New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-29
Cables Slip,
But BROOKLYN
Bridge Is Safe
tcons!nu1d from pac. ore)

; Martin said. considering the caeapness.
elasticity and adaptability of tunnels
mr. Martin quoted the late Henry w.
T hodge IN saying that in order to iusti-
~ the immense cost Of bridge a
/ GREAT amount Of traffic over a wide
neighborhood had to be diverted to it
1t must do more than meet present
conditions, he said, to be adequate, be-
cause Of the steady increase in traffic.
Both the William sburg and the Man
haitian bridges were outgrown before
/ they were completed
Tunnels can be built at the foot Of
every street, if need be, and form con-
tlnuations of the streets, doing away
with the overhead land structures of
the big bridges, Mr.. Martin said. They
can be added to one by one as needed
{ and provide the maximum of traffic
room.
So long as the load is properly dis
tr-butcd, the Brooklyn Bridge is safe.
M. Martin said. The Roeblines gave
much attention to weight distribution
nc added, and even worked out the plan
Tor the cable cars that first crossed it
50 that their movement was balanced
AS one car went up the grade of the
bridge toward the center, another was
acting as a counterbalance by going
down grade. Starting with one car,
the cable line was gradually increased
with the growth of traffic. first two
cars, then three, until now the B. R. T.
is operating siX-car trains.
Mr.. Lindenthal, who said the cid
bridge should be rebuilt to meet pres
ent needs, also said it was quite safe
when properly regulated. The cables
might, II it were necessary, be Sc
cured by clamps on top Of the towers,
or in some other way. Regarding the
slipping he said:
"It shows that the cables can ad-
just themselves to strain. 1t is quite
unusual for this to occur, however.
The so-called slack of the Brooklyn
Bridge cables is much Stacker than on
the Manhattan Bridge or the, Viii.
liamsburg Bridge, and this may have
had something to do with the move
inert"
Mr.. Lindenthal, who was the first
engineer to be made Commissioner of
Bridges and who was appointed by
Mayor Seth Low, said that the rebuild
ing OF the Brooklyn Bridge had been
! discussed twenty years AGO and that he
had drawn up some plans then. The
: Brooklyn Bridge was never intended
for motor trafic, and neither was the
Williamsburg Nor the Manhattan
bridge, he said.
II le;leve Brooklyn Bridge can be
rebuilt to use the stone tow'.~s and the
old cables" Mr.. Lindenthal explained.
ut can be made much wider by erecting
additional towers, and made to accom-
modate three CT four times the present
traffic.
Towers Carrying Their Limit
Taking off heavy motor traffic has
relieved the present strain, but the
bridge is not strong enough to carry a
modern flooring. The stone towers
are carrying their limit of load now.
| looked at the bridge a year ago and
it seemed to be - sod condition and
repair
after policeman discovered twelve
broken suspender bars in 1901, and
promptly stopped all traffic, I worked
cut a system of continuous inspection
when l was appointed commissioner.
Since then there has been no probable
ity of serious danger"
One thing Mr.. Lindenthal discovered
during his commissionership was that
the stone towers moved back and
fourth about half an inch.
More, than 100000 persons a day
travel over the Brooklyn Bridge re-
port filed with the Transit Commits
sion for November IT, 1921, shows that
SCI elevated trains, 2,719 surface cars
md 106,SG6 passengers passed from
Bro oklyn to Manhattan in twenty-four
hours. and SCI trains. 2,713 trolloys
and 9416S passengers passed from
Manhattan to Brooklyn.
Once Riva!ed Niagara Falls
The famous bridge, the pictures, the
reproductions and souvenirs of which
l. 1.
corners of the globe. on:a rivaled
for travellers. 1t was named in all up
to-date lists of the seven wonders of
the world, matching the Colossus of
Rhodes and other marvels of the an
clients. In later years it became IA
nous in another way-for its notorious
bridge jams" Travellers to New Yorl;
visited Park Row at $3.50 P. NJ. to
watch traffic choking through the meek
Of the bottle to Brooklyn.
The bridge was opened May "a, 1888,
string of elephants from Barnum &
| Baiey's circus being among the first
o test its stability. 1t was intended
for pedestrians. and horse vehicles,
with q c.ble-car service, to assist the
East liver ferryboats in handling
traffic.
The FIRST trolley wen. over the bid re
| December 81, 1897. In 1905 the B. f.
4 T. issued a notice that the limit Of
safety had been reached for the transit
| lines.
The bridge cost about S25,ooOo 00 1t
is 1873 feet above the water, 6,016 feet
eng. the main snrn being 1895 feet.
The towers are 272 feet high, the four
caoies each 1913 feet long and 15M
inches thicks containing more than
5000 wires. The cables are spun out
castings, which are held down by
masonry anchorages 100 feet high,
200 feet LONG and 120 feet wide.