten
by Al votes to 81 These are the NJ, HstN rs
who voted to deny the appropriation;
All ,Rcp.. Brootlynl. baldwin tTam,l.
PeRnett "p RFoGikiyHl, Gh"m n;Srrs 'inHmo'
Erookly.D. Dietr lIaml. DonN hue ITnm).
i)oull ,'ranl, Dnwlme ,Fus., Mani, Florence
F,s., MANI, Foley TAM, Carney (Iam.).
GnsH 'Tgml, GiIer Dem, B",ohiYnl, Glllles
lIamJ. Gov water EIs', Mar, H"Sgerty
fiollrr tRep., BROOKLYN, Holm IS ArUs. NAM.
Jones (Fus., Mani. Kennedy ,Tam). .Klctt
Tam, Mccall t1'rm). MCCARTHY nem,.
Ourcnsl. Mccall ,Tan0, Marks Tam }.
Mathews 'kSep M@ ,sa,., Mr G~"Gs ,IIa nm
T TSrfr4 ,ram oS'"B Rter ,l@S scSaHHTert
,Tnnl sullivan lram J, TNonity (lHm.),