The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-09-10
TO STRENGTHEN
EAST ABUTMENI
Conference as to Chester
field-BrattlebOro
Bridge
TOWER SUPPORTING
CABLES TIPPING
Unequal Stress on Gables, but Anchor
ages Secure-Abutment Settling. Prob
ably Because of Undermining - Large
Crack i'm Masonry.

>
Crack in Masonry.
That the Brattleboro-C Chesterfield sus-
pension bridge must be strengthened att
once was the decision reached yesterday
afternoon at a conference between thel
selectmen of the two towns, which was
attended by Engineer John w. Storrs
of Concord. y. H., and Attorney Philip
Faulkner of Keene, representing the,
Chesterfield selectmen.
The conference was held in the select
mems room in the town hall building
here the full boards being present. con-
sisting of Harold +. Randall, Roger c.
Spaulding and George \. Tuttle of Ches-
terfield and :. y. Richmond, w. L. Stell
man and Freeman Scott of BrattleborO.
As it appeared that the north part Of
the New Hampshire abutment had
cracked off and was settling it was voted
/ to instruct Mr.. StOrrs to make soundingS
and estimate the cost of strengthening
the east abutment and to prepare Spcci-
tications and plans from which bids VIII
( be asked.
! To make the desired repairs it will be
necessary to build a cofferdam and en-
large the abutment by building on To the
north and west sides sufficient to prevent
/ further settling The anchorages to
which the cables are attached are sup
posed to be ample The one on the Yer
( :cont end is known to be sufficient. as 1t
lis a big ledge. The anchorage at the
! New Hampshire end Is of masonry.
\ crack appeared in the east abutment
last Near. probably due To an undermIn-
ing of the abutment. As the north sec
tion has continued to settle the crack has
widened being about four inches wide
in places This settling has thrown out
of plumb the north tower supporting the
cables at the east end of the bridge 1t
has been discovered also that the stress
on the cables is not equal. some carrying
5 q heavier load than others and no way
is known for equaliZing the stress.
d This bridge was erected by the Berlin
Construction Co in 1SSS-S9. and while ii
was ample for the traffic of that time 1t Is
not a. substantial as would be built Il
care for present-day traffic. However
, there is little doubt that if the towers can
% be kent from tipping over and the abut
mpnt strengthened to prevent further
settling it will stand for Il long time.
Court action has been begun in New
p Hampshire to have all of the towns II
= Cheshire county share in the expense o
, a new bridge when one Is built. and {
, part of the expense will be borne by
= Rrattleboro. There * no fixed rule a,
to what part of the expense this towT
| shall bear but when the present bridge
: was voted for Brattleboro appropriated
- 81. 800 and Chesterfield $4,000. and it i
p the understanding of the town official.
. that each town finally paid a little more
e The bridge is $40 feet long. which IS al
e most as long a. the Brattleboro-H -Hinsdalt
- bridge.
y record of the number of cars pasSin'
. over the bridge was kept on five days th'
: past summer. On July the number o
l. vehicles crossing in Is hours was 662
V On the four other days the number wa
;. between 400 and 500.