The New York herald., 1922-07-30
WHALEN SUGGESTS
$S0,OOO,OO0 BRIDGE
Roebling, Builder, Says Cable
Slipping on Span Is False
Alarm and Was Intended.
GOOD FOR 100. YEARS
City Commissioner Favors New
Structure From About 23d
Street to Greenpoint.

Fifty. million. dollars is the price
which the city authorities have In
mind as the cost of a sixth bridge
across the East River Ito permit the
rebuilding of the old Brooklyn Bridge"
The proposed location is north OF the
Williamsburg Bridge. possibly In the
neighborhood Of Twenty-third street
and Greenpoint.
These and some other facts were
made known yesterday by Grover A.
Whalen, Commissioner Of Plant and
Structures, who had been responsible
for letter to Mayor Hyian calling
attention to the state Of the Brooklyn
Bridge cables. one of which has slipped
sidewise one and three-qparter inches
and another one-half inch.
Mr.. Whalen had suggested the call
ing Of special meeting of the Board
of Estimate to consider the matter.
1t is improbable. it was ascertained,
that such meeting will be called.
The next regular meeting of the board
will be in October.
There has been considerable surprise
In administration circles al the reaction
following Mr.. Whalen's statement to
Mayor Hylan. A diversity Of opinion
among engineers had been expected
1t was i,t anticipated, however. that
such statements as that made by Col
Washington A. Roebling. head of John
A. Roebling's Sons Company. which
Al. <@11 or
quickly on the original announcement
Col. Roebling said:
| "They say the big cable slipped. That
is just what the designers and con.
structors intended 1t should do. If that
| big cable had not slipped one end OF
| the. bridge would have fallen down
| There IL no need of rebuilding the
bridge for 1t will last for 100 or 2i
| years."
"CabIes Cannot Slip"
| Col Roebling wrote a letter to THE
NEW YORK HERALD in which he said
1T is impossible for a cable to slip in
its saddle. The saddles rest on rollers
| enabling them to move back and forth
and equalize variations of tension be-
| tween the main span and land spans
1
thousand times.
when the bridge was opened in 1888
and the first great crowd filled the main
span. all of the eight saddles moved
toward the main span. as was expected
One saddle moved over u inches, pair
! ~ inches, others less-none ever return
to the original positions, as Is also ex-
! pected. These different rates of motion
are due 10 the fact that cables are built
| by human hands and no four cables car
| be built alike In every respect.
'ln order to allow for these forward
movements, all saddles are originally
placed a certain distance back of the
center of the saddle plate. so that the
resultant pressure strikes within thu
base of the footings OF the tower. Dur
ing the building of these cables the sad.
dies have to be .rigidly blocked. wher
the blocking is finally removed. they al
move little differently until they find
their equilibrium.
owing to the salt air in Brooklyn
rusting and scaling is inevitable. This
together with other dirt impedes the
roller motion. This impairs the constant
maintenance of a balance, but the sta.
bility of the tower is ample to provide
for this condition.
THE bridge cables are as good a,
new to-day. They should last hundred
years or more. Whether New York cit,
is prepared to expend $50 10000 to s25
0oo. GOO for an additional bridge l am no
prepared to say. Many factors have t
be considered In such a project. Yes
terday. after many attempts. / finally
managed to call up the Engineer o
Bridges Of New York city, who assured
me that nothing had happened"
Col Roebiing built the bridge from
designs and plans made by his father
who did not live to see the BrooklyI
| Bridge completed. He had received
reports on the condition OF the bridg,
| from his own engineers.
Commissioner whalen Is in thorough