The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-10-20

river to Long Island, which will make
direct line Of travel from New Jer-
sey TO Brooklyn.
The cable towers, each covering an
area at the base 200 by 400 feet, rest
ing upon eight caissons 80 feet in
diameter, will be of steel skeletonry
enclosed in masonry, not only for the
esthetic value of the stone but to pro-
tect the steel against the weather. The
masonry would cost less than the ever
increasing cost of keeping the expos
ed steel work painted.
Corrosion is the greatest enemy of
steel in this climate; nature is forever
trying to change steel back to its an
cestor, iron. Therefore the protec-
tiCn from the weather. The painting
of the Firth of Forth bridge requires
perpetual force of thirty painters
year in and year out. After reaching
one end of the bridge in from three to
four years, the painters return to the
other end for the next coat, to save
the structure from corrosion. In the
Hudson river bridge that force of men
would have to be ten times larger, the
expense of maintenance would be
enormous; but with the steel protect
ed there would remain only eight per
cent exposed to the weather.
The four cables which are to bear
the burden of the great weight will
be twelve feet in diameter. They will
be protected by bronze shells.
The doorway will be in two decks,
the upper carrying the promenades,
four surface tracks, and roadway
two and one half times the width of
Fifth avenue. The upper deck will
form fire and waterproof roof over
the lower deck, which will provide
twelve railroad tracks each capable
of carrying the heaviest trains and
locomotives.
The greatest weight which the tow
ers and cables will have to carry will
be the 100000 tons of the suspended
spans; compared with this the live
! loads will be inconsiderable.
The bridge will ordinarily never be
called upon to carry at one time more
than one-fourth the density and max
imum loads for which it was designed,
but it was necessary to provide for a
transportation capacity and trackage
about equal to that of all four high
way bridges over the East river COM
bined. If passed through tunnels that
amount would require thirty tunnels
under the river, in addition to the
present sixteen rapid transit and rail-
road tunnels now existing.
The passenger traffic available over
the North river bridge was estimated
in 1900 at 4O,OOO,0OO a year; for the
year 1910 the estimate is 200,000,O0
not including the 100,000,0OO passeng-
ers who are using the six existing
tunnels under the North river. In
1910 it is estimated there will be 25,-
100000 vehicles passing over the
bridge yearly.
The grades over the bridge would
be less steep than they would have to
be in any sub-river tunnels at this
point.
The materials will be of higher
grades than those used at presnt In
any construction. The steel called for
! in the towers will be fifty per cent
stronger than the steel used in stand
ard structural work. The special
high-grade steel of the eyebar chains
will be 100 per cent stronger than
standard steel.
! At the time the bridge was first
planned the time of completion was
reckoned at ten years, but this has
since been changed to fifteen years.