Selections From The Splinters

Discrepancies in E O Bridge Record.

SANTA FE ROUTE

Ottawa, Kans. Mar 9th 1901.

Mr W B Storey, Jr.,
Chief Engineer
Topeka.

Dear Sir:

Replying to yours of Feb. 26th as to discrepancies in Eastern Oklahoma Ry bridge record.

On the Eastern Oklahoma Work the Gen'l Foreman of Bridges and Buildings were as follows:

1st. In September 1899 and for a couple of weeks after I was assigned to the E O work, Mr. B. Cross now Gen'l Foreman B&B on the Okla. Divn. Was in charge of the Bridges and Buildings. Mr. Cross is one of our best B&B Gen'l Foreman. Early in October serious illness caused him to have to give up the active work on construction and return to the Okla. Divn.

2nd. Oct. 1899 to July 1900, or during most of the time during construction (and when the piles in Br #56 were driven) Mr. J. M. Welles now Gen"l Foreman B&B on the Middle Divn. Was in charge of bridges being appointed on recommendations of Mr. F. G. Dolan, Divn. Supt. And Mr. Cross. Mr. Wells is a first-class bridge man, but had more experience with track and steam drivers than with "ground hog" horse power drivers used ahead of the track as we had at first planned to build. We thereafter cribbed most bridges with material hauled ahead and afterward drove the piles with the steam hammer track driver after the track had passed. The larger openings were driven on extension and track held, much of the driving being done at night.

Mr. Wells was a first rate man to handle the practical work and a very hard worker, and while he personally did little on his office records he had at all times one and part of the time two clerks to handle them on reports from the various foreman, and I see no reason why they should not have been correct.

In July 1900, Mr. Wells was appointed Gen"l Foreman B&B on the Middle Division under Mr Dolan and left the E.O. for the more permanent place.

Page 114 Volume 23 Splinters transcribed in altered form for the Web by Russell Crump

-2-

The method of keeping notes was as follows - a bridge record book was kept in the office of the General Foreman with a page to each bridge and the lengths of piles driven was entered on it as furnished him by his several foreman. A digest of this book for bridges Nos 1 to 52 inclusive was furnished to Mr Dun by me on May 26th, 1900 and showed length of bridge, number of panels, avearage length of poles in each bent and the length out of the ground, date of driving and date of treatment of piles, etc. At that time the bridges north of Ripley were not completed and my intention was to hand a further list on their completion. This I failed to do as they were not all completed before everything, including all pile records, etc., was turned over to Mr. Cross (Gen. Foreman Okla. Division) with papers relating to finished and unfinished work, and he was put in charge of the finishing all the bridge work.

As I see it now, but did not at the time, the weak point is in the reports of the pile driver foreman to the General Foreman. As it was company work I did not think it necessary to keep on a pile inspector and only furnished the General Foreman a blue print of each ravine section and the usual line and grade stakes, leaving to him the making of all records.

As to the particular error in the pile length cited it is possible that as you suggest the record may have gotten the conventional east end of the bridge (i.e. the nearest Topeka by rail) and the actual east end (considering the Ry as running east) mixed, but there seems little reason to have done so. Is it not possible that the figures apply to the first bent from the end and not to the real first bent or bank bent.

While I am aware that this error throws some discredit on the rest of the pile reports I think that they were as carefully reported as could have been expected where the foreman made the report and without a man specially detailed for the purpose. The next time I am in Topeka I

Page 115 Volume 23 Splinters transcribed in altered form for the Web by Russell Crump

-3-

would like to compare the ravine section you have with the print furnished Mr. Dun if it is still in your office. The tracing of ravine section I gave Mr Earl when I left the E. O. in September.

I have written rather at length as I judged you wished a full statement.

H C Phillips

Page 116 Volume 23 Splinters transcribed in altered form for the Web by Russell Crump

Back, Forward