Palisadian., 1925-08-21
DETAILS OF FIRST BRIDGE SURVEY ON.
LAST MONDAY AFTERNOON Which ARE
OF MUCH INTEREST TO RESIDENTS
Distinguished Party of Men Present When First Survey Is
Made Directly Opposite 1sOth Street in N C.-Bor-
ings of River Bed to Follow Survey-No Speeches
Made, but Pictures Were Taken.

In the presence of Chief Engineer
of the Port Authority W. w. Drinker
and the heads of his staff and Off
cials of the Mackay Hudson River
Bridge Association the formal begin
ming of the surveys to determine the
exact location of the great structure
were made on Monday afternoon
shortly after 8 o'clock.
The spot chosen for the first trian-
gulation was about half mile north
of the Fort Lee road, about hundred
yards from the Hollywood Inn and al
most directly opposite 1S0th street.
This is one of the sites on which,
after the surveys are completed, bor-
ings will be made to determine the
location and character of bedrock on
which the massive piers which will
support the great chains will rest.
Met in New York
The party met on the New York
side of the 125th street ferry at 3
o'clock and, accompanied by small
army of newspaper photographers and
motion picture men, crossed the Hud-
son and took Fort Lee trolley car to
Main street in that town.
From here the journey was made
on foot to a spot on top of the Pali-
sides, 800 feet above the surface of
the river, which had been selected by
Resident Engineer r. H. Hoppen, Jr.,
who is in charge of the field work for
the new bridge.
The official party consisted of the
following Representing the Port of
New York Authority, Chief Engineer
w. w. Drinker; Assistant Chief Engi-
neer w. ]. Boucher; Bridge Engineer,
o. H. Amman; assistant secretary,
w. ]. Vance; resident engineer, R. H.
TToppen, Jr.
The Mackay Hudson River Bridge
Association was represented in the
absence of Senator William B. Mack
ay. Jr., who is at Atlantic City, by
President John B. Zabriskie and EX-
ecutive Secretary ]. w. Binder.
Mark in the Rock
Arrived at the spot selected,
mark which had previously been
fixed in the rock by the scouts of the
Port Authority was located, and the
transit instrument of the engineers
was set up with it's pendulum directly
over the center of the mark.
After the blue-shirted engineers had
properly leveled and adjusted the in
strument Chief Engineer Drinker took
a hand and, fixing the telescope di-
rectly upon a point across the river
the "exact opposite" or shortest dis
tance between the two points.
The angle and readings having been
recorded by the proper persons whose
job it is to keep the exact records, the
news photographers got busy, and for
the next ten minutes the party was in
their hands.
Numerous pictures were snapped OF
the engineering staff and its chiefs,
and finally a group picture was made
of the entire party.
There were no speeches. The chief
engineer and his staff are not given
to loquacity eve have been busily
at work since the first of July getting
the necessary facts and information
10 lOCdIS anu Dullu Illlo luSC' w .
will continue this work and make our
recommendation to the Commission
ers of the Port Authority. There the
work of the staff ends" This was all
that Chief Engineer Drinker had to
say.
The Work Ahead
Judge John B. Zabriskie and Execu-
tive Secretary Binder of the Bridge
Association were gratified at witness
ing the actual beginning of the survey
work. 1t was an evidence that their
efforts and those of their associate
members of the association had not
been in vain.
They agreed that the work of the
association from this time out was to
see that the 100000 pledged by the
states of New York and New Jersey
in the formal compact passed in the
last legislative session was actually
made by each state.
"If that is done," said Judge Zabris-
kie, another year should see actual
construction work begun. Then it will
only be a question of time, men and
materials to finish the job. ."-Evening
Record.