New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-11-19
THE MUDDLED PAPERS.
Engineering Nescs" Says Bridge Is
Too Serious for Amusement.

The Engineering News in its issue this morn
ing, reverts again to the in which the tech
nicai nature of the reports OF the engineering ex-
perts upon the safety Of the Blackwelrs Island or
Greensboro, bridge, succeeded in muddling some OF
the newspapers These newspapers. The Engi-
neering News says. have been further be-
wildered by the remarkable delverances OF a tech
nlcal contemporary, which has taken the position
that the important thing to do is TO get the bridge
into use and reassure the public to its safety.
instead OF fussing around over excess strains in a
number of members
After quoting a remark to the effect that where
technical authorities differed widely behooved the
untechnical person to disregard engineers patter
about the radius of gyratiOn. The Engineering
News in its issue to-day says:
The grave responsibility which rests upon the
technical journal to fairly and judically interpret
and explain the significance of such reports as
those on the bridge in question will not. are
sure escape the notice OF our readers
The remark that the engineers patter about ra-
dius of gyration. whatever it may be- should be
dIsregarded by the untechniCal person. continues
The Engineering News would amusing were
the matter less serious. 1t might be interesting TO
know. says The Engineering News that the
whole question whether the bridge Is safe. even
under the reduced loading now proposed depends
that same radius of gyration and upon whether
the engineers patter concerning it is sound or I'M
sound
AS 10 the remarks about an overlooked margin
Of safety, The Engineering News" says the makers
was designed for four elevated tracks since the
bridge ought to have been. and everybody supposed
1t designed. But from the stress sheet pub
lished this week it looks very much as II the ad-
ditional elevated tracks put about as an
Arab would toss an extra bundle on a patient
camel's backl
we will say that if those four elevated tracks
were put in place and the loads specified in the
contract for the bridge applied there are mem
bers in the structure which would be strained be-
yond the elastic limit OF the metal
With regard TO another statement that there is
safety because the bridge designed for a con-
gested loading or a load altogether unlikely to
happen. The Engineering News says:
We cannot leave daily contemporary evan
that comfort, because a cantiiever bridge. a
congested loaCing is by means unlikely. We
would explain TO the untechncaI editor that on a
cantileVer bridge II does not take crowd OF trains
and cars and people the whole length OF the span
10 produce maximum stresses. a suspension
bridge. ON the contrary. mere punching OF traffic
on two or three short sections the bridge wifi
stress some parts Of the bridge TO the limit
"A daily newspaper assumes very grave respon-
sibility, says The Engineering News" when IL
says that the bridge is safe beyond any possibility
of doubt for any traffic which will be put upon IL
within many years but the technical authorities
which have misled It into such a position have
taken an even graver burden of responsibilrty''