The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-09-14
READY TO DROP
Sixth Avenue Viaduct Is Closed
to Traffic.
Found Utterly Worthless By an
Expert Engineer.
RAILROADS MUST GET BUSY
City Will Compel the Rebuild
ing of the Structure.
Plans to Begin Action in the
Courts at Once.

Probably the briefest report ever
filed by an engineer is that Of I. Ord
ing. Kansas City bridge expert, with
the A. A. Trocan Engineering COM
pany, concerning the Sixth street via
duct, which was closed to ALI traffic
Monday, with the excc~-icn of pedes-
TRANS.
81 do not know whether Mr.. Patten
wants formal report or not said
Ording to A. r. Young, city engineer,
"but the report 1 am thinking would
be most othe point is like this:
Mr.. A. M. Patten, Topeka Street Rail-
way Company.
your bridge as per instructions and
report that she amt worth d-n.
The only theory L can advance for her
standing up is the force of habit
Young and Ording examined the
bridge together.
3x12 PIanks:
Gee, whiz! Did you ever see it
before? Three by twelve planks to
support street carl" exclaimed Ord
ing.
Then Young tapped the iron shoes
which are riVeted to the old steel
beams to support the planks which
form the spans of that part of the
viaduct over which street cars have
been operating. There are four of
these planks to a span, Thew are
thirteen feet long. They are placed
two feet apart in the spans. While
they are three inches thick and twelve
inches wide, the ends of the planks
have been beveled off several inches
to make them toe in to the iron
supports.
Young Knew About 1t.
when 1 tapped these iron shoes
which support the wooden planks,
they all flaked off. They faxed so
much that 1 took my fingers and bent
IN 1oft o-;1,
been the case had soft sheet metal
been used. 1 simply broke off with
my fingers the supports which were
holding the weight of the street cars"
said Young.
Say, doesn't this make your hair
stand on end And to think that
street cars have been running over
this!" exclaimed Ording.
In many places two inch planlxs
had been spiked to the old ones which
had broken.
Grding's investigation was the re-
suit of a conference held between the
city officials and A. NJ. Patten Satur-
day. night.
Mr.. Patten thought the city was
-bluffing-that the condition of the
structure was not SO serious as the
city contended, but to protect himself
and his company, especially with the
heavy traffic of fair week in view, he
decided to have a report from an en-
g1neer. He engaged the engineer, and
his company will pay the costs of the
investigation" said Frank Snyder, SUI
perintendent of streets
Up to the Railroads.
The city had no need of such a re-
port, having secured the services OF
an expert about eight months ago,
upon whose report an ordinance was
passed to compel the railway COM
panies to build a new viaduct The
companies were allowed nine months
in which, not to begin work, but to
have safe structure completed. The
nine months will be up October l. Up
to the present no work has been done
L understand we can not get action
in the courts before October "a" said
Jay E. House, mayor, 'but as I I'M
derstand the law, the railroad COM
panies will build the viaduct"
In this all other members of the CITY
commission agree. There does not
seem to be any doubt IN the city hall
as to what the railroad companies can
be forced to do.
Frank Newland, city commissioner
of water and lighting, is today INSTALL
ing lights under the viaduct for the
convenience of persons who prefer to
cross the railway tracks on the sur
face level, rather than risk the via
duct.