Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1907-09-30
MANY BOATS co THRO.
Some lows Have Much Difficulty
and Bump Against the Struct.
ure Doing More Damage.
SCoWS HAVE BUT LITTLE ROOM.
Merritt -Chapman's Big Derrick Can
not Yet Get Through--No Help
for County Bridge Is In Sight.

The New York and Long Branch
railroad drawbridge was opened yes
tmhterday for the first time in two
weeks. large crowd from this
place and surrounding towns went
down to see the span lifted out.
A large derrick has been rugged on
the west side of the stone abutment,
which supports the loosened span.
This derrick picks up the span and
swings 1t around. 1t was lifted for
the first time yesterday morning at
11:25 O'Clock. 1t remained open un-
til 1912 O'Clock. At three other
times in the afternoon, when the
train schedule was not interfered
with, the bridge was opened for short
intervals.
The work is being done by McMul-
len and McDermott, contractors. The
first boat to go through yesterday
happened to be the same boat that
passed through last, just before the
accident occurred. The boat was the
Robert w. Johnson, of the Johnson
& Johnson freight line of New
Brunswick.
A short time after this boat went
through yesterday tug of the Hud-
son Towing Company started to go
through with a tow of three lighters
loaded with copper from the Rari-
tan Copper Works. The captain, it
is claimed, did not use good judg-
ment In entering sluiceway of pill
ing that extends for about two hun
dred feet on the west side of the
bridge. His boats swung down with
ctr mt
and smashed into the piling at the
end of the temporary channel DANA
ging one of them to such an extent
that repairs had to be made at once.
Before he could get his tow under
control again it had swung around
from it's first position and jammed,
with great force into the cribbing of
the main draw OF the new bridge,
damaging it considerably.
The temporary channel is about
thirty-seven feet wide, an opening
not large enough to allow the pass
age of the Merritt-Chapman Wreck
ing Company's derrick which is bad
ly needed at the county bridge.
Those. In charge at the bridge, this
morning, say that other means Will be
found as soon as possible so that the
bridge can be finished. The last train
TO go over the bridge this morning was
the train from Long Branch. which
passed owed about 11:40 o'clock. I'm
mediately after the train passed the
span was removed, being lifted out in
less than a minute. 1t takes only about
two minutes longer to close 1T.
Boats passed through this morning
in an almost endless line for nearly an
hour. No definite time has been set yet
for opening and closing the span, but
it will be opened two or three more
times this afternoon. Other days the
time will be about the same. Most OF
the boats passing through this morn
ing were scows and canal boats. Near
ly all of the scOws are so wide that 1t Is
close proposition. Many of them
this morning, did not have an allow
ance of over six inches on either side
and it took some good plotting on the
part of the tug captains to tow then
through safely.
One tow in going through this morn
ing, came very close to completely ty-
ing the bridge up again If not destroy
ing the drawbridge part for good. This
was a tug of the Hudson Towing Line
with large Clinton Point Stone Com
pany's fiat boat in tow Everything
went well until the stone piers were
reached at the bridge. Here the boat
in tow bumped into the south side
when half way through, throwing the
end against the north side masonry
This caused stone, weighing about {
ton, to rise out of place and dislocated
several of the others. The whole bridge
at the main draw part, shook and seem
ed to lurch for the moment from one
end to the other, but again settled bach
into place with the exception of the
hagman's building at the end Thi.
was raised completely off it's founda
tion and barely missed being thrown
into the river. The damage is now be.
ing repaired
Work on the New Bridge.
Two more piers of the new bridge. {
short distance from the old one, wer,
completed today and the ironworkers
who have been idle during the last few
days were able to resume work.
The remaining work to be finished i:
the pier at the center, which will sup
port the draw, and the stone pier {
few feet north of it. Work has jus
been started on both of these and, a:
there is considerably more to be don,
on the center pier than on any of tn,
others, it will be many weeks befor,
1t can be finished. The iron work O
the draw itself will take longer to pu
in place than that between the regula
stone piers. 1t is thought that it will
be the first of January before it will b,
ready for traffic.