Evening journal., 1910-01-04
GREAT BRIDGE
NOW FINISHED
B. 6 0. Structure Across SuS-
quehanna River to be
Opened Tomorrow
STRUCTURE IS
1000 FEET LONG

PORT DEPOSIT. Md. Jan. 4-The Bal.
timore and Ohio Railroad bridge across
the susauehanha river at Trenchtown, a
few miles south OF here will be opened
for trafiic tomorrow. The bridge for
merly was single-track construction.
The building OF the douhe-trnels bridge
was started May 2. 1907. While the bridge
was under construction, the company de-
cided TO put eight new piers In the river.
These piers In time OF ice gorge, would .
throw water back into the town of Port
Deposit and would not allow the ice
to pass through Mayor Armstrong. OF /
Port Deposit, objected, and. after con-
siderable controversy, the number was
reduced TO six, which are now in tho /
When the company was building tho |
bridge n continued work running its
trains, placing hundreds Of tons OF iron |
upon tho false work, which began 10
get weak under the heavy strain on
September so 1908, as north bound
freight was going across the brodge with
twelve loaded coal cars, tho span next
TO the Cecil county shore collapsed.
eleven OF the cars going into the river.
one man going down In the mass OF
twisted iron. This was n loss OF a half
million. dollars and caused delay OF six
months in the construction OF the bridge
The company put men to work night
and day making a cut on az Darlington
and one at perryvlle. AZ these points
they used the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company's bridge across the SusqQuehan-
ma, and joined their tracks at Aiken
again. Tho bridge is now complete. and
the northbound track will be open on
| Wednesday and the southhound track on
I I.t.fff f..sf
American Bridge Company. During the
construction OF tho bridge. seventeen men
were killed and eighty-hvo injured. The
bridge was built az a cost OF two and a
half millions OF dollars
One Of the Biggest Bridges.
This bridge is one of the largest and
most important railroad bridges in tho
country. The river at the point crossed
called for a bridge OF about 1000 feet
long In the center OF tho river IS an
island, or shoal. known as Watkins Is
land, which IS dry throughout tho great
er part OF the year, but is usually sub
merged during periods Of high water
Tho channels on each side OF Watkins
Island were spanned by truss bridges.
The west channel structure was a through
truss and that on tho east channel deck
/ AAurNs 4 MN hllANn'HHn hllh AliAA HNihiNA
OF the crossing which extends across Wat
kins Island were carried upon steel bents
resting on masonry pedestals. the super
structure consisting OF plate girders OF a
span OF 30 feet. The crossing OF the east
eriy channel was spanned by deck truss
IN which the tracks were carried above
the upper chord. That portion OF the river
between the westerly channel and the
westerly abutment In the old bridge was
spanncd by four long deck trusses.
In the reconstruction OF tho bridge II
was decided 10 discard the old structure
altogether. and build an entirely new
bridge throughout tho whole length Of
the crossing The magnitude OF this work
viii be appreciated when It is considered
that IN the whole 1000 feet of brideework
there are 1900 tons OF steel The difh-
Guilty Of the work was increased by the
fact that not only Is the bridge made OF
more than double tho capacity. providing
for two tracks in place OF one. and en-.
} abling these tracks TO carry loads FAR IN
excess OF those for which tho old bridge
r was designed. but this 2OO0O tons Of stee
was assembled. hoisted into place and
, riveted together, without any interference
with the heavy traffic which passed daily
over this road,
In the reconstruction OF the plate cir.
der viaduct portion Of the bridge on Wat.
kins Island and In the approaches It wa'
decided TO substitute concrete piers fol
the old steel trestle work and to greatly
enlarge the spans, using 90-foot girdorl
. in place Of the old girders Of So-feet span
. In doing this work new concrete picri
, were built beneath every third span. theii
, location, falling. therefore. clear OF IN,
, existing steel bents. Tho top OF the pierl
falls considerably short OF the base o.
e the old girders. the increased clearanc,
e being necessary TO accommodate th'
s greater depth OF the 9o-foot plate girder
Of the new structure.
s OF course, the most important and diff
fcut part Of the work was the recon
struction OF the through steel trusses %
feet IN length across the deep-water chan
mel The falsework for carrying thes,
trusse during construction consisted o
temporary timber piers, resting on pilini
driven into the bed OF the channel. an,
spanned by four lines Of deep plate cir
ders.
a Two Great Spans.
{ The great span over the westward nav
= igable channel has a clear length betweei
3 end piers OF so feet and another spar
( OF the same length is thrown across TN
east channel between Watkins Island ani
the east approach. The truss over th
o western channel is a deck truss, that i
: TO say. the tracks are laid through th
: truss at the level OF the lower chords. Th
. truss over the easterly channel IS decl
. truss with the tracks laid upon foo
! system resting upon the upper floors. Th
r distance between the westerly piers Of tn
westerly channel truss and the west ap
d proach Is spanned by four deck trusses
each $50 feet in length.
j. ------------- --------------N