The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1922-09-30

The Louisville & Nashville Rail
road is about to begin the conGtruc-
tion of a modern steel and concrete
bridge to replace the wooden struc-
ture it has used to loss the Rlgolets.
Surveys and plans for the bridge are
complete, and perintendent john
Bose has been authorized by Presl-
dent Mapother to announce work on
the bridge will begin as soon as ma
terial and operatives can be assem-
bled. The construction of the bridge
is expected to require two years.
The New Orleans end of the new
bridge will not be more than 100 feet
from the corresponding end of the
wooden bridge. The other end how
ever, will be considerably further
from the eastern end of the present
structure The change will tend to
straignten out curve IN the tracks
which now exists between Rlgolets
and English Lookout. The straight
ening of this curve will expedite the
work on that section of the road. 1t
will call for a straight realignment of
the right of way beyond the Rigolets.
The new bridge is designed to meet
special requirements similar to those
existing at Chef MenteCr and if the
new type is found satisfactory during
the procedure of construction, the L..
& n. plans to build a similar one
across the Chef.
Mr.. Mapother's Statement.
The statement authorized by Mr..
Mapother follows:
''The new bridge will be 1895 feet
long The approaches to 1t will be
10000 feet long.
'"There will be eight large steel
truss spans, each $50 feet long, with
one draw span of Ala feet.
st will require 16,879,000 pounds
of steel to construct the bridge. The
largest span will weigh 100000
pounds. The piers supporting the
steel bridge work will be of unusual
form, especially designed to with
stand wind, current and waves, dur
ing violent tropical hurricanes. They
will be 34 feet in diameter, placed 70
feet below the bottom of Rigolets
Pass. The piers will be constructed
of concrete strongly and heavily re-
inforced with hundreds of steel rods.
Each pier will contain about 1900
cubic yards of concrete and weighing
100000 pounds.
This enormous structure work is
estimated to cost So, 900. 1t will
take about two years to complete It..
Hope to Stand All Storms.
''The piers and superstructures
have been designed to stand any
storms which have heretofore occur
red on this coast but it is impossible
to predict the violence of storms
which may occur in the future, and 1t
may be that storms of such violence
may hereafter occur which would de-
stroy any bridge which it is practlca-
bic to build.
Notwithstanding this possible risk
and the very great cost and serious
difficulties of building a substantial
bridge over the Rigolets, the Louis
vile and Nashville will undertake it's
construction, and will build bridge
capable of carrying any locomotive
now in use.
'The project is voluntarily under
taken by the Louisville and Nashville.
No question concerning the sutficien-
cy and safety of the existing struc-
ture or the existing operating prac-
tices are involved. AS result of
careful investigation the present
structures across the Rigolets and
Chef Menteur were found to be per-
fectly safe and the operating and
maintenance practices all that could
be desired in the interest Of safety
from the public standpoint"