The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-02-19
.STORRS WRITES
OF TWO BRIDGES
West River Structure I'm
slightly but of Ample
Strength
$4,000 TO REPLACE
SUSPENSION BRIDGE
would Give 21-FOOt Roadway and In
ciude Reinforcement of Abutments =
Present Structure Unsuitable for Mo-
tor Trucks and Modern Traffic

reports by Consulting Engineer John
W. Storrs OF Concord, y H. to the Sc
lectmen of Brattleboro and Chesterfield
concerning two bridges which he re-
Gently inspected, namely, the West River
bridge and the suspension bridge cross
ing the Connecticut river. make interest
ing reading.
Concerning the West River bridge. Mr..
Storrs reports that it is of sufficient
strength to withstand almost anv load
so there is not cause for worry as IN
the safety of the structure. but at the
same time the engineer recognizes tile
iact that the bridge is unsightly and rec
ommends that steps be taken with the
idea OF renewal or replacement. He
writes to the selectmen:
All of your citizens are familiar with
the unsIghtly and the distorted appear-
ahce OF this structure. 1t is a fact. how
ever, lhat calculations of the arches and
Fods determine tlat they are of sufic-
tent strength to carry almost any load
1HdG , hllght be Drought upon the bridge
ne floor OF the bridge must be Kept
suitable and IN good condition The
changes and renewals that are proposed
shotlld make the floor good; then as long
as the arches are kept in good condition
ana IN their present position YOU need
have little anxiety but that the strnc-
ture will carry loads answering the sta
tutory requirements
Inns does not mean that the West
BIEer bridge Is a good bridge or that it
Is suitable structure for modern high
way trattlc, and steps should be taken at
once with the idea of renewal or re-
placement"
Concerning the suspension bridge Fngi-
heef Stofrs has written the Chesterfield
seleetment two letters, the first to the
effect that there is not an economical
way OF strengthening the bridge, and the
second giving an estimate Of the cost
OF new one, which he places at So
000
The first letter, in which it is stated
that the structure is not suitable for
modern traffic, follows:
This bridge is said to have been built
in 1889 BY the Berlin Bridge Co, of East
Berlin, Conn 1t is single span. $50
feet long. 1t consists of a floor system
suspended by fourteen / ID inch wire
cables. seven cables on each side of the
bridge brought together after passing
over the towers at each end of the
bridge. The floor system Is suspended
by. l-S-inch iron rods, which pass through
a loop about the cable and are attached
to the floor beams. These floor beams
are eight feet apart throughout the en-
tire length of the bridge The floor
inch angles. Between these floor beams
inch thick plate and four Pinch BY ~
inch angles. Between these floor beams
are 3-inch by S-inch wood stringers On
top of these stringeTs is laid a 3-inch
wood plank floor, making roadway Is
feet wide
The cables are not in perfect adjust
ment, and the ice in the river during
high water has broken off some of the
ends of the iron yokes supporting the
floor beams. There are no means of de-
termining Just what condition the an
chOrs are in or Just what loads they
were expected to take care of 1t will
be noted that this bridge has been in
service over 80 years. and it was un-
doubtedly built with the idea of taking
care of slow moving loads not in ex-
cess of five or six tons evenly distrib-
even II there was no deterioration, it is
evident that it is not a suitable struc-
ture for motor trucks and modern traf-
fc.
There is no economical way OF
this kind of a bridge and
improvement can be made only by re-
newal or replacement.
In regard to the cost of new bridge
Mr.. StOrrs writes the Chesterfield Sc
lectmen as follows:
We are sending you an estimate for
building a bridge on the old masonry and
at the present location of the suspen-
sion bridge.
This bridge to have a 21-foot clear
width of roadway, hard pine plank floor
with coal tar wearing surface with pipe
railing on either side of the roadway
at cost of $4,000 This would include
driving piles in front of the easterly
abutment and facing both abutments
with concrete reinforced with steel"