The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-04-13

/ I|.H|'EO.l!L y
V|E|I!l|IL|::|L!B'|E:CLOSED
ORDER OFFERED 10 3MoNoNeAL.
lAicouRTt BY GEO. c. BAKER 8.
$..g.i.i--TosEsTABLlsH;FER ,,!
fMoRGANTolyN, April 10. When
The, County Court met yesterday 10
pass On order for a bridge election, AT,
torney George c. Baker, prepared and
presented to the court an order clos
Ing the old bridge and condemnlng II
as unsafe. The same order provides
for establishing ferry while the new
bridge Is being built. The order Is in
substance as follows:
1t appearing to the court from the
report of Civil Engineer William H.
Boughton, that the floor Of the su.
pension bridge is defective and many
q the beams are decayed from two
10 f0lr inches in depth; that The stif
fleming trusses are very badly decaycd
and SO faulty that they do nothing to
wards distributing the loads over the
cables, but simply add their weight
TO other loads carried by the cables;
the incline stays do little II any good
and that some Of them are loose and
slip to and fro on the cables; that the
said civil engineer went upon the tor
Of the piers and made careful In
spectlon OF the cables where they pass
over the tops Of said piers; that from
his report the iron cables, which are
composed OF wire, are broken on &C,
count OF the wear and the rustlng Of
the wires and that the said cables
have been and are exposed 10 water
and that the said civil engineer cut
many loose wires from the cables at
all four of the towers, and made O
test as to their strength and ductility
and that the said engineer made 9S
sparate tests Of said wires. and that
such tests show that so far as the
safety of said cable or wires are con,
cerned, the proportion is only one and
three.tenths when It should be four,
In other words that said report dis.
closes the fact that the cables support.
Ing said bridge, so far as safety Is
concerned, represent, twenty-five per
cent. instead of one hundred per cent.
of safety for the people using tie
bridges
Aud 1t appearing that the said
civil engineer has certified the fore.
going facts, together with many others
which are set forth In his report. and
that in his opinion, after a careful
personal inspection and examination
o. the bridge, and the tests made upon
The wires or cables the said bridge
IL unsafe and Is liable to fall at any
time and cause great loss Of life; and
whereas, the said bridge has been con,
strnctcd for almost period Of fifty
years, and q like structure at Charles.
ton, W. Va, built the same year rs this
bridge was built, has fallen and caused
the loss OF several lives and large
damages to the citizens Of Kanawha
county, In this State, aggregating
many thousands Of dollars: and where.
as, a like structure, built the Same
year. at Fairmont, West Virginia. has
been condemned rs unsafe,
Now, In order to protect the cItI.
zens of this county and others using
said structure from loss of life and
damages 10 property, 1t is ordered by
the court that there shall be placed
nj each end Of the bridge large no.
tices warning the people that the
bridge has been condemned and is In
a dangerous conditional nd that nj;
persons, who enter thereon shall dc
so at their own peril.
In order that the voters and tax,
payers of this county shall be save.l
iiom the payment Of n large amount
Of damages, and that the voters may
know the gravity of the situation, the
court desires TO spread upon It's rec
ord the fact that It Is the Intention
Of the court to close this bridge rs
speedily as practicable, und the court
Will establish a ferry across the rivel
from Morgantown to the west side o.
the river until a new bridge Is con
strHcted. 1T