Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1909-05-25
THE FATAL ERROR IN
BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION
A WEAK FOUNDATION RESPoN-
SIBLE FOR A BRIDGES
COLLAPSE.
Other Remarks on the Subject by a
Tempe Resident.

Editor Republican:
The following clipping, which 1 take
from an eastern paper. has such sig
nificant bearing upon our bridge
question" that it will undoubtedly in
terest most of your readers. From the
Register Gazette, Rockford, ILL.,:
Collapse of a Bridge.
THE city of Peoria has just suffered
the loss of $4,000 bridge over the
Illinois, due to lack of sufficient prep
aration of the pier foundations in the
building of the bridge. The whole
structure had been settling for some
time. till at last a long section of the
bridge went down. That shows that
the policy of not sparing the strength
of the foundation is the right way to
go at bridge building, just as much as.
or more than, in anything else. The eX-
perience of one city in going counter
to that aXoim is surely sufficient to
answer for all the rest 1t might be
supposed that the above could be TAX
en- for granted but it seems that there
are people who go in the face of the
most important teachings and pay the
penalty"
While l am at it l would like to put
in a word in regard to the unpleasant
personalities engaged in to a certain
extent by both sides of this contro-
versy. The personal element cannot
be left out 1t is too apparent from
the beginning. l do not believe there
is one man in good many who would
do any different than is being done
by the promoters of the Center street
bridge. They must expect TO be crit
icized for advocating a proposition
which will primarily and Immediately
be for the advantage of large land
owners. Ultimately (after several
years. Phoenix will reap some bene-
fit. The first effect of a bridge at
Center street will be the increased val
uation of the lands to the south of
Phoenix. That is why a large part of
the bonus is subscribed by them.
When the two sites were first being
agitated; the Tempe people. in the in
te-est of harmony and in perfect good
faith, proposed to the Phoenix people
to build both bridges. They claimed
however. the right to the first bridge,
because we were already on the
ground. our lands improved and
stocked and our homes established,
while the people to be benefited by
the Center street bridge were not yet
on the ground. The proposition was
rejected. Why? Listen, Because in
the interest of the large land owners
it was essential to build the Center
street bridge at once or they would
not receive the benefit of the increased
valuation of their lands.
This phase of the question cannot be
discovered impersonally.
The Phoenix committee seem to
have made it both a personal and a
sectional campaign-not the Phoenix
business ads-"vote for Center street
bridge and greater Phoenix" l I'M
destand that a house to house cam
paign has been made to influence vot-
ers in favor of Center street That
shows an unusual interest in the mat
ter; an inclination to dstrust the
people to settle the question without
especial promptings. And possibly
that kind Of a campaign will get some
votes from a few people who may not
give the matter much thought. How
ever l think the voters are being
walked up
Yours truly,
JAY BLOUNT.