Print PDF
Favorite
Email
This is a brief photo-essay & Instructable wrapped up in one. As you can tell from my other I’bles I am into all things mechanical and (like most engineers) I think ALL bridges are cool. This is a story about an article my wife came across on a soon-to-be homeless bridge, and our efforts to save this little piece of history.
Remove these ads by
Signing UpStep 1Stay curious about your past
Back in ’03 a newspaper article caught my other half’s eye. (Right about now I should tell you that in college she majored in history & that she is into anything antique, especially if it’s historical; her favorite anniversary gift was a Civil war Cavalry sword that I gave her a while back). She showed me the article about this little bridge [that was about to be taken apart] and (according to the article) no state agency wanted it, so “we should save it from the scrap yard!” she proudly perked out. (Right about now I'm thinking she must have a mouse in her pocket; who is this "we"?) After we read the article, and after some debate about finances, we both agreed that the bridge needed a good home (and that it needed be but back in use too) so we found it on the map and that very afternoon the newly formed “Antique Bridge Appraisers Corp” went out to look at it.
It was a cute little bridge, about 15’ wide by 70’. Built in 1887, it was the last wooded deck bridge in Kentucky still in use. If you study the metallurgy of the time you learn that it was made of iron, not steel (steel is iron with additional carbon added for stiffness). This is important because iron doesn’t rust like steel does and (unless it is not allowed to dry out) iron only forms a light rust coating (a ‘patina’ if you will) and will stay strong throughout the years; whereas steel (if left outdoors unprotected) will eventually flake apart. (This little bridge was also designed for the horse and buggy so it was probably made from melted-down musket rifles from the Civil war :-).
According to the article the state wanted a bid proposal within two days (and the next day was a holiday); we were already behind the power curve. I wrote up a proposal and contacted the state agency (listed in the article) first thing in the morning; the same day the proposal was due. They agreed that if I could fax it in (by 4 pm) they would consider it. I got it in on time.
In our proposal we told them we would take the little bridge as is, clean it up, repair it as needed, put a fresh coat of paint on it, a fresh deck and then use it as an alternative driveway entrance to the main road. The next week they called me up and said that not only we could have the bridge, but that they would deliver it FOR FREE! Woo-hoo! Since it is a historic landmark (and it can be registered as one too) that we did not need to make it operational, only that we had to rebuild it with public access so historian could come look at it for years to come. Phbbbtt…as far as I was concerned it needed to be operational. So, Step One: find an antique bridge that somebody will give you; chances are they will deliver it for free just to get it out of their hands. Oddly enough, if you go to historicbridges.org they will tell you how to get one!
It was a cute little bridge, about 15’ wide by 70’. Built in 1887, it was the last wooded deck bridge in Kentucky still in use. If you study the metallurgy of the time you learn that it was made of iron, not steel (steel is iron with additional carbon added for stiffness). This is important because iron doesn’t rust like steel does and (unless it is not allowed to dry out) iron only forms a light rust coating (a ‘patina’ if you will) and will stay strong throughout the years; whereas steel (if left outdoors unprotected) will eventually flake apart. (This little bridge was also designed for the horse and buggy so it was probably made from melted-down musket rifles from the Civil war :-).
According to the article the state wanted a bid proposal within two days (and the next day was a holiday); we were already behind the power curve. I wrote up a proposal and contacted the state agency (listed in the article) first thing in the morning; the same day the proposal was due. They agreed that if I could fax it in (by 4 pm) they would consider it. I got it in on time.
In our proposal we told them we would take the little bridge as is, clean it up, repair it as needed, put a fresh coat of paint on it, a fresh deck and then use it as an alternative driveway entrance to the main road. The next week they called me up and said that not only we could have the bridge, but that they would deliver it FOR FREE! Woo-hoo! Since it is a historic landmark (and it can be registered as one too) that we did not need to make it operational, only that we had to rebuild it with public access so historian could come look at it for years to come. Phbbbtt…as far as I was concerned it needed to be operational. So, Step One: find an antique bridge that somebody will give you; chances are they will deliver it for free just to get it out of their hands. Oddly enough, if you go to historicbridges.org they will tell you how to get one!
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
Not only that you managed to save and restore a bridge, but that the authorities actually cooperated you.
Here in Bureaucratic Britain, this would rarely happen.
Theyd be too concerned about health and safety incase it collapsed, and would much rather just destroy it than ever let a member of the public have it and do some good for once. Well done!
Well done!
This would never happen in NYC, it would be stalled by years of bureacratic bungling, environmental studies and cost overruns, not to mention labor disputes and endless permits, inspections, and approvals.
Good job on moving the bridge and save a part of you area history :)
If you search for information of this nomenclature (Pratt Pony Truss) you get a number of hits all detailing minute changes in construction and design [when it comes to what constitutes this design] and what doesn’t. You also see a few still-standing examples that may or may not have sight variations needed to categorize it in this manner (I suspect that only an expert in antique bridge design can tell them apart). Thanks all the same for your comments. I hope they spur others out there to do as you have done, study, question (and hopefully) preserve history.
This serves as a great story of country community and hospitality . Usually in an urban area this type of thing can take a year ,tons of red tape ,headache and after a few million in inefficiency , you can still get "no" as an answers . Good to see this.
I did not know that about steel and iron . Question : 'an historic' or 'a historic'? i'm No grammar Nazi but just curious .
You would think that whoever puts that newsletter together would have caught this grammer error. =8-D
regarding the an/a question I think both are "correct" as the letter n in "an" is there to sort of soften the transition from one vowel to another. This is due to the way we speak and how the speech organ is "constructed".
We aren't that good at going from one hard vowel sound to another and maintain speed and a nice "song" in our speech.
Depending on the manner you pronounce historic, with a distinct wheezing h or toneless h, you will use 'a' or 'an' respectively.
This is one of the reasons why sometimes acronyms are written with 'an' as indefinitive article even if they are spelled with a consonant, like an FBI-agent. The sound is a 'vowel', in this case an E for "ef-bee-ay".
You can read more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_(grammar)#Indefinite_article
Hope this clarifies the use of a/an in diffrent situations.
//J
an historic (never) "This is an historic occasion," intoned Senator Pfogbottom. "I don't care to listen to this windbag," said the cynical reporter. "I think I'll go to McDonald's for an hamburger." . . . When the aitch (h) is silent, as in honor and hour, use the article an. When the aitch is pronounced, as in house, hamburger, history, and historical, use the article a. (33)
Then again , i think the writer in english(british) .Them folk are known to pronounce are 'R' in 'idea' =) ,and then take it back out for 'biker' Lol . So since we're talkin Amercin' hist , i think the U.S. rule historically is what i was after. So , yea ,KY-bum, that is funny that Instructables grammar guys did dat.
jimbru, to edit posts, have u tried copy, delete-post ,paste ,edit and repost?
interesting post you wrote. Thank you for the insight. It's always good to learn something new.
Also, a big thanks for the tip on how to edit a post. Didn't think of this ingenious solution. Simple but efficient. :-)
Have a nice day,
J
I'm no grammar-nazi either, I just find language interesting. Mostly from a ethymological stand-point but also in style and grammar.
Since English is not my first language, coming from Sweden, I sometimes grapple with simple questions regarding spelling and the correct word to use in different types of texts even though I believe I have a fairly developed sense for it after studying English in school for nine years and reading a lot in English.
When younger I was an obnoxious know-it-all but after reaching a more mature age and realizing that there was more to communication than using the right prepositions and pronouns at all times I became more relaxed in my attitude towards what I deemed to be erratic usage. :-)
I noticed that I had made some errors in my previous post, but I blame the time factor as I wrote it at work while talking on the phone and packing up to go home. Regretfully I don't seem to be able to edit the post...
Cheers, J
PS Nice instructable, always good to see that some people find history to be important enough to spend the time and resources to preserve it and don't by the whole modern use and trow away-mentality
Its great that it now has a new lease of life! :)
http://denverpost.slideshowpro.com/albums/001/496/album-200509/cache/west21.sJPG_950_2000_0_75_0_50_50.sJPG?1299450199
"Built in 1887, it was the last wooded deck bridge in Kentucky still in use."
I'm not so sure about that sentence. Here is a bridge in my area that is still in use:
Google Map
Here are some better pictures I have on Picasa:
Picasa album
What a neat find. Kudos for taking pictures of it. I was told (when I got the bridge) that the state (Ky) had closed all of it's mills where it cut the wood for the decks, and that this was the last one it decked and it was last on the list due to be retired. I wonder if they meant it was the last 'state maintained' wooden decked bridge, and that the bridge [you make mention of] is maintained by the county. I took their word for it but it might worth looking into. If you do, let me know what you find out. I hate to be inaccurate.
That bridge is a nice old one worth grabbing. You ought to talk to your county road commissioner and ask when they plan to scrap it. Also look into the bridge manufacturer; It still has the Mfr plaque on it and its worth investigating. Mine disappeared with ages. I plan on casing one for it someday (more to save for...)
I will attempt to visit your bridge when down there. As someone from Western Montgomery County Ohio, I can visit Ohio's covered bridges too, but most of our Iron bridges have been replaced with concrete.
I am a metallurgical engineer and the information about the bridge being made of iron and the comparison to steel is a little different than my understanding.
The material "cast iron" is made by casting and at the time this bridge was built it would mean an alloy of about 3 to 3.5 % Carbon (C) and 1.5 - 2.5% Silicon (Si) plus other minor elements with the balance being the element (Fe) iron. If it is indeed cast iron then then if cracking happens there is no yielding prior to fracture, unlike "ductile iron" developed in the late 1940's.
If the iron is "wrought iron" which was commercially important before steel was developed, then it is indeed low in carbon content and is a material that is worked by puddling iron and using forging equipment the iron is mechanically worked while hot. Slags are contained within the iron and the material is more highly corrosion resistant. The material can be bent and is not as fragile as cast iron, and will bend somewhat before breaking. There are few sources today for 'new' wrought iron.
Steel in one sense is more highly refined cast iron or wrought iron (this is a broad statement) but is more economical to produce, has very good mechanical properties, but as you note, when corrosion sets in, the iron oxide on the surface ('rust') will readily fall away exposing more fresh iron for oxidation. Steels are also mostly made of the element Fe (iron) with Carbon at levels of perhaps 0.1% to 1.2% and also contain Manganese and other alloying elements.
If you have a small piece of the bridge that you would want analyzed I will do it.
What an awesome project, and a truly inspriational writeup. What a great epilogue, too :-)