The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1917-03-17
CHAPTER IV-Continued.

was summer and the sun had set, but
the long twilight of the high latitude
|1still fingered. Before him rose the 81
gantic structure of the bridge. For all
pitts airiness II looked as substantial as
1.-THE Rock Of Gibraltar, and it looked
Yeven more substantial if possible, as
THE man, Selling a lantern and, for
|Igetting his weakness, ran down be-
meath the Overarching steel TO the pier
head, climbed up to the shoe, and
ICawled out on the lower chord as rap
Mildly as he could.
Meade needed but one glance to see
1.-the detection from the right line in
the important member. For all his
years of ineXperienCe he was a better
trained engineer than rOugh-and-reudy
Abbott. What appeared to the latter
Las a slight detection, Meade saw in its
IItrue relation. There was variation
lin the center of the member of an
+akinch and a half at least, although IN
noticeable to an unframed eye. 1t had
u al come In the last week. They had
n extended the suspended span far out
| beyond the edge of the cantilever and,
with the heavy traveller at the end,
the downward pressure on the great
lower chord members had greatly in
creased.
II was a terribly heavy bridge at
n best Ii had to be to sustain so long a
ID span, the longest in the world. And
the load, continuous and increasing,
had brought about this, to the layman
I'd uifing, to the engineer mighty, bend. If
LII Il bent that way under that much Of q
load, what would 1t do when the whole
|htGeat span was completed and it had
b 10 carry Its transitOry loads of traffic
beside?
Ell When two different views meet It is
IA Natural that age, experience, reputa-
be don and authority shall carry the day.
. Although Bertram Meade, Jr., had
never been persuaded in all particu-
he lars of the sOundness of his fathers
design, and could not be persuaded.
De hat vast experience, that great repu-
ation, that undOubted ability with its
long record of brilliant achievement
had at last sienced him. He had ac-
eepted through loyalty that which he
could not accept in argument. Once
accepted he acted accordingly, heart
ly seconding and carrying out the
wishes Of the older and, as the world
would say, the ADLER man.
The thing that smOte the engineer /
hardest was that this weakness was
exactly what he had foreseen and .
pointed out. 1t was the possibility of .
the inability of this great member to /
carry the stress that young Meade had |
deduced by using the formula of |
Schmidt-Chemnitz. 1t was this point,
and this point particularly, that he
had dwelt upon with his father and
which they had argued to finish. So
strongly had he been impressed with
me possible structural weakness of
mis- member that he had put himself
\ On record In writing to his father. The
oid man had oyerbOrne him and now
The little curve, one and a half to one
and three-quarter inches in sixty feet.
established the accuracy of his I'M
needed contention. VaInly now he
wished he had not let the old habit of
anection and the little touch of awe
Win which he regarded his father Der
suade him against his reason.
DE stopped, feeling suddenly III. as
very nervous high-strung man NAV ;
ieei under the sudden and unexpected
PHYSICAL shock. He was weak still !
IRON the tOnsilitis. He leaned against
me diagonal at the end of C-1O-R /;
enngng to 1t tightly to keep from fall
ing Abbott, who had followed more
slowly, stopped by him. somewhat sur {
p'lsed, somewhat amused, more indip-
nant than both.
ABBOTT" said Meade fiercely as tho {
eiecung engineer Joined him ON the I
reiheau' If you put another pound of
'oau on that cantilever l will not be I
@usweraoie for the consequences"
Nnat do you mean?' .
Anal detection is nearly two inches I
Yep now and every ounce or pound Of ;
aaueo weight you put upon ii will make 5
greater. Its limit will be reached !
ausnty soon. If it collapses-" he ,
uile" up his hands-"the whole thing
viii 60" tAi'Ns
Yes, If it collapses. that's true /
'aid Abbott, but 1t won't"
You're mad" said Meade TAKING
unfortunately the wrong course with !
the older man.
Why, boy" said Abbott, that bridge
VIII stand as long as creation. Look
IL. That buckle doesn't amount n
nything. 1t is only in one truss any.
way. The corresponding member IN
NE other truss is perfectly straight"
ABBOTT, for Gods sake, hear mo F."
aeaded Meade In desperation. DRAW
acx the traveller and put no more men
@the bridge. Stop work until we can ,
vi word to" ,,
pont talk to me, boy. know nv ,
mess. tell you can jack 1t back. :
members big enough and strong )
sh to hold up the world"
"nat are you going to lack h
10y Meade asked, and for the .
ume little Of Abbott's contemnt q
ed In the younger mans voice. 3
reflected that there was moth n