The Topeka state journal., 1922-11-01
Greatest Bridge EDer
Conceived No1U Being
Planned by NelD York
VIII Span Hudson From Center of City Weehawken,
New Jersey and VIII Be Most Stupendous Engineering
Work Yet Observation-Disclosures More Tons of Steel
Than All of the Bridges Over the Ohio, Missouri and
Mississippi Combined and Will Take Is Years to Build


Washington, Oct. 26.@The proposed
North River bridge, spanning the
Hudson from the center of New York
City to Weehawken, n. J., will be, with
its connections and terminals, 'the
most stupendous engineering work yet
undertaken, surprising in that respect
and also in final cost the Panama
canal" according to representative
Alderman, of New Jersey The plans
call for a single span of 5000 feet,
without a single pier in the river, hung
on four immense cables suspended
from terminal towers 6S5 feet high, or
13O feet higher than the famed Wash
ington Monument in this city
The bridge will contain 100000
tons of steel, which is twice as much
as in all the five well known East
River bridges combined, and which
far exceeds the tonnage of steel in ali
the existing bridges spanning the
Ohio, Missouri and Mississippi rivers
combined!
The Hudson River bridge would
contain more than ten times the tom
mage of the stupendous quebec bridge,
in Canada, which is the longest span
in North America, and which took
IT wears to build. 1t would contain
thirty times as much steel as there is
in the great Brooklyn bridge, ha1led
for many years as the greatest work
of man, and would require ten times
the tonnage OF steer IN lhe 0COlCh
bridge over the Firth of Forth, the
largest steel bridge in the world.
These and other breath-taking facts
concerning the proposed construction
the authority for which is included IN
a bill now pending before congress,
are contained in Mr. Ackerman's re-
marks printed in the Congressional
Record as a part of the record OF
the debate on the bill in the house OF
representatives. The bill was before
afo
Der %.
Fifteen Years To Build.
In return for the immense cost, the
great amount of labor and engineering
involved, and the fifteen years est1-
mated as the minimum time required
to build the gigantic bridge. Congress
man Ackerman presented many ad-
vantages to be derived.
Automobiles and motor trucks
would be able to cross from New YORK
to New Jersey in a few minutes in
stead of being held up for hours as is
now the case.
A saving in the cost of delivery and
a certainty of supplies, fuel, food and
other necessities to the metropolis
would result.
Reduction in shipping costs to and
from the port of New York, and con-
sequent benefit to the nations com
merce, would follow.
Thru rail connections from the
north and south, east and west Woulo
be possible, as railroad tracks Would
occupy one level of the structure, thus
giving greater speed and convenience
of travel with e11rn1nation or some uH-'
necessary costs.
Besides allowing for greater busi-
ness expansion and home building IN
New Jersey and along the HUDSON,
the bridge would offer in time of war
an important element of safely ana
efficiency.
The history of the efforts to con-
struct the bridge goes as far back as
1880, when an act incorporating a
company to build the bridge was
approved.
Won't Cost Government a Cent.
The bridge is not to cost the federal
government a cent 1t is to be erected
by the same engineers who built the
HeIfI Gate Arch bridge, with finances
New Jersey. The only federal par
ticipation is in authorizing its erection
over tide water, which is under gov
ernment control.
Litigation, injunction and other fac
tors have prevented actual construc-
ton since 1890. Work was started on
the New Jersey foundations in 1898,
but persons Lying in the vicinity
stopped work with an Injunction. COM
planning of the noises of drills and
blasting. The money panic of that
year also had hand in stopping the
work, and before railroad finances
had settled down ten years had
elapsed. Later the World war caused
another delay; but now. it was said,
everything is ready to go ahead.
In the meantime, the plans for the
bridge have been greatly changed.
Traffic has increased by leaps and
bounds. The present plans call for a
bridge four times greater than the
original. A new location also had to
be found because the center of the
city had moved farther north, and
instead of being located at Twenty
third street, as first planned, the New
York terminal will be at about Fifty
seventh street.
$50 Feet Above Water.
For the present structure there will
be sixteen deep foundations of eighty
feet diameter from 12O to 200 feet
below the surface to rock. which alone
will require several years work Many
other new problems must be met. The
bridge will hang $50 feet above water
level in the center, to allow the pas
sage of vessels. The solid rock forma-
rions at the terminal points will give
sufficient depth for the strongest
foundations. The New York terminal
is in almost a direct line with the
Queensborough bridge across the East
river to Long Island, which will make
a direct line of travel from New Jer-
sey to Brooklyn
The cable towers. each covering an