Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-12
FEARS ABOUT BRIDGE
Calvert Street Structure Un-
safe, Says Civil Engineer.
NOT so, SAYS MARKHAM
Officials See No Grave Danger, But
Would Strengthen It.
$4,000 APPROPRIATION ASKED
Complaint of w. A. Cowles Moves
Senator Gallinger to Investigate.
Views Are Asked For.
NOT so, SAYS MARKHAM
$4,000 APPROPRIATION ASKED

Views Are Asked For.
.'Thc ,ibratios il continuous and ex-
rcssive and IL = menace to the safety
Of tho bridge
w. 4. CONI.ES. Civil Engineer.
"The Calvert street bridge IL NOT un-
safe"
ASSISTANT ENGINEER COMMIS-
SIONER MARKHAM.
LIT Is not believed that there IL any
Immediate danger to traffic
Nevertheless. the margin Of safety Is
sufficiently small TO make the apprO-
priation asked for an urgent natter
CHAIRMAN GALLINGER of the Sen
ate District Committee.
Fears of the collapse Of the bridge
across Rock creek on Calvert street, used
by the Chevy Chase cars, have aroused
citizens who use the bridge to ask some
remedy at the Capitol and have caused
the District Commissioners to determine
I" ask an urgent appropriation for
sirenctlIeninS the span.
Complaints regarding the condition of
the bridge reached Senator GaIlinger.
chairman of the District committee He
Immediately called upon the Commission
trS Tor Il report
Commissioners Ask for $4,000.
The Commissioners replied that they
regard Immediate repairs necessary. and
will recommend an appropriation of
$1,000. to be expended. with similar
amount furnished by the railway COM
pany. for strengthening the structure.
preliminary steps have already been
taken to strengthen the bridge" the
Commissioners notified Senator Galiinger
1T is not believed that there is any i'm
mediate danger to traffic under the con-
ditions obtaining. Nevertheless. the mar
gin of safety is sufficiently small to make
the appropriation which will be asked for
an urgent matter.
Unsafe. Says Bridge Builder.
In letter placed in the hands of the
chairman of the Senate District commit
tee w. A Cowles. a civil engineer and
bridge constructor, declared that there is
grave danger now that the bridge will
collapse.
The iron bridge at the Chevy Chase
loop was constructed to carry street cars
having a maximum load of less than six
teen TONS" says Mr.. Cowles. 1.-The cars
now in use when loaded weigh thirty
Two and one half tons. The original fac
tor of safety has therefore been cut in
half
The bridge is in constant use for heavy
hauling. The vibration is, therefore,
continuous. and. being both continuous
and excessive, is a menace to the safety
of the bridge.
What Might Happen.
If two of the large new cars were
upon the bridge at the same time, their
combined weight might collapse the
bridge at the present time. The Capital
Traction Company has recognized this
danger by issuing an order forbidding
two cars to be upon the bridge at the
same time The safety of the public
should not, however. be dependent upon
the strict enforcement of this order.
Such an order shows. conclusively,
,ilat danger now exists. New motormen
are constantly being put in charge of
these cars. Should any one of these two
d"llar-per-day men. through any one of a
number of possible causes. forget this
order. the two cars. and possibly hum
dred or more passengers. would be pre-
cipitated a distance of 135 feet
Other letters which have reached the
Senate urge that the safety of citizens
Of the District and Maryland are de-
pendent upon the granting of an appro-
rriation for repairing the bridge. They
therefore urge prompt action.
Safe, Says Markham.
capt. Markham, assistant engineer COM
not unsafe, despite the tremor experienced
when a trotting horse or man at fast
gait goes over 1t
II II was unsafe We would have closed
u to traffic long ago. and would not take
the responsibility of letting any one step
upon it," he said today.
The average man believes that be-
cause there is a tremor or vibration on
he bridge il is necessarily unsafe. This
is not so at all. Yet to relieve the minds
of every one, We are perfectly willing to
take UP this vibration by means of certain
schemes of bracing.
II have spent several hours on this
bridge watching the vibration. A street
car causes little of it. because it gIides
across ;rotting horse or fast-walk-
ing manor even a trotting dog-if 1t gets
what IS known as the period OF the
bride will bump over the roadway or
sidewalk and cause that swing of the
bridge which seems to scare so many
people.
Douglass Sees No Danger
W. J. Douglass. superintendent of
bridges. says he has been watching the
bridge long time. While he Is willing
and ready 10 do everything to relieve the
public mind, he is perfectly assured that
the bridge is not unsafe.
II am right with these people who want
money TO strengthen the bridge. Person
ally | would be willing to make the
bridge many times strong as it need be,
simply To keep the persons minds free
from any apprehension when they were
on the bridge.
But the bridge is not unsafe. 1 have
tested II and measured II.
"Of course IL IS not "A modern bridge
II il were / should be able TO say exactly
what il could stand. But l know that IL
is not going 10 bend in the middle with a
street car
IT asked for S.o.O0O for the braces which
would take up the vibration
officials of the Capital Traction Com
pany had no statement to make today
when asked about the condition of the
bridge over which their Chevy Chase cars
pass. AS the bridge is under the control
of the District government and not of the
railway company they say that conse-
quently they do not care to comment on
its condition.
Former Acting Governor Dead.
Ell PASO. Tex, January l2-Lorin
Miller one time acting governor Of New
Mexico. died last night, aged ffty-two
gears.