The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-08-07
Concrete Structure Across
> West River in Memory
of Soldiers
NEW BRIDGE THERE =
NECESSARY SOON

Have New Project Go Over West
River Railroad Bridge State Aid Is
Available.
Editor of The Reformer:
As you have from time to time through
your valuable publication invited thoughts
and suggestions touching upon the subject
matter of suitable memorial erected by
Brattleboro in honor of the noble men
and women who gave their all to the call
of duty in the great world war, / would
beg your indulgence for short article
to present subject. that to my mind may
be worthy of consideration before decid
ing fully upon just what is best to do.
Ny suggestion involves the building of
memorial bridge across West River to
take the place of the present woodeovered
bridge at the mouth OF West river.
We are confronted today with two fea-
lures connected with the West River
highway bridge that have become serious
| and which will soon become a subject cali
ing for radical changes. First, the bridge
| itself, because of the heavy traffic to
| which it is now subjected, is fast de-
veloping signs of weakness; second, the
approach to the south end of the bridge
| is as near a death trap, as many travellers
| have asserted, as we like to contemplate
| The town of Brattleboro will soon have
| to recognize these two features III no un-
certain way, and to my mind we should
| anticipate these matters before we meet
| the calamity of entirely losing the pres
ent bridge, or an accident happens at that
bridge entrance that may case gloom
over our entire community
| The building of safe bridge upon the
| present site would be the height of folly
because it is not reasonable that sharp
curve at the foot of hill and the en-
trance to a bridge could ever be made
safe for the magnitude of the present
traffic, and it is bound to increase There
fore putting these facts together we are
| led to consider radical change and /
/ want to suggest that change
| My plan, taken from a superficial view,
and / feel confident that engineering de-
/ tails would verify my statement, would
involve the building of a masonry bridge,
beginning about on a grade with the Eat
| on house on the South, crossing on that
| elevation over the West River railroad
and reaching the high point of ledge near
the Bradley farm entrance. nsz-ss Z.
This project has no engineering prob
lens of any note, and it has many fea
lures of merit, of which i will mention
a few.
First. the alignment would be perfect
from the Eaton house to the Bradley farm
| harm +horah,- oil
that adorn the present highway in max
ing the same distance ~
Second, it would abolish the grade al
the north end of the present bridge, also
lone third of the gradesof Eaton hill be
sides avoiding passing under the Yesi
river railroad with less than II feet head
room
Third, along the site proposed, Nature
has provided solid rock very near the sur
face, that can sustain any kind of struc
ture, thus doing away with all expensive
preparation for a firm foundation.
Fourths the necessary elevation of sucf
bridge would admit of grand proper
tions of the structure and would admit
as well an opportunity for architecture
beauty
Fifth, the expense could be financed il
several ways and / would suggest the fol
lowing:
Some financial and engineering aid i
available from the state The town o
Rrattleboro will soon have to fnanc,
some kind of bridge and. that amour
should be available for a new project o
this character The loyal citizens 8
Brattleboro I feel assured would pay th
extra cost for such ornamentations in tn
construction necessary to make it trul,
: memorial bridge rather than a mere traffi
bridge. ~ -f
J To my mind memorial should involv
, first, stability; second, grandeur; third
architectural beauty; fourth, permanen
utility. This project comprises all thes
, features. and more than that it would b
; surrounded with becoming appropriate
| ness ltszes ses-fs, g
1t may be asserted with considerabl
emphasis that the highway approache
| to a town impress the travelling publ
Il in a foreeful way, and the better the az
proaches the better the impression. Tn
trunk line road to the south may 500
be completed, and with bright prospec
of federal road from Brattleboro to Be
lows Falls it is easy to foresee that tn
one veal, link between the state line an
Bellows Falls will be the crossing at Yves
river.
= In closing I would emphasize again tn
/ necessity of making the West river bridg
| and it's south approach much safer thal
! at present, and / would repeat, why no
make our necessity for a safe bridge
, component part of memorial bridge
Able designers would furnish us design
that would be entirely fitting to commem