The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-30
HE'LL GATE ARCH TO
Be CLOSED FRIDAY
No Formal Ceremony to Mark
Connecting Of Halves of
S12.OO0,O 900 Bridge.
POINTS OF OBSERVATION

The halves OF the great si2.OOo.OOO
railroad bridge over Hell Gate-the
largest steel arch in the world-which
have been slowly growing out oward
each other for many mouths. VIII Or
connected tomorrow morning unlcss
weather conditions are unfaNorhbl". me
event viii he most interesting from a
popular md engineering standpoint
hut ther, isn't COINS to be any iuss
about n.
Gustav Lindenthai, chief engineer OF
the New York Connecting Railroad
COMPANY, under whose personal charge
the bridge was designed and con.
structed, will be on hand with his stan
to see the completion OF the job. u
il likely some Interested railroad ON
cials and outside engineers viii be wheie
They can watch the operations. but the
"all I'm "A days work" epirit viii take tue
place Of ceremony.
Although the gap between me Two
halves of the bridge is Aow 42Is feet.
fifteen or twenty workmen have already
crossed tho structure. There was a
good dsal of rivalry a. TO who would be
the first man over, and even bets were
made. Gn Tuesday night when the last
section was placed In position a daring
structural iron worker climbed up the
boom OF a derrick hanging out INTO
space. crossed to the boom OF another
derrick on the other side and nus com'
pletel the span
Within "a few minutes Others had to-
lowed and the workmeH made quite "A
time Of II. The bosses. however. didn't
know yesterday the name Of the hrst
man 10 make the tlip.
I~ntrrcstine to E~neinr"rs.
The closing OF the arch is interesting
to engineers because 1T IL Il check on
the computations they have made Inc
Iates, measurement checks W. within
o%ue-fourth of an inch in tho entire ais
tance of 1917 feet. This o~no-fourth OF
an inCn represents the sum total OF all
poss,b,c inaccuracies In fabricating ana
erecting -. 0O0 tons Of steel. all possiDle
inaccuracies in triangulation OF the dls-
lance across the river and all possible
Inaccuracies In building the mammoth
concrete towers nj the ends OF the span
The last is all the more Significant when
II - considered that one of these towers
the u.,c on Wants Islands punt On
cai.sons reeting ON rock 40 feet deep.
The closing of this arch will be a
chcck on two years OF most abstruSe
computation made under Tn" direction
or MIR. Lindcnthal. In closing the arch
the tive halves will have To he lowered
by operating the hydraulic jacks on the
tons Of IA. towers. Each half will he
lowered about eighteen inches before the
arch becomes a stable, s~elf-supportins
structure. The exact amount depends
on temperature. and careful 'oInputa-
tior viii have To- bc made
The two halves are now supported by
"hf hes" composed Of steel members
extending from the tops ~ tho towers
to the middle ~ each leaf. or half. Each
- tl.g, Bhgf,has" iG plptIf nuu foot long
and has "a cross section 81 300 square
inches. From the ground the~, four
bitches" appear So insignificant IN SIZE
by comparison with m" rest ~ the strI'-
turp that IL seems almost incredible thut
they could support the tremendous weight
uf steel.
Al a certain point loo IN, loN"r.ur II
the arch. determined 10y Careful ON
IMITATION. these clutches" viii Ice dIsr"n-
nect.d by driving ont the pins which
fast"u them 10 the structure
Paints for Observation.
Ahnu, q month ago the Two Jacks At
the tons Of IN, towers were operated to
lift tho Two halves of the arch q height
of 80. inches i'm anticipation Of tn"
closing tomorrow. These jacks are the
most powerful hydraulic jacks ever
fabricated. each having e capacity Of
250,uoO tons. I'm spite of this tremendous
capacity a small hoy could opcrat" them
with a mere turn of u lever.
This interesting event, 50 critical N
the history of the structure, can be OBJ
served from a number of points in the
vicinity. Those Interested can take the
ferry at Njuety-sccond street for North
Beach. which passes directly under tin
structure. Passengers on FAN River
boats will also have an opportunity Of
seeing the bridge a. they pass under IL.
4 good view of the bridge ~ obtainable
from the promenade of the greensboro
Bridge.
Tho best view would he o~htainable,
: however, AZ the Long Island end of tho
bridge, at the intersection OF Shore road
and Potter Venue Astoria.
The bridge will carry the heaviest
load OF any bridge ever designed. Each
foot OF the bridge will weigh thirty-eight
: tons with load included, twenty-six tons
for weight OF bridge and twelve tons for
=. weight Of load.
The bridge will be part OF a connect
ing link uniting the Pennsylvania and
- the New York, New Haven and Hart
Gard rnilrpals