New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-05-16
BRIDGE PROBE STARTED
ORDERED BY MR. METZ.
Chandler Withington Begins In
quirY-C Creu1bGur FdUOrs Test.

Controller Metz announced at yesterdays meet
| Ing of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment
that Chandler Wilmington, chief engineer of the
| Finance Department. had begun an investigation
into safety of the Blackwell's Island Bridge
Borough President Coer, who has already said
that the model test of the strength Of the main
compression members demanded by The Tribune
should be made. had just offered to the board a
resolution calling for Investigation by an ex-
pert bridge engineer. He unable to get the
unanimous necessary to pass this resolu-
ton at once. and 1t Will come up next week In
the mean time Mr. wilmington, a representative Of
the department which must pass on the bills for
work on the bridge. will be making thorough
inquiry into the charges made by The Tribune
that the structure is likely TO collapse before It
is finished.
Just before the end OF the meeting OF the board
Borough President Coler asked unanimous consent
for the Immediate consideration of the following
resolution:
peso1ved That the Beard Of Estimate and APP
poronent appoint sgmmttee e., 70 be Ggposee sss
% Prtdent OF the Borough OF Queens and the chief
engineer OF this board. recommend TO TINS BOARD
pe,ent m 10 investigate and report upon the struct-
ural conditions and strength OF the Blackwell ISL
and Bridge
AS only matters the printed calendar Whlch
Is made Up the preceding Tuesday. are considered
bv the hoard on Friday except by unanimous con-
sent and as President Coler considers the ques-
ton 81 determining the safety OF BackweliS
Island Bridge grave a matter To De delayed
he had TO ask unanimous consent 10 ger IL before
the board at
As soon as President Coler had read the reso-
lution Controller Metz interrupted TO say that he
had already ordered Mr.. Wilmington. the CHIEF
engineer of the Department of Finance. to look
into the subject.
Have YOU consulted with Bridge Commissioner
Stevenson about this resolution" asked Mayor
Mcclellan Of President Coer. When the latter
acknowledged that he was acting solely on his
own authority and initiative the Mayor killed the
resolution by curtly saying. Il object" But the
resolution now goes on the calendar and will be
called and considered in due form next week
The statement that the chief engineer OF the
Finance Department is making an investigation Is
interesting as showing that Controller Metz takes
the postIon that there Is something TO investigate
Rut the engineers who hold that the bridge is now
being improperly constructed, and the public. for
whose use the bridge is beiEg constructed. will not
be satisfied with anything short OF an investigation
by a competent bridge engineer-an expert-and
a practical test show the truth or falsty of any
Theoretical deductions which may have been
may be made
Mr. wilmington is a good engineer said r. w.
Creuzbaur chief engineer of the Borough of Brook
lyn Yesterday but he is not bridge engineer and
would not care 10 pass the safety Of the plan
under which the Blackwells Island Bridge Is being
constructed Bridge building is one OF the great
specaIties Of the business, and the engineers who
are competent to pass finally the strains and
cantIever bridge not plentiful.
THINKS TEST NECESSARY.
81 feel strongly that not the slightest chance OF
mistake should be allowed. There is question
in my mind that the only thing TO do under the
circumstances is to have a model test made OF the
main compression members. of the Blackwells Isl
and Bridge under the auspices OF some competent
outside authority"
Mr. Creuzbaur is much interested in bridge
problems that he went 10 Quebec to study the
bridge that fell there. 1T had never come home to
me strongly before" said Mr. Creuzbaur. what
possibilities of danger there were in big can't
lever bridge unless the strains and stresses
calculated beyond the slightest shadow OF doubt
Inasmuch as Mr.. Lindenthal who designed the
bridge has declared that the changes made in the
plans have added weight that cannot be carried
bv the main compression members. 1t is clear that
a most exhaustive investigation should be made.
For one thing. l think the increase in weight to
give more tracks a mistake"
In view of the reiterated statement of Bridge
Stevenson that his engineers are abb
soluteIy certain that the Blackwells Island Bridge
is perrectIy safe the following carefully worded
comment on the collapse of the Quebec bridge. |
which appeared in THE Engineering Record" on
September OF last year, just ten days after the
disaster, is interesting
The collapse of the Quebec bridge was wholly |
occurrence. H. spite of the reports to
the newspapers to the contrary. The portion OF
the bridge which feil mao 5eeh s'anus % oyer s ia
winter and nobody had seen anything about IT in I
dicatve of any serious condition. II Is true that
Theodore Cooper telegraphed on the day of the |
accident the builders not to place any more |
load on the until IL looked over, but
he authorized the statement that this telegram |
meant nothing more than warning that II was |
desirable to stop work until the superstructure |
had been critically examined. Neither he nor his |
Inspector dreamed for a moment that there was
any danger of immediate collapse. That the |
structure fell is. however. one of those grave |
facts which the engineer must face in all its
reality Engineers themselves know full we'll that !
probably structure ever recei' ed more careful
attention in design. manufacture and erection
than the Quebec bridge, and they will be unwill-
ing to attribute its collapse to defective proper