The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-03-04

Picture to BE Hung In Munich
Museum

Bellows Falls. Mar. Sat the re-
quest OF the American Society OF
Mechanical Engineers, the headquart
ers of which are in New York city, q
reproduction of the old Tucker toll
bridge, which spanned the Connect
cut river between Bellows Falls and
Walpole, has been sent to the socie
ty by Frederick J. Blake of this
town. 1t will be forwarded to the
Deutsches Museum in Munich, Ger
many.
The director of the Museum of En-
cheering Masterpieces of Munich and
his stan visited this country during
the summer of 1912 and secured sew
eral important models for the muse
UNI. Last spring the American So
ciety of Mechanical Engineers secur
ed for the museum pictures Of some
80 old stone and steel bridges in
America, and these are now in the
Deutsches Museum. The director
has asked the American society to
send his reproductions of the most
important wooden bridges of America
and nine bridges have been selected
The list is as follows: Arch bridge
over the Delaware at Trenton, bull
in 1904; Market street bridge ovel
the Schuylkill, near Philadelphia
built in 1906; bridge over the Mil
Creek, CINCINNATI bridge over the
Connecticut at Bellows Falls, built ir
1885; Cascade bridge at Lanesboro
on the New York and Erie railroad
built in 1S4S; the Town bridge of the
Richmond and st. Petersburg rail.
road (Southern railway, over the
James River at Richmond, built il
1886; the Long bridge Of the Georgii
and Western Atlantic railroad; thu
Howe bridge of the Connecticut rail
road (Boston and Maine, over the
Chillapoe tChicopee); the larges
trestle bridge in the world, over III
Genesee river near Portage, of tn,
Buffalo and New York railroad (Eri,
City railroad,) built in 1852, burned
in 1875.
1t Will be seen that the Tucker toll
bridge is the Oldest in the list 70
many years 1t was one of the enginee
ing wonders of the country. The SUP
porting pillars were laid on soil,
rock, but with such firmness tina
they withstood for many years III,
annual spring freshets that swep
down the river. The bridge had be
come so rotted that it was torn dow
in 1910 and replaced with the presen
covered structure, which connect
Bellows Falls and the surroundin
Cheshire County, n. H., towns.
The Tucker bridge was built
1774 and 1885 by Col. Enoch Hale
who employed as the architect WI
liam Mills of Boston. II stood
feet above the racks and was locate
about 20 feet lower and directly III
der the location of the present struo
ture. II had no roof, the timbers be
ing exposed to the elements. Tn
building of the bridge was spoken
In the newspapers of the time as on
of the greatest engineering feats o
the day.
In early staging times an advertisc
ment of the route from Burlington
Boston spoke of this locality and til
falls here, which have been cut dow
to increase the water power. Stage
stopped at both ends of the bridg
that passengers might view the beat
ty of the falls.
Although Col. Hale was a man o
property, he became financially in
volved and mortgaged the toll-bridg'
to wealthy Englishman, Frederick
! Geyer, who lived in Boston, and VIII.
had spent portion of his summer
in Bellows Falls. The mortgage VI
der the laws in those days had to b
paid the day it was due or the pror
erty would Immediately pass into tn
hands of the mortgage.
About 1900 this mortgage fell due
Mr.. Hale barely raised the needle
amount in time to have it reach Boi
ton before the property would b
taken from his hands. He sent tn
| money by his son, who went by stag
as far as Fitchburg and there met hi
wife, from whom he had been es
tranged for several years. The mes
senger was so overjoyed that he fol
got his trust and delayed his trip {
Boston. until it was too late to get
there the day 1t was due.
He rushed into Mr.. Geyer's ofiic
the following day, but the money wa
refused and he was CURLY told tina
the toll'hridge twas the property of tn
Englishman. Mr.. Geyer. owned IN
property until 1920. when it came il
to the possession of Nathaniel Tucl
err, who managed it until his deaf
in 1857.
In 1910, the timbers having rottet
he built the present structure, whic
has always been known as the Tucl
er bridge. At Mr.. fuckers death tn
bridge fell to the ownership Of e,
ward II. Green. a son-in-law of n;
thaniel Tucker. then TO the late Wi
liam A. Russell, then to the Below
Falls Canal company, and in 1906
became the property of the towns {
Walpole, n. H., and Rockingham. an
was made free after toll had bee
| collontad for snoro than 1n0 x-aarc