ENGINEERING. 



deck span 325 feet long. The entire length of 

 the bridge is 1,128 feet, and its weight is 1,489 

 tons. The stone piers tire 85 feet high, and 

 are 18 by 46 feet at the base. 



The Arthur Kill Bridge. The history of this 

 bridge involves some interesting problems in 

 law as well as in mechanics. Arthur, or more 

 properly Anthur (that is " farther '') Kill is a 

 tidal river separating Staten Island, X. Y., from 

 New Jersey. It is, therefore, an interstate 

 bridge, and" the sanction of the General Gov- 

 ernment had to be secured for its erection. 

 The Secretary of War held the plans under 

 consideration for nine months, and finally ap- 

 proved them without modification. Then fol- 

 lowed an injunction procured by the State 

 of New Jersey, which checked the work for 

 six months longer, aud was finally disposed of 

 by Justice Bradley, of the United States Cir- 

 cuit Court, who decided against the injunction, 

 holding that Congress had the right to regu- 

 late interstate commerce even though the States 

 themselves were opposed to its action. 



The great importance of securing railroad 

 communication with the mainland is obvious 

 at a glance, since the shores of Staten Island 

 are admirably adapted for purposes of com- 

 merce. Five or ten miles of additional wharf- 

 age will be opened on Xew York harbor, and 

 the facilities of shipment will thus be very 

 largely increased. The bridge was authorized 

 by act of Congress of 16 June, 1886, and two 

 years were allowed for its completion. On 13 

 June, 1888, the great draw was pronounced 

 in working order. The bridge is owned by 

 an independent organization, the Staten Is- 

 land Rapid Transit Company, and is open to 

 the use of all railroads on payment of the 

 regular toils. This removes it from the suspi- 

 cion of monopoly, since it is practically a pub- 

 lic highway. The Kills at this point are about 

 600 feet wide for navigable purposes, and the 

 entire length of the bridge, exclusive of ap- 

 proaches, is 800 feet. It consists of two shore- 

 spans of 150 feet each, covered by fixed trusses. 

 and two draw- spans of 20G and 204 feet each 

 in the clear. The draw-bridge is the largest 

 now in existence, the total length being 500 

 feet, but it can be opened or closed in about 

 two minutes. The lower chords of the draw- 

 trusses are 30 feet above mean high water. 

 The iron work was pushed with great rapidity. 

 and under apprehensions at times of delay on 

 account of strikes. In four weeks the draw- 

 span was put together. Two weeks more were 

 required for the adjustment of the machinery. 

 The draw contains 656 tons, and each of the 

 approaches contains 85 tons of metal. The 

 total cost of the bridge was $450,000. The 

 ironwork was supplied by the Kingston Bridge 

 Company, and Charles Ackenheil was the su- 

 perintending engineer. In modern engineer- 

 ing works, especially where they are pushed 

 forward with rapidity, there is often a culpable 

 carelessness. The Arthur Kill bridge was com- 

 pleted without any fatal accident. 



Bridpe at Benares, India. An important link 

 in the Indian system of railroads was finished 

 and opened for traffic early in February. The 

 structure is named for Lord Dufferin, Vice- 

 roy of India, who took part in the opening 

 ceremonies. The bridge was constructed for 

 the Oudh and Rohilcund Railway Company, 

 under the superintendence of H. B. Hedenedt, 

 chief engineer, and F. T. G. Walton, executive 

 engineer. The river Ganges at this point is 

 more than 3,000 feet wide, and the total length 

 of the bridge is 3, 568 feet. The work has been 

 more than eight years under construction. The 

 shifting sand-bed and the rapid current, with 

 great fluctuations in the depth of water, have 

 presented obstacles to rapid work. The main 

 stream is crossed by seven spans of iron gird- 

 ers of 356 feet, each supported on brick piers. 

 But less than half the brickwork of these great 

 piers is visible, no less than 120 feet of the 

 masonry being below water, and 82 feet repre- 

 senting foundations carried into the sandy bed 

 of the river, which here, in the rainy season, 

 has a depth of 92 feet, with a velocity of 20 feet 

 a second. The total cost of the bridge, not in- 

 cluding the approaches, was about $3,000,000. 

 Since 1881 Mr. Walton has had the personal 

 superintendence of the work, and his services 

 were recognized by the Empress, who created 

 him a Commander of the Indian Empire. The 

 city of Benares is one of the most important, 

 historically and commercially, in India, and is 

 regarded as sacred by the Hindus. The open- 

 ing of direct railroad communication with the 

 sea-coast will vastly increase its commercial 

 facilities, and will no doubt radically change 

 its character before many years. 



Foot-Bridge, River Onse. The city of Bedford, 

 England, lies on the north side of the river 

 Ouse, about forty-five miles from its mouth. 

 The corporation of the city acquired land on 

 the south side of the stream for a public recrea- 

 tion-ground, and it became necessary to span 

 the river with a foot-bridge of such construc- 

 tion that it would not obstruct the view, for 

 public gardens already existed on the north 

 side of the stream. It was deemed necessary 

 also to insist upon a clear waterway of fifteen 

 feet in mid-channel. There was practically no 

 place for abutments. The conditions were met 

 by means of the double arch shown in the illus- 

 tration, the upper one consisting of two arched 

 ribs by which the lower arch bearing the foot- 

 way is supported. The clear span is 100 feet, 

 and the footway is 7 feet wide. The arched 

 ribs each consist of four angles 4 indies by 3 

 inches by -^ inch, braced together by angle 

 irons 3 inches by 3 inches by -^ inch and 

 2J inches by 2i inches by T 5 7 inch, and flat 

 bars 3 inches by ^ inch, and 2 inches by 

 ^ inch ; the ribs are 1 foot 6 inches deep 

 by 1 foot wide at the center, increasing in 

 width to the abutments, where they are also 

 splayed out horizontally to withstand the wind 

 pressure. The suspension rods are f inch di- 

 ameter attached to the vertical members of 



