The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-12-18

did not exceed half dozen. In 1897
the first large concrete bridge in the
United States was erected at Topeka
Kan. This consisted of fiye arch
spans across the Kaw river and cost
$150,000. This large concrete bridge
was erected In the middle West at a
time when that section was spending
large sums in new bridges to keep
pace with the rapid development and
the officials were disposed to take a
liberal view toward any progress in
construction. Nevertheless for near
ly ten years following the erection of
the bridge Of Topeka, very few large
concrete BRIDGE were erected in this
country. This was because all Of
these earlier bridges were, properly
speaking, steel bridges reinforced
with concrete, whereas the modern
idea Of reinforced concrete bridge
Is that 1t is to consist of concrete re-
inforced with steel. The expensive
construction of the earlier type of
concrete bridges was practically pro-
hibitive when considered in compe-
tition with steel bridges and for this
reason concrete bridges were used
only by the Weather cities in few
scattered localities and were not gen.
orally adopted.
In the year 1900 Mr.. Daniel b.
Luten, who was then instructor in
civil engineering at Purdue Univer-
sity, Lafayette. Ind, resigned his po-
sition for the express purpose of pro-
noting new concrete bridge which
he had devised. After several years
of experiment and construction, he
supervised the erection at Peru, Ind,
in 1906 OF concrete bridge OF Luz
ten design across the Wabash river
which was OF substantially the same
dimensions as the Topeka bridge re-
ferred to. erected eight years previ-
ously in 1897. But the contract
price of the Luten bridge at Peru,
Ind, was only $4,000 as contrasted
with the $4,000 paid for the To-
peka bridge.
It was soon recognized that Luten
design bridges could compete In first
cost with steel bridges Of the same
capacity, and the number of such
structures increased rapidly until now
upwards Of 1900 concrete bridges Of
Luten design have been erected In
the United States, constituting nearly
one-half of all the concrete arch
bridges In this country at the present
time. The state Of Indiana, Mr.. Luz
tens home state, has built upwards
OF 1000 bridges Of his design. To
make a long story short, today con-
crete Is recognized as the premier
material for construction of bridges
and the Luten design Is known to be
the leading bridge design from one
end of the land to the other.
Whitaker Lands Contract.
A. B. Whitaker, who is the Luz
ten Bridge Company's representa-
tive in West Virginia with Offices in
the Union bank building here. was
the company's representative at the
letting of the bridge contract, and
he sold the same for the company.
Mt. Whitaker has been located in
Clarksburg about five years and he
has sold several hundred bridges Of
the Luten design throughout this
state. Mr.. Whitaker Is the man who
introduced concrete bridges into
West Virginia.
The Bridge.
The new Fourth street bridge Is
$50 feet in length; forty-two feet
wide inside the railing and is made
UP Of q twenty-six-foot roadway with
two eight-foot sidewalks. It Is sew
enty-three feet above the bed of the
stream. It u constructed Of concrete