New-York tribune., 1908-10-31
: WAITING FOR BURR
TILL AFTER ELECTION
Oueehsboro Bridge Report Stu
W;thbeld-L Tracks Mast 90.

Ydbbegd-L Tracks Mast 60.
Again the city bridge department officials re-
ply Tomorrow TO all queries as to when the
official report of the engineering experts upon
the safety Of the Blackwells Island, or Queens
boro bridge will be given to the public.
Chief Engineer Ingersoll on Thursday said
that neither the Bridge Commissioner nor him
self would say anything about the findings In
the report made by Boiler & Hodge unti q
second report which is being prepared by
Professor William H. Burr, of Columbia Uni
versity, was received. But he added that this
second report was expected yesterday, and that
as soon as it was received both reports would be
made public. Yesterday precisely the same re-
ply was returned by Chief Engineer IngersoH 20
all questions The report of Professor Burr, he
intin1ated had not yet been received. but again
it was expected Tomorrow and when it was
received both reports would be given out Com
missioner Stevenson is very busy and very
angry as we'll and plainly showed it yesterday.
But the public is still waiting to have the un-
welcome news published exclusively in Thurs
days Tribune verified by the text Of the official
report made by the engineering experts ap-
pointed five months ago by the Board of Estl
mate. Naturally Bridge Commissioner Steven
son is anxious TO have the opinion Of his own
particular expert, Professor Burr. upon so i'm
portant q subject before making pubic the
findings contained in the report Of the indie
pendent engineering experts appointed by Con-
troller Metz and the Board of Estimate. Still,
Professor Burr has had just much time in
which to make his Investigations behalf of
the Bridge Commissioner as Boiler & Hodge
have had , make their Investigations be
half of the Controller and the Board of Esti-
mate. and five months is long time for the
public to wait to ascertain the fact whether or
not the BlackwelTs Island Bridge is being
dangerously overloaded.
The report of the independent engineering er
perts is completed and in the possession of t
Bridge Commissioner Yet. Professor Burr has
had an envfabe experience in the preparation
of expert reports upon all sorts of public under
takings. as the details OF the city's financial ac-
counts for last year amply prove His able re-
port upon the condition of the Brooklyn Bridge,
which was so reassuring to an anxious public.
did not take five months to prepare.
1t has been said that the Bridge Commissioner
is trying TO put off the evil hour when he will
have to admit that he seriously in error five
months ago, when he charged The Tribune with
rank sensationalism and characterized its state
ments about the dangerous overloading of the
BlackwelTs Island Bridge as utterly absurd. 1t
may be that the Commissioner is painfully slow
to believe that he could possibly have made such
q mistake upon a matter of such vital impo-
tanCe. it may be that he has been advised
that if he has any bomb to drop 1t would be just
as we'll to hold the explosion until after
polling day on Tuesday. Whatever the reason,
The Tribune is in a position to assert again,
without the slightest fear Of contradiction by
either the Bridge Commissioner his expert,
that serious blunder has been made in the
erection of the BlackweIls Island Bridge.
For four long years the residents of Queens
have watched the slow progress of this gigantic
structure toward completion. and have consoled
themselves with the thought that. though it
was long in coming and extremely expensive, they
would one day have bridge that would solve
the difficulty of interbOrOugh transportation for
all time Already the date for the holding Of
the opening ceremonies has been deferred half
a dozen times The other day, upon the advice
Of Nayor Mcclellan the date again indef-
niteIv set back until next spring It Is eX-
trepeIv doubtful If the structure will be ready
for public use even at that late date
The people of Queens, as well as the taxpayers
Of all other parts Of the greater city, expect
some degree Of frankness at the hands or the
city administration The Commissioner OF
Bridges has known for a long time that a seri-
ous bIunder has been made in the erection OF
the city's newest great bridge structure. He
has known also that the progress Of the work
of completing the bridge precluded even a pos
sibility of its being opened this year Stll'
committees Of taxpayers appointed to take
charge of the opening ceremonies have been led
| to fix early dates only to have those dates set
hack until now next spring is indefinitely named
as the probable time for the opening OF the
bridge for public traffic.
.d ,r-ben the structure is opened for use next
snr,ne or later. taxpayers will find that the
,,nrar floor will be able to carry only two pas
senger walks The four elevated railway tracks
MANNED for the upper floor will not be there
in fact there will not be single elevated rail-
wav track upon the bridge, unless TWO are
rlaced upon the lower floor by the exclusion oL
,v,, Of the four trolley tracks planned TOT l'atI
floor: nor can this blunder he recuhed Sho'' VI
.ooo,,z+ructior The Tribune is ic-
r,rrood ,,non good authority that the overload
49, of Tho structure has been SO general in It's
character that no local strengthening VIII serve
70 make the bridge take the load designed 'or It.
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