New-York tribune., 1908-05-29
READY TO TEST BRIDGE
TO BEGIN WORK MONDAY.
Special Staff VII Investigate zcith
All Possible Speed.


The charges made in The Tribune that the
Blackwels Island Bridge being dangerous
ly overloaded to be Investigated at once.
Controller Metz announced on Wednesday af-
ternoon. as told in The Tribune yesterday, that
he had decided after a consultation with Bridge
Commissioner Stevenson to appoint Boiler &
Hodge, of No, 1 Nassau street the well known
firm Of consulting bridge engineers to make the
investigation. Official notice was sent at
to the firm, and Henry ". Hodge had short
conference with the Controller yesterday after
noon The details will be arranged to-day, and
work will be begun Immediately.
We are ready to begin work upon the Black
wells Island Bridge Monday next" said Mr..
Hodge to a Tribune reporter after his interview
with Controller Metz, and a special staff will
be engaged to carry on the work with all pos
sible speed. Everything will be done under my
personal supervision and 1 hope to be able to
present a report upon the safety of the bridge
in the course of three months 1 have received
no Instructions beyond the request TO ascertain
within the shortest time whether there is any
thing in the charges made that the bridge is
unsafe.
Controller Metz impressed me as being thor
oughly in earnest and anxious to have con-
vincins report possible. One of the
first things he asked me was whether I could
demonstrate to the public beyond any doubt
whether the bridge was safe. L told him that
the investigation purposed to make would
establish a definite fact and not an expert en-
gineerfng opinion or hypothesis. He at once
replied that that was the very thing he wanted
The details In connection with the work prob
ably will be arranged Tomorrow and we will
be ready to begin work on Monday next"
The selection of the firm Of Boiler & Hodge to
make the investigation was we'll received by the
engineering profession generally when the an
nouncement was made yesterday in The Trib-
une. Both members Of the firm are practical
bridge engineers of wide knowledge and exneri
ence. They have constructed many large and
important bridges throughout the United States
including the Monongahea cantilever bridge
They are also consulting engineers for the
United States government for all the bridges
erected In the Philippines, and for the govern
ment of Mexico. which erects all bridges in that
country.
The Tribune has done great public service
in obtaining this investigation" said q we'll
known bridge engineer yesterday. and no bet
ter firm could have been chosen to make the in
vestigation and actual tests of the bridge MEM
bers than Boiler & Hodge The unoontradicted
facts published in The Tribune since this oues
ton came up were convincing evidence to any
engineer that immediate and thorough in
vestigation was absolutely necessary. The gen
eral public may have been slow in appreciatins
the significance of the facts given in The Trib-
stories, because OF their more or less tech
nical character. Those acquainted with bridge
construction. however. could not fail to realize
that there every possibility Of serious
mistake having been made by the engineers of
the Bridge Department.
There Is doubt that 81 1.1IOOOO worth of
contract has been put into the structure already
The floor system has not yet been laid upon the
bridge, and that will take fully so per cent of
the 81 200 600 which has been authorized and
not yet spent. This means 40 per cent in
crease In the original contract price for the
superstructure alone These figures are stag
gering to any bridge engineer. So much money
put into steel in excess Of what was intended
when the contract was awarded means an enor-
nous increase in the dead weight the structure
will have to carry when completed.
THE Bridge Department engineers NAV be
quite sure the bridge is absolutely safe but no
other authority can be found to express any such
opinion. The disaster at Quebec has compelled
engineers to exercise more caution in figuring
upon high unit stresses than ever before 1t is
important TO remember that the strain sheets for
the BIackwell's Island Bridge were prepared be-
fore the disaster at Quebec. More than that,
most of the main compression members had
then been manufactured.
These facts alone warrant complete and
thorough investigation with actual tests OF the
main compression members by engineers not in
any way connected with the city Bridge Depart
ment. This is what The Tribune has been able
to obtain. and the newspaper deserves the thanks
Of the community for having taken steps in time
to make repetition of the disaster at Quebec
impossible here in New York.
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