The Dolores star., 1917-08-10
CHAPTER ,v-consins.d.

CHAPTER W-C0ntinuoo.
But Meade was out of the house. Il
was summer and the sun had set, but
ths long twilight Of the high latitude
still fingered. Before him rose the g.
Gantic structure Of the bridge. For all
its alriness It looked as substantial as
the Rock Of Gibraltar, and II looked
even more substantial II possible, as
the man, seizing q lantern and. for
Gstting his weakness, run down be-
meath the overarching steel to the pier
head, climbed up to the shoe, and
cfawied out on the lower chord 40 rap
idly a. he could.
Meade needed but one glance to see
the denectiou from the right line In
the important member. For all his
years Of lnexperience he was a better
trained engineer than rough-and-ready
Abbott. What appeared to the latter
~ slight DETECTION. Meade saw in tts
true relation. There was a variation
IN the center OF the member of an
inch and half at least, although un-
noticeable to an unframed eye. It had
all come in the last week. They had
extended the suspended span far out
beyond the edge Of the cantilever and,
with the heavy Traveller Mt the end,
the downward pressure on the great
lower chord members had greatly In
creased.
It was a terribly heavy bridge at
best. It had to be to sustain 80 long q
span, the longest In the world. And
the load, continuous and increasing,
had brought about this, to the layman
trifllng, to the engineer mighty. bend. II
Il bent that way under TINT much Of a
load. what would It do when the whole
great span was completed nnd 1t had
to carry its transitory loads Of traffic
beside1
When two different views meet 1t is
natural that age. experience. reputa-
don and authority shall carry the day.
Although Bertram Meade, Jr., had
never been persuaded In NIL particu-
lars Of the soundness Of his fathers
design, and could not be persuaded,
that vast experience. that great repu-
tation. that .undoubted ability with its
long record Of brilliant achievement
had ut last silenced him. He had ac-
cepted through loyalty that which he
could not accept In argument. Once
bccepted. he acted accordingly, heart
ny seconding and carrying out the
wishes OF the older and, us the world
would say. the abler man.
The thing that smote the engineer
, hardest was that this weakness was
Gxactly what he had foreseen and
eointed out. It was the possibility Of
the Inability of this great member to
carry the streNs that young Meade had
deduced by using the formula Of
Schmidt Chemnitx. It was this point,
and this point particularly, that he
had dwelt upon with his father and
which they b nd argued to finish. 80
strongly had he been impressed with
the possible structural weakness Of
this member that he had put himself
On record In writing to his father. The
old man had overborne him and now
the little curve, one and half to one
and threeQuarter inches In sixty feet,
established the accuracy Of his un.
needed contention. Vainly now he
wished he had not let the old habit Of
affection and the little touch of awe
With which he regarded his father per
suade him against his reason.
he stopped. feeling suddenly Ill, as
4 very nervous high-strung man may
sed under the sudden and unexpected
l,hysical shock. He was weak still
rom the tonsi.itis. He leaned against
the diagonal at the end Of C-10-R,
iinxing to ir tightly to keep from fall
ing. Abbott, who had followed more
slowly, stopped by him. somewhat sur
prised, somewhat amused, more indig-
Aant than both.
abbott" said .deade fiercely as the
erecting engineer Joined him on the
pierhead, III you put another pound Of
load on that cantilever I will not be
answerabIe fc~ the consequences"
.What do You mean7"
THAT DETECTION is nearly two inches
deep now and every ounce or pound Of
added weight you put upon it will make
It greater. Its limit will be reached
mighty soon. II 1t collapsesL" he
threw up his hands-''the whole thing
VIII co.
.Yes. II It collapses, that's true"
baid Abbott. "but It won't"
sYou're mad" said Meade. taking
snfortunafely the wrong course with
the older man.
~Why, boy" said Abbott, that bridge
AflI stand ~ long - creation. Look
& aat Il. That buckle doesn't amount to
nayehGng. II u ealy h one truss any.