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This bridge was built in 1898, and is one of a number of swing railroad bridges built on the Chicago and Sanitary Ship Canal during a relatively short period of time. This bridge is a pin connected structure, and features v-lacing and lattice on various built-up beams on the bridge, which greatly adds to the beauty of the structure.
The McArthur Brothers and Winston and Company were the substructure contractors for this bridge. The Keystone Bridge Company, listed on the bridge plaque, appears to have been the fabricator for the bridge. However, a report by the canal's chief engineer, Isham Randolph, indicates that the superstructure contractor was Carnegie Steel Company. These were both companies associated with Andrew Carnegie, and this bridge was built around the time that the companies were in flux, eventually resulting in the creation of US Steel and the American Bridge Company, so this may explain the inconsistency. The total cost of the bridge was $84,391.45 and the total weight of iron and steel when the bridge was built was 2,315,656 pounds, with a counterweight weight of 858,645 pounds.
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Main Plaque 1898THE SANITARY DISTRICT OF CHICAGO. BOARD OF TRUSTEES. WILLIAM BOLDENWECK. JOSEPH C. BRADEN. ZINA R. CARTER. BERNARD A. ECKART. SLEXANDER J. JONES. THOMAS KELLY. JAMES P. MALLETTE THOMAS SMYTH [DESTROYED] WENTER [REMAINDER OF PLAQUE DESTROYED AND UNREADABLE] |
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General Chicago / Cook County Bridge Resources
Chicago's Bridges - By Nathan Holth, author of HistoricBridges.org, this book provides a discussion of the history of Chicago's movable bridges, and includes a virtual tour discussing all movable bridges remaining in Chicago today. Despite this broad coverage, the book is presented in a compact format that is easy to take with you and carry around for reference on a visit to Chicago. The book includes dozens of full color photos. Only $9.95 U.S! ($11.95 Canadian). Order Now Direct From The Publisher! or order on Amazon.
Chicago River Bridges - By Patrick T. McBriarty, this is a great companion to Holth's book shown above. This much larger book offers an extremely in-depth exploration of Chicago's movable highway bridges, including many crossings that have not existed for many years. Order Now Direct From The Publisher! or order on Amazon.
View Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Overview of Chicago Bascule Bridges (HAER Data Pages, PDF)
Chicago Loop Bridges - Chicago Loop Bridges is another website on the Internet that is a great companion to the HistoricBridges.org coverage of the 18 movable bridges within the Chicago Loop. This website includes additional information such as connections to popular culture, overview discussions and essays about Chicago's movable bridges, additional videos, and current news and events relating to the bridges.
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