The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1917-03-24
CHAPTER VI.
The Failure.


ba next morning. At bottom he
,ore respect for Meade's tech
than ne had displayed
en- admitted to himself. Inc
pr engineers terrified alarm, MS
IorgrtfulnesS of the amenities be
them, his frantic hut futile el-
10 telephone, of which the OPP
told Abbott in the morning, ms
a departure to New York, were
the Irast. somewhat diSquieting.
more 50 than he was fain to adj
0 himself.
bouch it involved a hard ana
chat dangerous climb downward
Ook upwards of half hour OF ms
,hle time. the first thing the erect
,cipeer did in the morning was To
nun to the pier head and make a
,ugh and careful examination OF
.r.tIad member. C-lO-R was, OF
i n mart Of the great lower chord
mo huge diamOnd-shaped truss
N with its parallel sixty feet away
N otber side of the bridge and its
|ooposites across the river, support
III whole structure. If anything
wrong. seriously, irreparably
a. with the member and it gave
tho whole truss would 90. The
|, truss would inevitably follow
and the cantiIever would immedl-
|, collapse. Abbott realized that
nurse rs he climbed carefully
4 TO the pier head and stood on the
L,hott rs he stood by the member
surveyed ii throughout lis length
n easily see that it had buckled, al
! ch the deviation was slight, about
inches nj its maximum in sixty
He brought with him Il line ana,
\ infinite care and pains, he drew
hut across the slight concavity like
kow.string. lie had estimated the
kher or the distance between the
Isr of the bow and the string. al
1 and a half inches. AS he maze
n careful measurements, he diScov
n that II was slightly over one anC
ke-auarter inches. In seven hun
Y and twenty that was scarcely no
liable, and It did not seem yer!
kch 10 Abbott. As he stood there
Wing himself an insignificant figure
Ma this great interviewer mass %
bel again the sense of its strength
u stability came To him overpowerlng
\ 80 much so that ne laughed alOut
q rather grim fashion AT the I'm
|unted nervousness which ha4 beef
Iduced in his mind by Meade's word
b6 actions.
But he was a conscientious man, s.
\ pursued his Investigations further
Be climbed up on top Of the member
Fhieh was easy enough by means q
be eriss-crOssed lacing. and CAREFUL
fspected the lacings ut the center o
y cOncavity, or sidewise spring fror
y right line.
He noticed. by getting down on hi
bee and surveying the lacing bar
Fbsely, number of fine hair-lin
hacks in the paint, surface tracerie
lIparently, running here and Their
fom the rivet holes. The rivets then
'elves had rather strained look. Som
y the outer rivets seemed slight
bose, where before they must hav
been tight, for the members, like n
Eher parts of the bridge, had bee
nrefully inspected at the shop an
NY loOseneSs of the rivetS would &c
AMY have been noticed there. b.
Abbott's obSeSSion as to the Strengt
y the bridge had grown stronger. Ii,
ne II out, crawling over it, feeling |
1gidity, he decided that these evidel
0rains were to he expected. OF Cour'
ne lacings that held the webs tOgeth
you'd have to take up a terrific Stres
ihey had been designed for that pU
Rse. Largely because he did not fiji
anything very Claring, and because
wanted TO believe what he believed, I
chef of construction left the pier he
ahd clambered up To the floor wi
more satisfaction in his heart than
Pmewhat surprising anticipate,
Fhich had So unwillingly grown unC
ne stimulus of Meade's perSiSten
mad led him To expect.
The whistle was just blowing for
announcement of work when he
hack To the bridge floor. He could
but reflect, ms the men came swarm
Hong the tracks To begin their Il;
Fork. that the responsibility for Il
Ives lay with him. Well. Abbott
big man in his way. he had aSSur
responsibilities before and was
fectly willing to do so again. both
men and bridge. The workmen
hast had no suspicious or premoniti
u disaster.
Wilchings, the chief erecting f
nan, knew about the Gambler. II
M bothered him. As he approac
Ne two exchanged greetings.
You're out early, Mr.. Abbott" s
Vikings.
les, I've been down to exam
COR"
wilchings laughed. =
That little spring Is nothing"
&ed over the track and through
& Of bracing at the member.
aao a pier somewhere We CO