Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1905-02-01
J. P. BRACKET TELLS
OF THE BRIDGE THAT
WILL LAST FOREVER

was built within the present genera
tion. Today it is condemned and must
be rebuilt at once at an estimated cost
OF five million dollars. Wood decays,
steel deterioates, but stone remains
immovable and Interchangeable as the
| eternal hills from the rock ribs of
which it is quarried. New Mexico has
mountains of building stone, but no
steel mills and this stone which costs
nothing but the labor of quarrying and
placing in the structure should be
utilized and in so doing the money of
the Territory is kept at home. Where
suitable dimension stone cannot be
found, gravel or broken stone always
can and there is scarcely any limit to
the length of the spans for concrete
reinforced arch bridges which can be
built in 100 to $50 foot spans if neces-
sary.
In building concrete bridge, we
buy the cement from a local dealer
while the rock and gravel are of course
a natural product of the community
where the bridge is constructed. All
Of the principal railroads have adopted
this style of bridge.
They Last Forever.
"There is no question that bridges
ct stone and concrete endure forever,
In Europe some of these bridges are
standing today shrouded in an antiq-
| uity which the memory of man and the
pages of history cannot fathom. Their
age can only be surmised.
1 '"rhe county officials and citizens of
f5an,s Fe County are to be congratu-
lated upon the two arch bridges
which. they now have in the city. of
Santa Fe. Really the Ancient City is
the most modern in this respect in
New Mexico"
The New Partnership.
Concerning the advent of Mr..
Bracket into partnership with Mr..
Sharp the Ration Range has this to
say:
"Walter Sharp the stone bridge con-
tractor and builder of Ell Dorado,
Kansas, and J. P. Bracket, county
clerk of Colfax County, have formed
partnership for the purpose of building
stone and concrete arch bridges, and
their field Of operation will be New
Mexico, Colorado, Kansas and other
western states. Mr.. Sharp is the
gentleman who built the handsome
stone arch bridge on the north side in
the city of Ration the past year. and
also small concrete arch bridge
across Chicorica Creek on the Johnson
Mesa road in this county, and who has
built two large stone arch bridges
across the Santa Fe River in Santa Fe
County. He has been in the business
for fifteen years in Kansas and has
built over hundred arch bridges in
that state. His business has increased
to such an extent that he finds it
necessary to take in partner in order
to properly look after it.
"The new bridge building firm have
already many contracts for bridge
work throughout the west.
"Stone arch bridges have proven so
much more enduring, and being
cheaper than steel bridges are growing
in popularity-and this Is especially
true in the mountain regions, where
adamantine structures built in the
most solid manner are required to
Withstand the floods and cloud bursts
so frequent in the summer months.
One of the reasons these bridges ap-
peal to the people is, that the material
is produced in the vicinity of the
bridge, the labor is furnished by the
taxpayers who build the bridge, and as
1t takes great deal of time and Ia
Dor to build such structure the bulk
of the money expended in IT'S building
is left in the locality where the bridge
is constructed with the people.
"Mr. Bracket will look after the in.
terests of the firm in the west, and he
has the good wishes of his many
friends in his new business enter
prise.
! He is one Of our most enterprising
and energetic citizens, and his popu-
larity here at home was attested BY
the big majority by which he was re.
elected to office at last November's
election.
"The main Offices Of the firm will be
In El Dorado, Kansas, and branch
J lofice will be established in Ration"