Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1917-05-11
Photos BY American Press Association.
Remarkable Span Across Swirl
ing Currents of East River at
Cost of S27,OO0,oOo Is Now
Ready For USe-lt Connects
Two of Our Great Railroad
Systems-0ver All 1t Is Six
Miles Long.

A FTER nearly five years of work
~ the bridge over He'll Gate, con-
- Meeting Long Island with the
mainland, has been completed.
This important work completes the
plans for improvements in and around
New York, which were projected by
the late A. j. Cassatt when he was
president of the Pennsylvania railroad
and which have caused an expenditure
Of $150,000,000.
The New York Connecting railroad,
built jointly by the Pennsylvania rail
road and the New York, New Haven
and Hartford railroad, connects these
two railroads and thereby forms an im-
portant link in the railroad system
along the Atlantic coast Ii establishes
Il continuous all rail route from Canada
and the New England states via New
York city to the south and west.
The New FORK Connecting: railroad
runs as Il four track route from a point
about one-half mile north of the Port
Morris station of the Harlem division
of the New Haven road, in the Bronx,
to Astoria, in Long Island City, cross
ing the Bronx Kill, Little He'll Gate
and the East river at Hell Gate by way
of Randall's and Ward 5 islands. From
Astoria the passenger trains will run
into Sunnyside yard of the Pennsylya-
mia railroad in Long Island City and
thence through the East river tunnels
into the Pennsylvania terminal at Thir-
ty-fourth street, New York city.
One Section Cost $4,000, 900.
The He'll Gate bridge is part of ten
mile project, and of this the East river
division alone represents an outlay OF
S27 100000 and covers a stretch of
three and a half miles. The massive
span has cost $12O00000. 1t is an in
teresting illustration of what up to
date American railroads are willing to
spend in order TO please their patrons
and to shorten runs. The East river is
a much bridged waterway, but from an
engineering standpoint none Of the
other bridges is to be compared with
the newest span.
The entire project was conceived
more than ten years ago when railroad
men turned their minds to the problem
of speeding passenger traffic through
New York city and of fastening freight
through or around the metropolis with
out increasing the congestion existing
even then. To help them to a solution
they called to. their aid the best engi-
neering talent. The outcome of the
combined studies of the experts was a
route that would allow passenger traffic
fro, 0Ia nd m 40
through the Pennsylvania terminal on
Manhattan, using both the Hudson and
the East river tubes, while freight
trains would traverse the borough Of
Queens and Brooklyn to the Bay Ridge
shore, where they would be ferried
across the bay TO the Greenville piers.
The whole line was fairly plain sailing
with the exception of one staggering
obstacle, He'll Gate
"Could II Be Done7" It Could.
The character of that waterway Of
fered natural difficulties enough, and
these were augmented by the volume
of traffic threading that tortuous, tur-
bulent route. 1t was impossible to build
false works which might interfere with
shipping. and to be profitable it was nee
essary that the bridge should be wide
enough and strong enough to carry four
tracks and to bear the burden Of heay-
lily laden trains. Here was an economic
prerequisite that was enough to baik
the best engineering cunning. and yet
If the project was to pay a bridge of
that capacity had to be provided.
Could it be done? There was moth
ing in the way OF a precedent 10 an
swer The question. The whole scheme
hinged upon the building OF this par
ficular link. and that seemed to most
people quite impraciicable. Not so.
however, 10 Gustav Lindenthal. the
engineer. How well he planned and
how well the workers wrought is evil
deDced today.
MIR Iindenihal has modest way OF
speaking of this latest monument 10
his technical skill. ITO an engineer
one bridge differs from another only In