The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-09-06
City and County Engineers
Declare that the Main
Street Structure Will Last
Only Few Years.
HAS BEEN DAMAGED
FROM ELECTROLYSIS
Traction Cars Are Also Driv-
en- Over the Structure in a
Careless Manner, Weak
ening 1t Badly.

That the Main street bridge is in
bad condition and must be replaced
within few years was brought out
yesterday by County Engineer Mueller
before the county council and sub
stantiated by City Engineer Charles
today. This condition is due to the
carefessness of the Terre Haute, In
dianapolis & Eastern traction company
in operating it's cars and in not pro-
viding sufficient conduits to take care
of their return current. Because of
this state of affairs the taxpayers of
the county will ultimately have to pay
the bill for a new bridge.
In the testimony given before the
county council yesterday Engineer
Mueller stated that the Main street
bridge is in bad shape and must be
replaced within A few years. He says
that the bridge was not designed for
the heavy interurban cars that are
being run over it, and that the return
current from the street car company
has caused the bridge to be damaged
by electrolysis. This testimony was
brought out by an investigation of the
county commissioners as to the ad-
visibility of tearing down the Main
street bridge and reconstructing 1t at
South l. street, and then building a
modern cement structure. where the
Main street bridge now is. Upon in
vestigation it was found that it would
not pay to make this change on ac-
count of the present condition of the
bridge.
Upon investigation, it was found
that the traction company evidently
has realized the condition that ex-
listed and has recently put heavy tim
bers under the west end of the bridge
to try to relieve. the strain.
Dash Across Bridge.
1t is claimed that the interurban
cars dash on to the bridge at a rate
of from thirty to forty miles per hour,
and then apply the emergency brake
in the middle of the bridge. Both en-
gineers claim this is responsible, to
large extent, for the present condition
of the bridge.
1t is stated that the steam railroads
always instruct engineers, very specif-
ically, never to apply brakes suddenly
in the middle Of any bridge, and have
given instructions to discharge any
engineer not observing such orders.
If such action is injurious to railway
bridges, county officials say, it surely
must be more so to lightly construct
ed bridge, like the present Main street
bridge.
Other damage to the bridge is
caused by the fact that large amount
of the return current from the trac-
tfon company wires is allowed to
pass through the bridge which causes
very rapid decay, technically known
as electrolysis. The water works COM
pany has also had considerable trou-
BILE with it's mains at the west end of
the bridge, having to replace their
pipes several times in the last few
years, because of damage done by
electrolysis.
1t seems to be the general opinion
that the city or the county should
take immediate action in regard to the
carelessness of the traction company
give instructions to their motormen
to use more precautions in operating
cars over the bridge.
The county council probably will
pass an appropriation for the con-
struction Of a bridge in the south end
of the city so that work on the bridge
can be started by the spring of 1913.
Council, it is thought, will raise the
tar levy, three or four cents on the
hundred dollars assessed valuation SO
that in 1918 the county will have
enough money to erect the bridge.
BY one cent levy. $4,000 has been
raised in the last four years.