The Madison journal., 1917-03-03


| first studied your fathers drawings
l wondered if he had made the lacing
strong enough to hold the webs"
THAT matter was very thoroughly
gone into said Meade quickly. 1T
was the very point which myself h ad
questioned, but father is absolutely
confident that we provided latticing
enough TO take up all the stresses. |
looked into that matter myself" he
went on with much emphasis.
II guess it's all right" said Curtiss
lightly. II examined the webs and lac
inGs carefully this afternoon. They
seem to be as right as possible"
Those trusses." said Abbott emphat-
ically, will stand forever. You need
not worry about that"
Are you going to finish this job on
time!' asked Severence. the vice presi-
dent. You know the financial end of
1t is mine. and much depends upon the
date Of completion"
THAT depends upon you people Mt
the shop, doctor. If you get the stuff
here to me I'll get it in place in short
order" answered Abbott.
We aren't worrying aboat anything
with you and Meade on ,he Job. Abb
bott.' said the colonel genially.
Yes, you are, father" said the girl.
Ever since the International has been
started you have scarcely been able TO
give thought even to me. I'm fired
OF ii. l hope the old thing will soon
be finished. so that we can all go back
TO normal life again."
Il hope so, too," assented the colonel
land l guess you are right. The fact
Is the bridge is an obSeSSiOn with lis
all. 1t is the biggest job the Martlet
has ever handled. Indeed. II is the
biggest thing in the world. It's the
longest cantilever, the greatest span,
the heaviest truSses, the"
"Tve heard AL about it," INTERRUPTED
the girl, waving him into silence, lever
since you began it. Sometimes | think
It's beginning to obsess me, too"
you don't look like it," whispered
Meade, under cover of the general
laugh that greeted her remark.
What do l look like?" she whis-
Dered back quickly, in return.
But Meade had no opportunity to
ell her.
1T is not exactly a subject for din
Ter conversation" said the colonel with
sudden gravity. but all of us here.
wen you, my dear, must realize how
much that bridge means to US. won't
20 so far as TO say that it's failure
would ruin us. but it would be hard for
Is to survive"
Have you ever known anything that
ny father designed to fail?" asked
leade somewhat hotly.
No, and that Is why we took his
lanS in spite Of"
I'm spite of what, sir?"
In spite of Curtiss here and some
thers."
Mr.. Curtiss," said Meade, turning
the chief engineer, "if it will add
nything To your peace of mind. I will
SSulne my full sh rare of responsibility
)r the matter. You know the hooks
Schmidt-Chemnitz, the great Ger
IAN bridge engineer?"
CurtiSs nodded
AT first THAT is. we-thOucht thar
lere micCt possibly be weakness in
lose compression members, bur
leckeG chem with the methods he ad-
Dcate- and then submitted the figures
ny father, and then he went through
.r whole calculation and applied CO.
hcients he felt to be safe"
I'm willing 10 take your fathers
dgment in the matter rather than
'hmidt-Chcmnitz'. or anybody's." said !
IrtiSS, so successful has been his ca
er." {
Now that l have seen the members d
place | have no doubt that they will
and" said the colonel. |
Sure they will" added Abbott with
preme and contagious confidence an
which helped even Meade 10 .
lieve.
"Of course we all know" said Doc v
Severence, who had been long Il
ough in touch with engineering 70 q
lrn much about ii, that there is AL
lys more or less Of experimenting In p
= design of new thing like this" "