The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-04-10
.LOCOMOBILE TRUCK
DEMOLISHES Old
REDDING BRIDGE
Twice Breaks Through Structure
Town May Seek Damages
from Company

Redddng, April 1G-The Locomobi1e
Co. will probably receive q demand
from this town to make good the dam
age caused last Wednesday evening
from the smashing of a bridge over
Little River on the Putnam Park road
by one OF their heavy auto trucks.
The machine, which weighs four and
one-half tons unloaded, was being
demonstrated to Smith Beers OF
Bethel. Upon its up-trip from Bridge
port it broke some of the planking of
the bridge floor, and the circumstance
being reported to First Selectman San
ford he engaged Joseph Sullivan to
patch UP the break. This was prompt
1y done and a light placed at the
bridge as warning, the ratings hav-
ing been partly carried away. Mean
while the truck had been loaded at
Bethel with about five tons OF lime
for delivery to A. L. Liverrnore, and
upon it's subsequent attempt to cross
the bridge broke through The floor
covering of the structure was entirely
demolished, but the sIeepers proved
strong enough to prevent the truck
from dropping to the river bed about
eight feet below. A wrecking outfit
with a. large force Of men came from
Bridgeport and lifted the stalled ma
chine back upon the roadway. On
the horneward run Thursday after
noon it became rnired in turning out
for team at Pine Tree corner and
suffered another detention of three
hours The fact that the men IN
charge of the machine ran it upon
the bridge a second time when their
first passage showed that the struc-
ture was unsafe, is Thought to make
the legal liability of the owners Ger
tairity.
Complaint was made last week to
Grand Juror Duncan in behalf OF Mrs.
L 11lraHA
cusing him OF assault and non-support
The alleged assault was committed
several weeks ago and previous to the
departure by Mrs. Crouch with her six
children and her mother from their
former home in hometown. They are
practically without means and were
about to seek aid from the town when
the complaint against Crouch was en-
tered. The latter said he was Will
ing to support his family il they would
return to him, but Mrs. Crouch would
not entertain that proposition owing
to her fear of further fl1-usage. Mr..
Duncan found that the evidence to
establish the charges was OF doubtful
strength and instead of issuing q war
rant Iabored with much patience ana
diplomatitc skill to adjust the trouble
in another way. Although both par
ties were at first stubbornly resistant
he finally succeeded in his effort
Crouch Will pay his wife a fixed sum
weekly and also bear the expense OF
her approaching sickness.
Road repair work on both sides OF
the town was begun IN good earnest
on Monday, Supervisor Bloomer start
ing operations near West Reddfng sta
ton with the new road machine, and
Messrs. Sanford and Sullivan getting
busy on the cross highway leading
from the Ridge road to Sandfordtown
The latter will be interrupted in their
RlATi0d through
being called to Bridgeport yesterday
for fury service It IS the purpose
of Mr.. Bloomer to first give all the
highways such a fixing up as can be
effected with the road machines, and
to supplern entary and more thorough
work afterwards to such an extent as
his appropriation will permit The
prospects are that the first going over
will use UP most If not all OF Dne
money, which is certainly regrettabIe
as the way operations have started off
gives promise Of an intention and ca
pacity for accomplishing good results.
The supervisor makes daily visit for
INSPECTION and counsel to his force en-
gagged on the east side of the town.
The contract for carrying the mail
between the Ridge and West Reddfng
for four years from the first of next
July has been awarded to D. 8. San
ford at 1925 per. annuRn, an increase
of several hundred dollars over the
former figures. Although a change
in the conditions OF the service was
talked of they remain as before. two
trips daily for nine months and one
trip for the remaining three. Will
liam Benin was the only other bidder
for the contract. The public will be
glad to learn that Mr.. Sanford will
continue to conduct the service as his
record during the winter Is an assur-
ance that it will be well performed.
IL S1R Haa fi0T7 a
by the King drag is furnished by the
results attending its use on the Sum
set Hill road, which was badly up
heaved by the winter freezing and be-
came morass-1ike in places when
thawing out. The application OF the
drag smooths out the inequalities and
rounds up the surface In a wonderful
way and at comparatively little cost.
The same apparatus might be en-
p1oyed to excellent advantage on the
Ridge and other State roads. The
time to use it is when the surface has
become softened and with that condt-
ton existing It is much superior to the
road machine now employed for
smoothing purposes.
Harold Sanford, who is in his final
year at Yale. returned to his home
here last Friday on account Of indis-
position which soon developed into a
case Of measles. He is getting along
as well as could be expected. |
The big heating furnace of the San
ford school was put out OF commits
sion few days ago by an excess of
cold water getting into the boiler |
the return pipes. The dam
age is from 5000 to $500 and the insti- |
tuition has been seriously inconven- |
fenced, fire places and oil stoves be- |
Ing brought into use to furnish heat.
Dewitt Weld, a member of the |
Pleasant Valley summer colony, has
his position with Hogg- |
son Brothers to become manager or
the National Exposition Co., and will !
start next week a two weeks trip |
Of the conn any through the West. |
The Weld and Heggeman families |
spent last Sunday at their places |
here.
As Collector Duncan could not be |
present on account of another engage |
nent the ge1ectmen did not hold their
appointed meeting last Saturday and |