80 ANNUAL REPORT 
warning of such accident forces the attention of the authorities to the condi- 
tion of the structure. Neither is the commissioner altogether to blame— 
for when one official more careful than others reports the necessity for 
the proper painting and maintenance of bridges, he will probably meet 
the serious objection from the tax payer—that “there are enough ex- 
penses now, without trying to make an out-of-the-way bridge look pretty.” 
If anyone doubts the expensiveness of this careless method of bridge 
maintenance, he has only to examine some of the highway bridges crossing 
the Olentangy and Scioto rivers in Franklin county, Ohio, to note how 
little of real value is left in bridges after a few vears of neglect. 
Concrete bridges and culverts, however, have no corrosion. If they 
are properly constructed they neither weather nor rot. The commissioner 
may be as careless as he chooses, the tax payer need not be taxed again 
for that particular bridge, it is there for the tax payer’s lifetime, and 
probably that of his son’s also. 
Concrete bridges are constructed both of plain concrete and of steel 
concrete, mainly of the latter material. At this place only the plain 
concrete bridge will be considered, leaving the descriptions of steel con- 
crete bridges to be given with other structures under that division of the 
subject. , | 
Probably the first all-concrete bridge of any size constructed 
in this country was built at Belleville, Illinois, in 1895. It was 
built over Richland creek where it crosses Main street, the.main traveled 
road leading directly to St. Louis, Mo. It has a span of 4o feet with a 
rise of 7 feet and is 52 feet wide over all. The abutments, spandrels, 
and haunches were constructed of Louisville cement concrete in the pro- 
portions of I cement, 3 sand and 5 crushed stone. ‘The arch was built of 
Dyckerhoff Portland cement concrete of the same proportions. Exposed 
finished surfaces were of mortar composed of I cement to 2% parts of 
crushed granite. The arch is 24 inches thick at the crown and 30 inches 
thick at the haunches. It cost $10,500; the bids upon a brick structure 
in this place ranged from $11,259 to $12,830. 
After eight years’ service, the city engineer of Belleville, Mr. Louis 
Graner, writes: “The bridge is in perfect condition and the city has had 
no expenditure in any way since its construction. It shows no cracks and 
the weather has had no effect on it.” 
There are a great many concrete bridges throughout the United 
States, but the majority of them are of steel concrete construction and 
some of them will be described under that head. 
TOWER SUBSTRUCTURES. 
Massive concrete is also used in foundations, pedestals and sub- 
structures of towers, and monuments. The statue of Liberty on Bedloe’s 
Island is placed upon a massive stone faced concrete pedestal rising for 
