New-York tribune., 1907-05-23
WORLD RECORD BRIDGE
VIII Link Ne7o England and South
IcrOSs East Rirer.

Plans for the huge East River bridge of the
New York Connecting Railroad were filed yes
terday with the Municipal Art Commission for
Its approval, in accordance with the provisions
of the charter granted TO the company. Only
part OF a great steel viaduct. the new bridge
VIII surpass all built or planned TO
cross the East River and will be the
longest and heaviest steel bridge in the
world First of all the bridges to meet the
eye of the passenger from the Sound three years
from now. it will sweep in a graceful curve
over He'll Gate. Wards Island. Little Hell Gate.
Randalrs Island and the Bronx Kills
When 1t is completed and the last spike driven
in the four railroad tracks to cross it. for the
first time there will be all rail route through
New York between New England and the
South. Until the completion of the missing
transit link, the trains as heretofore, will have
to be carried down the East River and across
the harbor. Although these ferries with the tide
IN their favor. easily beat elevated train from
10th street to the Battery. the all rail connec-
tion will save fully hour and half or more
and much trouble
Besides designing a bridge to be of more than
needful strength. the company has sought to
build one the appearance of which will be in ac-
cord with the increasing demand for artistically
impressive structures. 1t has been designed by
Gustav LindenthaI. with whom was associated
Henry Hornbostel consulting architect. Huge
arches Will be erected on the islands over which
the bridge passes, and the work Of construction
will proceed from these foci in the same manner
as the work on the Blackwell's Island cantilever.
There will be a steel arch span Of more than
a thousand feet across the turbulent Hell Gate
between abutments The abutments will be
monumental stone towers. dividing the bridge
proper from the steel viaduct which forms the
loD
| base and moulded concrete above reaching UP
some two hundred feet. They will contain va
rious small rooms needed for the operation Of
| the railroad
The tracks themselves will be 40 feet above
| high water. feet higher than on the other East
River bridges. They Will pass through steel
! arches. which will rise $50 feet higher. Some
OF the steel members OF these arches will be
0 feet in diameter and weigh 100 tons each.
Eighty thousand tons of steel will be used in the
construction OF the bridge.
The carrying capacity Of the new bridge will
be about twenty times greater than that OF the
old Brooklyn Bridge. equal to four lines of
the heaviest freight locomotives.
OF the four tracks two will be for passenger
and two for freight service. The passenger
tracks. by way of a cutoff in Queens County.
will connect with the Pennsylvania Railroad
tunnels and it's central station at 3Sd street and
Seventh avenue Manhattan. and the Long ISL
and Railroad and its seashore resorts and city
stations and all OF these lines with the New
York. New Haven & Hartford and other New
England lines The freight tracks will run
across Queens and with the Long Island Rail-
road, win form big loop around Brooklyn.
Through freight from New England for the
South and West will be carried over this route
and across New York Bay from Bay Ridge TO
Greenvie. N ]. Thus there Will be two dis
tinct routes for the two classes Of traffic. and
neither will interfere with the other.
The Williamsburg Bridge has a total length
OF more than 1900 feet. 1900 feet longer than
the Brooklyn Bridge. II has total width of
lis feet. against the SIS feet of the older
bridge. It's river span. however is only five
feet longer than that of the Brooklyn Bridge
being 1900 feet The approaches to the Will
iamsburg Bridge measure $500 feet each while
the Manhattan approach to the old bridge Is
only 1852 feet and the Brooklyn approach only
OIL feet
The Williamsburg Bridge begun in Octo-
Der. 1896 and opened formally. although still
incomplete. on December 19. 1903. 1t cost about
s11 600 and thirty lives. The Brooklyn
Bridge opened to the public May "a
1888 after fourteen years of work and the
pendture OF $4,000 600