The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-12-18
As Well as a Splendid Test.
momal to the Luten
Bridge Company.
WILL ENDURE FOR AGES
Artistic Appearance ELECTS
Great Admiration and Loud
Are Praises by All.

Ten years ago the people OF Clarlta-
burg and West Virginia knew COM
paratively little OF concrete. TO be
sure they knew that II was q mix
ture OF gravel, pebbles, or broken
stone with cement. sometimes used
Tor sidewalks and foundations. but
for other purposes 1t was consid-
cred Of little use. At that time n.
anyone had approached the n,embers
OF any county court In West Vir-
gina ana advocated the use Of com
crete IN the structure Of bridges.
other than small culverts, he would
llsva been pronounced a fanatic. No
one then thought that q substantial
bridge. OF any size. could be COM
slrncted Of anything but steel, And
this thought was not only prevalent
IN West Virginia, but In many other
states Of the union. But time, the
worker Of great changes, has been
~ work, and today tho massive
Fourth street bridge Just ,complet,
Cd and desi gned to carry tinltmited
weight and to last for ages, stands
as monument to the progressfvo.
ness OF Clarksburg and q Testimonial
70 It's CONSTRUCTORS, the Luten Bridge
Company. and 1t is constructed a
concrete. This structure lis the iArR,
est concrete bridge in the state antl, /;
1t is also the costliest, For these
reasons the Telegram thinks II At
ting to publish the events leading
up to the construction OF this bfidre :
and the various steps In the histoTv
Of Its building.
Tho Predecessor. {.
Along in the early nineties.
Clarksburg began to show the first
signs OF an awakening. Prior 10 sthis,
time the town had given no evidence, x
OF ever being anything but d very
ordinary community, reaching tfe
maximum Population some days al
perhaps SIX or eight thousands souls.
The facts which caused the rrowfh
from town OF little consed ,ience "a .
the greatest business center In The
state are well known to the ,,eonIe
OF West Virginia and those OF nef cb-
lboringstates. About 1895 several pri-
vate individuals. realizing fiat
'Ciarksburg was destined to become
town OF Importance, conceived the
idea OF constructing bridge across
Elk creek, Mt Fourth street. connect
Ing Clarksburg proper with Glen
Elk. After talking the matter over.
these men agreed to build s steal
structure and considered that tie IL
neslm zen would be paying one.
uien Elk was beginning to grow ana
many residents Of that section would
use tne bridge in addition to the
general trahlc. 1T was decided to
charge q toll and q fair return fot
the money invested was practically
let Contract.
The contract for a steel bridge waa
ICY and the work was started Ia
1877 The bridge was completed Il,
1888. The told bridge: was Is Is feet
long. It had q twenty-foot roadway
ana two fve-foot sidewalks. itSwax
puiit TO carry the maximum load.
which at that time was thought Ia
pc about seventy-five pounds is 7tl,e
square foot. The men who conanosed.
the corporation which bufit fhir
bridge were r. n. Lowndes. navid
Davidson. Charles M. Hart. Nafhan
Goh, and Jasper Y. Moore, When the
structure was completed Il vas sold
10 Harrison county. The sailjnr
price was PRACTICAL " the same a. tbe
cost-$17,0O0. N nj -
The First Change.
About 1900 Clarksbure had ,prox,n
TO such an extent ana ti,e neonie
were coming from differeiit parts or
the country in such a ritambsr 70
settle here that the street, car com
pany decided that It was !. orerlooi,-
Ing a big source Of Ma ar,,c II. -