Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-03-31
Holly Beach
Bridge is De
Clared Safe

The Board of Chosen F~reeholders
met Wednesday afternoon at 100 at
the Office of County Solicitor Palmer
Way and threshed out finally and
definitely the much mooted question
of the condition of the Rio Grande
drawbridge, which has stirred the
county for a week past.
According to evidence submitted at
the meeting of the Board the ques-
tion of the condition of the bridge
originated from the residents at the
bridge. Their report was received by
the chairman of the bridge committee,
William Stein. who in turn made his
report to the county engineer. These
reports stated that there were holes
in the supporting cylinder large
enough to throw a Wheelbarrow in
to-" and that sticks and oars could be
pushed through the steel she'll and
waved about inside without touching
anything. Samuel Campbell, %contrac-
tor. was instructed to secure the SER
vices of a diver which he did from
Captain G.. E. Johnsted, submarine
QlNGT. 1lZ1 N"lOlISOl1lClJ lCCAs L AAo
delphia. This diver went by train to
Millville where he was met by Fiske
Campbell, a son of the contractor, and
was driven to the bridge where, ac-
cording to CampbelIs statement, he
saw him for the first time.
The report of the diver, William j.
Gannan, was produced and Tread. This
report stated that the casing was
badly deteriorated, that there were
holes through which a rod could be
pushed without touching anything, and
that in his opinion immediate repairs
were necessary for the safety of the
public. So alarming was this report
that the county engineer reported an
emergency existed that brooked no
delay and upon the reports of the diver
and engineer the resolution was
adopted to give the contract without
delay for advertising as is permitted
under the law.
In fact, as explained by Solicitor
Way, the act makes it mandatory up
on the board in the case of emergency
to act Immediately without advertis-
ing.
From the time the first divers re-
port was made things began to hap
pen. Immediately after citizens of the
county, among whom was contractor
Israel T. Woolson, doubted the state
ment that the bridge was in an unsafe
condition and Captain Mexican, of
wildwood made an investigation
which proved to himself and others
that the bridge was not unsafe. A
resolution was drawn to be presented
to the Cape May County Chamber of
Commerce meeting at Cape May by
Samuel Lanning. Mr.. Lanning, after
a conference with F~reeholder Norton,
failed to present the resolution deemu
ing it unfair to the Freeholders to
discuss the matter there owing to the
fact that no contract had been signed
and hat the investigation was not
complete. Mr.. Woolson brought the
question up from the floor and the
agitation was increased. 1t was at
this meeting that Mr.. Woolson was
advised to take the matter before the
Grand Jury on Wednesday.
Because of the doubt raised by the
Board, despite the positive report of
diver Canaan, secured the services of
diver William Wilson, an employee of
the Bader Construction Company, now
working ON the Pennsy railway bridge.
The diver was recommended by the
fompany very highly and had no in
terests in the bridge other than to
obey orders to make a true report.
William Essington, field superintend-
ent of the Bader company, first made
an inspection Of the bridge himself
assisted by two of his employees and
found nothing amiss. Then the diver
was sent down and his affidavit stat
ed that he had made a thorough eX-
animation of the cylinder from the
surface of the water to the founda-
ton and found nothing wrong with
the foundations. He used a IL foot
steel rod to probe and eve investi-
gated the bottom, reporting that on
one side the bottom was hard and that
on the other firm but Slightly muddy.
This diver made five trips beneath
the SuIIdC0. pOuT III LuC IlO llllS anu
one to check up in the afternoon, when
the tide was at it's lowest and leaving
only seven feet of water to work in.
His form of affidavit together with the
affidavit of Mr.. Essington showed that
the bridge foundations were and are in
first-class condition.
On Wednesday morning, March 29,
at nine o'clock, the bridge committee
and members of the Board of Free
holders met Contractor Campbell at
the bridge. With Mr.. Campbell was
his son, w. Lowell Campbell, head of
the Campbell company, who in a div
er's suit went down four times and
made an examination as had the pre-
vious divers. Mr.. Campbell made an
entire circuit of the cylinder and re-
ported that there was absolutely moth
ing to indicate that the foundations