[PRCo] Re: HELP HELP HELP..... INFO NEEDED

[Dennis F. Cramer]

The changes in the bridges on the Allegheny were forced upon the county by 
the War Department.

In a speech at the Duquesne Club on Jan 25, 1923, Army Corps of Engineer 
General Lansing Beach delivered this ultimatum:

"The War Department has been long suffering--very patient--but this is at an 
end.  It has become tired of asking the County Commissioners:  What have you 
done?  Now we will tell them what to do.

The plans for the Seventh & Ninth Street bridges must be in the hands of my 
department by March 1.  If they have complied, they will be instructed on or 
before April 1 what further the department will require.  If they fail to 
comply with this order, legal proceedings will be immediately begun to 
enforce them.  This will mean a fine of $20,000 per month, which Allegheny 
County can shoulder until they have been carried out."

"When General Beach returned to inspect the bridges in July, work was 
already underway to raise them higher.  By 1929 all the bridges had been
moved, rebuilt or modified to clear an adequate channel."

Schafer, Jim, The Allegheny River, 1992 The Pennsylvania State University 
Press, University Park, PA  pg50

Remember, as they built locks and dams on the Ohio, the river level was 
raised.  It took a while to complete the flood control projects (Flood 
Control Act not passed until 1936) on the Allegheny, as a matter of fact, 
Kinzua Dam was not completed until 1966.  The PRR got a few locomotives from 
the government in lieu of payment for the elimination of their branch up 
through here.

----------------------------------

Look in Pittsburgh Then and Now to see how the changes of the city side of 
the Allegheny occurred with the removal of the PRR viaduct to Duquesne 
Freighthouse.  pages 34-41

Pg 99 The Federal Street Bridge was floated down to Coraopolis in 1927 and a 
new bridge was completed.  The Sixth Street Bridge won an award as the most 
beautiful bridge in the US or Canada in 1928.

All three bridges were constructed between 1925 & 1928.

I do know there are builders plates on the bridges.  The next time I am in 
town I will snap a picture.

I know this is no different that what you have.  We will probably have to 
search newspaper archives to get exact details.

Here a few URL's I found .  A search on the Carnegie Library site is always 
educational.  Thank goodness he felt guilty about the Johnstown Flood fiasco 
and built virtually the same number of libraries as number of people that 
died in the flood.  As was typical then as now, the country suffers while 
the power brokers make more money and get off scot free.


http://www.carnegielibrary.org/research/pittsburgh/history/adams/adamsB12.html


http://www.carnegielibrary.org/exhibit/neighborhoods/downtown/down_n21l.html

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/exhibit/neighborhoods/downtown/down_n21d.html

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/exhibit/neighborhoods/downtown/down_n21k.html

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/exhibit/neighborhoods/downtown/down_n21e.html

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/exhibit/neighborhoods/downtown/down_n21g.html

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/exhibit/neighborhoods/downtown/down_n21j.html

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/exhibit/neighborhoods/downtown/down_n21i.html

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/exhibit/neighborhoods/downtown/down_n21h.html

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/exhibit/neighborhoods/downtown/down_n21c.html

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/research/pittsburgh/history/adams/adams125.html



Dennis F. Cramer
      Trombone