Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-12-27
For a Memorial Bridge.

Washington is to have a memorial bridge. Tt is to be erected
across the Potomac river connecting the Lincoln Memorial with the
Lee mansion. The plans were recently inspected by President
Coolidge who spent half an hour looking over the design. 1t IS
claimed that it will be the most beautiful bridge in the world.
A short time ago there was dedicated at Wilmington, Della
ware what is known as the Washington Memorial Bridge crossing
the B~randywine creek. This is also a beautiful structure. It's TO
feet long and 70 feet wide. 1t is largely of reinforced concrete.
Each small pylon on the bridge bears a bronze name plate; each
large pylon bears two eagles, two shields, and a bronze memorial
tablet The bridge is lighted by twenty-eight electric arc lights on
lampposts along edge of sidewalks, twelve electric incandescent
lights in bronze lanterns on pylons, and two incandescent lights on
souther,y stairway.
Last summer a bridge across the mouth of the Piscataqua river
az Portsmouth, New Hampshire, connecting the states of Maine
and New Hampshire, was dedicated as a memorial to the soldiers
from those two states who died in the World War. This is a two
s 2ibion dollar structure; it is 1900 feet long from shore to shore
Y del has a lift draw $50 feet in height.
sto Memorial bridges are growing in popularity. Bridges have
lwen a favorite form of memorial in Europe for many years. A
lsnd re offers SO many possibilities. 1t stands out distinctly against
Etorlandscape; it can be seen from a great distance, and it can be
Of 4 as ornamental as there are funds to pay for the ornaments.
TnNew Jersey has a wonderful opportunity to erect a state
ooooyyttoral to the New Jersey boys who fought in the World War
PAM construction of the highway bridge across the Raritan river
J Won the Amboys. Here is a bridge that is to cost nearly four
s%1insaon dollars without any special ornamentations at all. 1t is
8 lrresly within the state, spanning the largest river within the
tate at its broadest part thus making it entirely a state affair. 1t
- A.,
! lis a part of the states most travelled highway being ON the dire
route between the great metropolitan district of New York and
environs and the coast resorts. Thus it is crossed not only by
thousands Of residents Of New Jersey every year, but by tourists
from all parts of the country. 1t is located almost in the center
of the state and forms the connecting link between North and
South Jersey thereby doing away with any jealousy that might
exist between the two sections of the state. Furthermore, the
bridge would be in plain sight of the thousands OF passengers on
the New York and Long Bral ch railroad and would be pointed
out from the car window as New Jerseys memorial to her sons
who fought that democracy might live.
In fact, this bridge has so many advantages for a state
memorial that if New Jersey is ever to make good her pledge to the
Jerseymen who served their country in France this is the one op-
portunity. A resolution passed by the legislature formally declar-
ing the bridge to be the state memorial, and an act appropriating
the money necessary to add the decorative features and the tablets
would give New Jersey one of the handsomest war memorials in
the country. and a memorial that would be seen, perhaps, by more
people o. the entire country than any other memorial erected out
side of Washington. The opportunity to make this state highway
bridge across the Rartan river the state memorial to the New
Jersey boys who fought in the World War ought not to be lost,