Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-05-30

expenditure OF two and j ldI million
dollars, a very considerable sum il
the building Vi a bridge, and one that
would have been beyond the means
OF the suburban city of Camb idge if
the expense had simply been shared
with the city Of Boston. According to
the Lin which apport.oned the expen-
ses it was provided that the Boston
elevated railway shall pay toward The
construction Of said bridge such pro-
portion thereof as shall be rendered
necessary by reason Of its being or
additional size and strength for the
Use Of the elevated road. This quota
has made possible an attempt to pro-
duce something as fine as any mod
en- European bridge.
Of the four car tracks occupying the
middle Of the structure two viii be
given over to trains on the new rapid
transit line that is to be begun be-
tween Boston and Cambridge soon
after the completion Of the bridge.
These viii be on grade across the
bridge, being enclosed from the trolley
car tracks by an iron fence. The middle
section where the Il" tracks run VIII
be an open trestle, which is more sat
Isfaetory in climate subject to snow
and ice From the Boston side the
trains will come out OF & subway sadrt-
ing the northern side of historic Bea.
con hill, and on reaching Cambridge
they will either again descend into a
subway or continue at the elevated
level en- route to the shaded precincts
IF Harvard University.
Exceptional though the new west
Boston bridge wiz be IN America.
Europe is filled with bridges which
combine a high degree Of artistic quail
ity with perfect usefulness. Not that
continental countries are altogether
lacking in examples of ugIiness and
Iuc0ngruousness. Perhaps one OF the
most notable cases Is that Of the old
est Of all stone bridges, the Ponte
RoLto in Rome, auciently known as
the PoHs Aemilius, begun in 179 B. c.,
I'D completed in about forty years.
Half OF this bridge was carried away
By a flood in 557. It was at that time
rebuilt from blocks Of stone from the
coliseum bur the medieval builders
we're less shiiful, and for a second
time part ri the bridge was sweep
away. It remained for many years
RirA one end hanging in the air.
much like the ancient bridge over the
I.oer Jlsl before Horagius quit hold.
Ing It, against all Corners. Today,
however, an iron truss com
pietes the Span shus combining the
solid beauty Of the anct mt Roman
architecture with the limit Of modern
uEiiness. For the most part. however,
European bridges OF this generation
have been designed with some refer
ence to their surroundings and are
seldom cons icuoIsly unattractiye.
Across the Seine at Paris are 80 i'm.
portant bridges, hardly any of which
are less imposing than the best yet
completed I'm America These include
The most celebrated OF all. the Point
Notre Dame. erected In 1900. and the
latest of all 70 be built, the exposition
bridge. CT 1900. the artistic character
istics of which We're 4 source cf IN.
spiratiOn TO thousands of visitors At
the last great Paris exhibition Many
Americans at that time perceived the
possibility Of good bridgebuilding in
accordance with modern methods.
The new west Boston bridge will be
a pioneer in giving expression to that
perception.