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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (July 10, 1910)
V THE STJNDAT OKEGONIAN. PORTIiAND, JTTLY lO, 1910. NEW OSWEGO RAILROAD BRIDGE TO BE READY FOR TRAINS NEXT WEEK From Engineering Standpoint, Big Span Is One of Most Remarkable in the World "When WHIstrarg Cutoff Is Done, Steam Cars "Will Run Over It Instead of on Fourth Street. . I rZ : 'V " , r : LrZ i. - t -7ti j,' s - . MWMMM"M'''"''"""MWBMMfa i milllllUMn W ill Mill III ! T i t ;8 - i LARGE FIGCBES USED TO TELL OF SOCIUEBX PACIHC NEW OSWEtlO BRIDGE. Steel, 'weight. 2.S47.000 pound a. Concrete In piers. 870 cubic yards. Depth of largest pier below sur face of water, 110 feet. Height of largeet pier above surface of water. 60 feet. Total length of largest pier. 170 feet Length of each eteel span, 300 feet. Height of each steel span, 5J feet. ' Distance from floor to low water. It feet. . Distance from floor to high water, 3 feet. Length of trestle approach oa each end, 750 feet. Cost In casualties, one life. Cost In money, 1375,000. Time to build, three years. Next week, after an Intermittent construction period of three years, the Southern Pacific Company's new bridge at Oswego will be ready for passenger traffic. Passenger traffic is not yet ready for the bridge, however, for the grading and ballasting of the so-called Willsburg cut-off, a shorter route as part of which the bridge was built, are not yet flnfahed. In some ways this bridge is the most remarkable in the world. Not from a spectacular viewpoint, for casually this is like the general run of rail road bridges. An engineer, however, is interested in. some of the problems that had to be overcome, and a man in the business looks at the great center pier, of reinforced concrete, the highest of its kind in all the world, with an approving eye. George W. Boschke, chief engineer for the Harriman lines in Oregon, and George T. Forsyth, bridge engineer of the same system, are proud of their achievement, and today, after prac tically all the construction work is lone, they are well satisfied with the Job, .they say, and much pleased with the record they have made In bridge engineering. Although the span does not repre jent so great an outlay of money as nany others of the system, although It is not as long nor as high, nor as -ide, nor as imposing, the difficulties rhich has to be overcome were many nd the finished result makes It 'as sat isfactory a bridge, from the point of riew of the engineering department is any on the whole line. ' Portland to Be Greatly Benefited. In' its importance to Portland this is conceded to be one of the best pieces of work ever undertaken by the railroad. In the first place it will re ult in the ultimate removal of the team cars from Fourth street, and this in fact is said to be its chief raison d'etre. As to the bridge Itself: In prosaic itatistics the "steel weight," that is, the tonnage of that part which rests upon the piers and Is constructed of tho steel girders and beams and trus es, is 2.247.000 pounds, or 1123 tons. It Would require over 700 wagons, each loaded with a ton of coal, to ap proximate this weight. As to what this enormous weight irill carry: The specifications provided ;hat when finished, the span should be sapable of supporting two 800,000 pound locomotives and a rolling load of 6000 pounds to every foot If they sould be crowded upon it, besides these two huge locomotives. this n eight would include 35 loaded freight cars of the gondola type. Structure Is Massive. Each of these two steel spans is 63 (eet high and 300 feet long 600 feet of steel. . stretching between the ap proaches, which are of wooden trestle work. To give a hint of the massive ness of the structure, which does not appear in a photograph taken at some distance, between the rails and the , j , fn H,, I ' ?l i - f t - $ i i 1 AAEz. V"' i' ? ' s (:' i ...I ...I. - . :: ! i j T A-r:: , I - 4 & iimwiiiiiiiiiii mil .... i n...,..i.....w.. , 1 " f -). l. ..,,,,. j., ,L,),n llnTOU , .itoqlmS l -' .iH-' I MMaaU3h-iv---a - lj -rrrm ii s h iii lii 1 top of the supporting piers is a dis tance of eight feet. It is In these piers holding up the tremendous weight of the bridge that its chief interest lies. There are three of them, the two at each end somewhat smaller than the colossal affair in the middle, but all three of more than usual size and height. "Pier 1," as It Is called in the parlance of the brldgeworkers. Is at the west end, on the Oswego side of the Willamette, and to make it 1170 cubic yards of concrete were dumped Into the molds. Pier S,' or the abut ment at the east end of the bridge, is a little larger, containing 1200 - cubic yards of cement and gravel. Sizable piers, these, yet dwarfed by the huge mass of cement, gravel and steel that forms the center support for the trusses, already referred to as the largest of its kind in the world. Sim ply "Pier 2" it is called by the men who made the bridge. To make this colossal center pier, 7500 cubic yards of concrete were poured into the vast molds, and run ning through the mass to strengthen it and cause it to endure as long as there shall be need of a bridge at Os wego, to add to its stability and insure its support without vibration of those two 800.000-pound locomotives and 83 loaded freight cars. 104 tons 208.000 pounds of reinforcing steel were used. More than one-tenth of the weight of tne steel superstructure went Into this on pier along with the heavy concrete. Pier. Half a Block Under Water. T"h nri nartlcular fps turn Viq moV& this nler more Interesting than nnv other from an ensrlneennar noln f view Is the fact that it extends for 110 feet more than half the length of a city block under the surface of the WfLtnr Tn a rfntn niinl j-i t Vi n .lv.l of six floors of The Oregpniaji ull4- ing this pier was sunk-in an open crib through the water of the river before the proper bottom for it to rest upon was found. Then, when It was built up to the surface, more cement and steel were piled on until a total length of 170 feet was obtained. Thus was brought about an engineering feature that has been commented upon In many journals of the craft and has made the Oswego bridge the subject of talk wherever en gineers gather to "talk shop," from the bridges of Manchuria to. the tunnel of the Andes. Before a pound of steel could be put in place a temporary bridge had to be built, a wooden mountain of false work, on top of which the brldgeworkers be gan to lay the steel of the superstruct ure. The construction of this false work was in itself a big job. Begin ning from 35 to 60 feet under water, according to the slope of the river bed, beams of varying size were fastened together to make a structure strong enough and secure enough to support the weight of the steel to be put upon it. The total height of the temporary structure was from 135 to 150 feet. For each span 400,000 feet of lumber were used, although when the first span, that on the Oswego side, was done, the false work was knocked out and used over again to hold up the other trusses. Trestles Take Much Lumber. A tremendous amount of lumber was used in the wooden trestle approaches to the steel superstructure. On each side for a distance approximately 750 feet, al though the approach on the west is a lit tle longer than that on the east, a trestle varying from about 76 feet to less than three feet had to be built. Unlike- the false work, which was only temporary, this work has to be made to endure the strain of the vibration and the weight of the passing traffic Permanent construc tion was needed here. So the best" of lumber and the most careful of work manship went into the trestles, for they are a part of the bridge itself. Altogeth er, including the steel work and the tres tles, the bridge is 2302 feet long, equiva lent to 114 city blocks, . or more than half a mile. "With all Its magnitude, however, the bridge has been costly only in money. But one life was lost in all the months of labor spent upon it, and with all the workers going through their appointed tasks day after day. One day a steel worker, a riveter, lost his. balance while at work on the top of one of the trusses, 231 feet above the water, and feU. Even thus the bridge Itself did nof kill him, for he drowned after he struck the sur face of the water. . Total Cost $375,000. The money cost of the structure is esti mated at t375,000 altogether. By far the greater part of this, of course, went into the steel work, for the "channel span" represents an outlay of $330,000. This in cludes the steel trusses and girders and beams between the treetle work that makes up the approaches.- The cost of this timber work is figured at $41,400. The cost, it is said, would hare been less had the work on the structure been contin uous. Begun about -three years ago, all work was stopped for 11 months, and when resumed, mutch of it had to be done over again. But however great the cost, the Oswego bridge is considered well worth the while, not only for the benefit it will "bring to Portland, in the removal of the steam cars from Fourth street, but to the rail road company" in the precious minutes that will be saved in the running time of the trains. Great is the cost of the speed demanded in. this century of ours. A Neat Motor Costume QUITE! the most charming motor ing costume imaginable was worn last week for the first time by a Portland Heights matron, who is rap idly becoming an expert chaff eur. The entire costume was in, a dust gray tone, and of one of the rough, durable weaves of Oriental silk, similar to the Shantung fabric. The suit itself was a one-piece affair of the semi-fitting Princess effect, buttoning down the left side of the front to the hip, with large smoked metal buttons; at the knees were set in the side-plaits that give the comfortable and graceful hang to a motoring costume and prevent the un sightly bagging that comes after too much sitting at the wheel or in the ton neau. Sleeves and neck were finished with one of the new cuff-and-collar sets, in dust gray linen with gray embroidery, finished the neck and sleeves, the collar being a combination of the Dutch collar and the "turn-over," which sits high on the neck, with a tie1-running under and finishing the front; the tie in this case was also ' of the self toned dust gray,.- in soft silk. The long' coat was of exactly the same shade of gray, of waterproof silk, with a strapped collar that could be " worn turned high, or laid back low. The motor bonnet was a quaint sort of Priscilla hood, with a gray frill about the face, showing a peep of pink silk lining, and at each side of the neck, just under and in front of each ear, was a huge rosette of the gray silk, with a pink silk heart. From the rosettes- hung long gray streamer, with three narrow bars of the pink silks as an end finish. The modish changeable effects, which have run the gamut of all other feminine apparel, from evening gown and street suit to underwear and hosiery, have now reached the motoring "togs." Long motoring coats with hoods and bonnets to match, are now much in evidence with the blue-green combinatioln leading in modishness and popularity; the gray green effect is also one of the favorites, the rosettes of the two color tones inter woven, are being used to givev a touch of gaiety and distinction. The wash silk blouse is Just now in the height of its glory. With so many going away, for outings in the mountains or a period of holiday at the beach, the dress makers and home seamstresses have been kept busy making up blouses of Shantung, pongee, rajah and similar fabrics; these lightweight, tubbable blouses are coming more and more Into use for traveling, too, and two or three of them now have recognized importance in the outfit of the bride who contemplates a long honey- I moon trip, or of any thoughtful woman who is going on a Journey. These blouses are either made with the turned-down collar and turned-back cuffs of the same material, or are worn with detachable collars and cuffs of either the stiff-laundered variety or the soft, lace-trimmed linen cuff-and-collar sets, of the Dutch style. Some of the new blouses are in most attractive colorings, as well as in the tan natural silks. Stripes in blue, lavender, brown or other tone, to match the skirt worn with the blouse, are very modish, and a soft tie of the color tone adds further distinction to such a cos tume. Some of the models have the smart side frill, and other Individual I touches, adding to the variety and popu larity of this Ideal Summer blouse for travel or outing wear. The Peter Pan waist Is undergoing a revival in the wash silk fabrics, and a feature of the new Peter Pans is the collar and cuffs of contrasting color. The Habitau, Jap and China silks are much used for the Peter Pan blouses. SUMMER FURNITURE REDUCE The backward season and the late hot weather have delayed the sale of Sum mer furniture, and for this week we make the radical reductions of from 25 to 50 per cent on the following articles: Refrigerators, Ice Boxes, Hickory Furniture, Reed Purniture, Sea Grass iirniture, Bent "Wood Furniture, . Lawn Swings, Lawn Benches, Gas Stoves, Fiber Rugs, Grass Rugs. CARPETS AND LINOLEUMS . AT LESS Our immense Fall line Has arrived, three weeks earlier than we expected it and in order to make room for this enormous stock, which is the largest ship ment of Carpets and Linoleums that has ever been delivered to any retail store on the Coast, we must close out a large portion of this stock at once, and in order to do so we will reduce the prices of entire stock, including .the new shipment, fromJIO to 40 per cent. iWe invite your inspection. V eriry ' Jerinihg & Sons One Year Ahead of Competitors CORNER MORRISON AND SECOND Tne Home of Good Furniture optimistic as regards the financial and military position of the country. Secur ity, he declared, was the first need of the empire; without it the construction of roads and financial reorganization were unavailing. The army during the Alban ian campaign had accomplished marvel ous feats and now onlv required money to reach the highest standard. His col league, the Minister of Finance, had pointed out the' existence of a deficit, but this did not alarm him. The revenue was obviously Increasing, and the country could afford the expenditure. At the close of the speech, which was punctuated by frequent outburst r of ap plause, the Minister of War announced his Intention of demanding an extra ordinary credit of J45.000.000 for the army. The ordinary estimates were passed without a murmur, and as far as the extraordinary military budget is con cerned the Chamber has obviously mads liT) 1tn ntlnri to Tnv and look pleasant. QUEEN MOTHER "TOUCHY" Edward's Widow Insists on Main taining Monarch's Status. LONDON, July 9. (Special.) Queen Alexandra's nervous condition since King Edward's death is worrying King George. She is irritable to a degree and most touchy on the subject of her status in the land. Contrary to all precedent, she has con tinued to live at Buckingham Palace and to fly the royal standard, the ban ner reserved for the monarch alone. When remonstrated with, she retorted that she Intended to fly the flag till one was provided of a special design for her use. As to Buckingham Palace, she is greatly attached to the place, and also to Sandringham, but she has no regrets about Windsor Castle, which she never liked any more than King Edward. She. has been very angry also about a picture of . herself published a few days ago in an illustrated paper and seeming to have been taken quite re cently. King George, even, was de ceived, and asked the Queen Mother's constant companion, the Hon. Charlotte Knollys, to persuade her not to pose just now. That roused the widowed queen from her reveries in the palace gardens and a frightened newspaper proprietor has since, been explaining volubly that the published photo was taken long before King Edward's death. ARMY TO GET BIG FUND Turkish. Cliamber of Deputies to Grant Snm of $45,000,000. CONSTANTINOPLE. July 9 (Special.) The debate on the military budget was opened in the Chamber of Deputies in an emphatic speech by Mahmed Shev ket Pasha In defense of the estimates of over 147,500,000 for ordinary military ex penditure. Speaking with great fluency and harping continually on the patriotic ,i r.KrvrA. the generalissimo declared himself j COMPARE THE New Bo em n Ti E a mara toe d WITH ANY OTHER BEER IN THE MARKET This is the only true test and will prove to your sat isfaction that our brew is superior to all other beers t ft lis s lyJ Henry Weinhard Brewery 1172 Thirteenth and Burnside Main" 72