A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume I, Part 86

Author: Orth, Samuel Peter, 1873-1922; Clarke, S.J., publishing company
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago-Cleveland : The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1262

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THE SUPERIOR STREET VIADUCT.

The Superior Street viaduct, completed and opened to traffic in 1878, is a com- posite structure, consisting of a series of masonry arches on the west side of the river, and wrought iron spans on the east side. The masonry is the great feature of the structure, consisting of eight arches of eighty-three foot span, and two arches of ninety-seven and one-half foot span, together with intervening retaining wall; it is one thousand, three hundred and eighty-two feet in length and seventy- two feet in height above the pile foundations. The latter were carried to a depth of nineteen to twenty feet into a stratum of Erie clay. Pile, timber and concrete grillage was used on account of the drift nature of the substratum; the piles being

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cut off below the level of the lake. Bearing piles for land piers sustain a weight of from eighteen to twenty tons.

The ironwork on the east side of the river consists of a continuous plate girder of three fifty foot spans, followed by two, one hundred and forty-five foot spans, and one, one hundred and sixty foot span with pivot span of three hundred and thirty-two feet in length over the river. The total length of this viaduct is three thousand, two hundred and eleven feet; height above river, sixty-eight feet; total cost, two million, two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The original plans for this structure were begun by C. H. Strong, and afterwards modified and carried into execution by City Civil Engineer B. F. Morse assisted by S. H. Miller, de- signing and superintending engineer. The structure has carried an enormous traffic for many years, and is notable in many ways.

THE CENTRAL VIADUCT.

The Central viaduct, completed in 1888, consists of two separate portions, one crossing the main valley of the Cuyahoga river, and the other Walworth Run val- ley, tributary to the Cuyahoga. The roadway of this great structure is one hun- dred and one feet above the river, and has a total length, including approaches, of five thousand, two hundred and twenty-nine feet ; it carries a forty foot roadway, paved with wooden blocks, and two eight foot sidewalks. It was commenced un- der C. G. Force, and completed under Walter P. Rice, as chief engineer, with W. M. Hughes as special and designing engineer, in immediate charge of construc- tion. The structure is of steel, and popularly characterized as a "stilt" bridge, being a series of braced towers and deck spans of varying lengths, with a swing or pivot span at river crossing.

In speaking of this structure to the writer, a famous architect, as he surveyed the same in side elevation, from a distance, asked: "Why do you have varying depths to the different spans comprising the structure?" Upon being assured that it was to satisfy a principle which recognized an economical relation between length and depth of span, he expressed abhorrence at the sacrifice of beauty to economy, and compared the general appearance to a lot of musical notes, but as he was not conversant with the keynote of the structure, was unable to sing. There was much justice in the remark, "This structure carries a heavy traffic, and occu- pies an important position in relation to different centers of population."

SPECIAL TYPE BRIDGES.

The value of dock frontage in lake cities, and others having a considerable water traffic, together with the great inconvenience and danger to navigation of center piers, inseparably connected with the old style of pivot bridges has given rise to the development of special type bridges known as bascule, rolling lifts, trunnion bridges, elevator bridges, etc. This development is principally due to the enter- prise of Chicago engineers, as is the modern development of the concrete, steel spread foundation for inferior soils. These bridges as a rule rise in a vertical arc of less than ninety degrees, leaving a clear central channel for vessels and no

LIFT BRIDGE

MASONRY-SKEW AARCHES Lake Shore Railway Bridge over Lake Avenue

COLUMBUS STREET DOUBLE SWING BRIDGE The First of its Kind in the Workl

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infringement on dock frontage, as a vessel can lie with her bow in virtual contact with the bridge abutments.

MIDDLE WEST THIRD-ROLLING LIFT BRIDGE.

This bridge cost one hundred and sixty three thousand dollars; consists of two steel lifts of sixty-nine feet each, which, when opened, gives clear channel of one hundred and twenty feet. Total length of steel structure is two hundred and twelve feet (twenty-four feet roadway, two six foot sidewalks) supported by two concrete abutments, operated by two twenty-five horsepower electric motors.

JEFFERSON AVENUE, SOUTHWEST-BASCULE BRIDGE.

Steel structure placed on pile and concrete foundation, having two arms. one hundred and twenty-two feet, nine inches center to center of bearings, and thirty- five foot approach spans. Total length of structure, two hundred and eighty feet ; roadway, thirty-six feet; two six foot sidewalks; power, two thirty-five horse- power motors; cost, one hundred and sixty thousand dollars.

COLUMBUS STREET-DOUBLE SWING BRIDGE.

One of the most original and novel bridges in the city, and the first of its kind ever built, as far as we are aware, with the exception of a contemporary built at some government arsenal in Spain, of which the details were never given in Ameri- can periodicals, is the double swing bridge at Columbus street, designed by Walter P. Rice, chief engineer, assisted by James T. Pardee, city bridge engineer, and John Brunner, of the Mount Vernon Bridge Works, the latter rendering important service in the development of the shop drawings.

This bridge is of special type, as its name implies, and was the outgrowth of special conditions. Its construction saved the city of Cleveland about sixty thou- sand dollars, as against the proposed plan, and has proved one of the quickest mov- ing, and most satisfactory bridges on the river. This type does away with the old characteristic center pier, affording a clear opening of about one hundred and thirteen feet in the centre of the stream-a necessity, as the location is at one of the worst bends in the river, and every inch of channel is needed for the passage of large freighters.

The two separate spans are both what are designated as "bobtails;" that is, one arm being shorter than the other, and counterweighted. The roadway, when bridge is closed, has a grade of about three feet per one hundred feet, and has a length of two hundred and seventy-nine feet, total, the shore ends locking into an- chorages and forming a cantilever.

The motive power, another innovation at that time, being a combination of electricity and compressed air; the operation of diaphragm gates at approaches, latching of bridge, and raising and lowering of apron at center, being controlled by the latter power, while the actual swinging of the two spans is done by electric motors.

This type was later duplicated in Canada.

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MASONRY-SKEW ARCH. .

The accompanying photograph is an illustration of skew arches designed by the late John L. Culley, for the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railway at its crossing with Lake avenue.

The arches are designed on the helicoidal, or what is known as the "cow's horn method," the joint lines of the voussoirs being helicoidal curves. The structure ranks high in engineering interest, and is probably one of the "Last of the Mohi- cans," as the intricacy of calculation and construction, combined with great cost of this method, will undoubtedly dictate the use of reinforced concrete in the fu- ture, which possesses many advantages for this class of work.

REINFORCED CONCRETE.

The first employment of reinforced concrete has been attributed to a French gardener, M. Joseph Monier, in 1867. This was followed by Messrs. Hyatt and Ransome in the United States and by M. Francois Hennebique and others in France. Germany, Austria and Switzerland rapidly assimilated the new idea- England with its proverbial conservatism unfortunately hanging back.

"The use of this form of construction has many advantages and few disad- · vantages" and marks a distinct era in engineering construction.

Cleveland has fine examples of the new method of construction, especially in the way of reinforced concrete arches. The examples selected for illustration being : The three hinged concrete arch at Brookside park and the great concrete bridge at Rocky river, the Washington park viaduct and Gordon park aqueduct.

THE ROCKY RIVER BRIDGE.

The Rocky river bridge, an all concrete structure, with a total length of seven hundred and eight feet, spanning a deep gorge cut by the river between shale bluffs, is remarkable in several ways. The central span is two hundred and eighty feet in the clear, with a rise of eighty-one feet. This is the largest span in the world built of concrete without reinforcement, and, of course, is the distinctive feature of the structure. This arch is divided into two longitudinal ribs with transverse width of eighteen feet each, which carry a superimposed roadway of forty feet, and two sidewalks eight feet in width each. The main foundations are carried twenty-one feet below the water line, and rest upon solid shale rock. Reliance has been placed upon the main lines of the structure to satisfy the aesthetic pro- prieties rather than dubious ornamentation. The structure is well balanced, dig- nified and beautiful, and reflects great credit upon the engineers in charge. A most interesting feature was the use of steel centering, obviating any danger of floods, ice jams, etc., during construction. The total cost of the structure was two hundred and eight thousand dollars. The work was designed and partly con- structed under A. B. Lea, county engineer, and A. M. Felgate, bridge engineer, and completed under Frank Lander, successor to A. B. Lea.

THREE-HINGED CONCRETE ARCH, BROOKSIDE PARK Span Ninety-two Feet. Said to be the Flattest Semi-elliptical Arch of Concrete ever Constructed

GORDON PARK AQUEDUCT Carry Intercepting Sewer, Twelve Feet, Nine Inches in Diameter

WASHINGTON PARK VIADUCT, CONCRETE

A PARK BRIDGE OF CONCRETE

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THREE HINGED CONCRETE ARCH BRIDGE, BROOKSIDE PARK.

This concrete bridge over Big creek, in Brookside park, is one of the few three hinged arch bridges in this country, probably the flattest semi-elliptical arch ever constructed, the next flattest being the more pretentious three hinged arch con- structed at Greenville, Ohio, adapted to heavier moving loads and of greater span and width. A. W. Zesiger was the engineer of the Brookside arch. It is semi- elliptical with major axis of ninety-two feet, and semi-minor axis of nine feet. The arch proper, however, stopping at the abutment hinges, giving a span length between hinges of eighty-six feet, four and one-half inches. The rise of the arch, i. e., the vertical distance between center and abutment hinges, is five feet, two and one-half inches -- an extremely flat arch. The width of the arch is twelve feet, nine inches. The foundations are on shale, without which such a design would be very hazardous. The concrete in the arch ring is without reinforcement. The rise and fall of the arch at crown, due to temperature changes between summer and winter, is about one inch.

WASHINGTON PARK VIADUCT.

The total length of this bridge is four hundred and fifty feet, consisting of five circular arches, three of which are full centered, the two end ones being segmental. The foundations are of reinforced concrete, resting upon blue clay and quicksand, mixed in varying proportions. The piers at springing line of arches are six feet in width, battering to nine feet at reinforced footing. The arches are ninety foot clear span, with thirty-three inches thickness of arch ring, which has steel rein- forcement at crown, quarter points and spring line. The roadway consists of rein- forced concrete floor, supported by columns resting on the arches. The arch ring and spandrel walls are veneered with stone. The balustrades are of cut sand- stone. The bridge has a twenty-six foot roadway, and two seven foot sidewalks, and provides for a double track electric line. All steel reinforcement is of plain, round bars. The total cost of the structure was one hundred thousand dollars.

We believe the beauty of this design might have been enhanced by omitting the spandrel walls between the secondary arches and columns, affording a light and graceful treatment in lieu of the rather top-heavy appearance of the existing structure. The bridge is, however, a fine piece of work, and very creditable to lo- cal engineering talent. The bridge was designed by A. W. Zesiger of the park department.

GORDON PARK AQUEDUCT.

This structure, the only one of the kind in the city, carries the intercepting sewer on three thirty foot span parabolic arches of reinforced concrete with stone facing. The internal diameter of the sewer is twelve feet, nine inches. The bridge also carries a superimposed park driveway. The structure is simply and appro- priately treated, and effective in style.

DIVISION X. TRANSPORTATION.

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SHOWING PRINCIPAL HIGHWAYS, RAILROADS AND INTERURBAN ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

CHAPTER LXX.

ROADS AND TURNPIKES.

The first lines of travel through the unbroken wilderness were the narrow In- dian trails that marked the course of the wanderings of the red man. The loca- tion of these ancient highways along the crests of ridges and the shores of rivers and lakes served the pioneers as their first bridle paths. The early surveys with their consequent blocking of the land into townships and the laying out of roads in regular order, soon led to the abandonment of many of these aboriginal routes. The more important, however, remain, especially the great east and west thor- oughfares where, Euclid, Lorain and Detroit avenues are now located.

The first roads were merely ribbons of clearings through the forest. If the land was low and swampy they were sometimes paved with logs, laid crosswise. During the winter and wet season these roads were almost impassible. With the clearing of the forests came more sunshine and wind for the roads, drying them in the summer months, and as the pioneer was relieved of the work of clearing he could pay some attention to bettering his highways.

'A' road or poll tax of two days' work a year was assessed on every man. A small amount of money was available from the sale of United States land, and a limited tax upon property embraced all the resources that the state devoted to these "common roads." In 1838 Atwater wrote "The best common roads are now perhaps in New Connecticut. The roads in that part of Ohio are straight and much labor is expended upon them by the people." * The turnpike and plank road came in the '40s.

The freight traffic, at first limited to saddlebags and horseback, rude drags and clumsy carts, was later conducted in large covered wagons "Conestego wagons" or "Pennsylvania wagons." The principal route lay from Cleveland to Pittsburg, where it connected with the trans-mountain route to Philadelphia. Whittlesey says : "In these days wheat, pork, flour, potash, and in fact all the merchantable produce in the country, was brought in by four or six horse teams, laboring slowly onward, through roads that would now be regarded impossible, the owners encamp- ing by the roadside wherever night found them. When the Ohio canal was pro- jected, our citizens and particularly the produce dealers, indulged in the gloomiest anticipations. No more Pennsylvania teams, with their sturdy horses, and covered

* "History of Ohio," pp. 282-4.

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wagons would enliven the streets of Cleveland. If Painesville, Black River and Sandusky wanted a canal, they were welcome to it." 1

The first important road projected in the Reserve was the "Girdled Road."

On February 29, 1797, the Connecticut Land Company appointed a committee whose report is as follows: "That in their opinion it will be expedient to lay out and cut out, a road from Pennsylvania to the city of Cleveland, the small stuff to be cut out : twenty-five feet wide, and the timber to be girdled thirty-three feet wide, and sufficient bridges thrown over the streams as are not fordable. The said road to begin in township No. 13 in the first range at the Pennsylvania line, and to run westerly through township No. 12, in the second range, No. 12, in the third range, No. II, in the fourth range, to the Indian ford bend of Grand river ; thence through township No. II, in the fifth range, No. 10 in the sixth range, No. 10 in the seventh range, No. 10 in the eighth range, and the northwest part of No. 9 in the ninth range, to the Chagrin river, where a large creek enters it from the east; and from the crossing of the Chagrin the most direct way to the middle highway, leading from the city of Cleveland to the hundred acre lots. Submitted with re- spect by Seth Pease, Moses Warren, Wm. Shepard, Jr., Joseph Perkins, Samuel Hinckley, David Waterman, committee.

"Hartford, January 30, 1798."

This road became known as "The Girdled Road," was the first road laid in the Western Reserve, and parts of it can even now be known by marks left on the trees. It ran from Cleveland to Willoughby. It was laid from Pennsylvania through the townships of Conneaut, Sheffield, Plymouth, Austinburg, where it crossed the Grand river at the Indian ford, now called Mechanicsville, Harperfield and Trum- bull, crossed the county line into Thompson county, thence into Leroy, in the county of Lake, into Concord and Kirkland. A part of the road between Painesville and Warren is still traveled. From Kirkland it went to Willoughby, from Wil- loughby to Cleveland along the line of the present Euclid avenue.2

The first roads surveyed into the outlying country from the village of Cleveland were the north, middle and south highways, later called St. Clair, Euclid and Kinsman streets. They were run through the ten-acre lots, were six rods wide, and were always considered public highways. But evidence to this had been lost, and the legislature, February 11, 1832, cured the defect by enact- ing that these roads "be public highways." The county and the townships cooper- ated in laying out local roads, but the more important ones were projected by the state and called "state roads." Wherever such a road was to be surveyed, the legis- lature appointed a commission who "laid out" the road, received donations given by the landowners and opened the roadway to traffic.

To the outlying towns, roads were built as rapidly as settlers made Cleve- land their market. To Bedford, an ancient path led along the valley to Tin- kers creek. This was widened into an ox road and in 1830 the state road followed its course. It was one of the first turnpike roads in this vicinity. It followed the present Broadway to Newburg, thence to Bedford, passing diagon- ally through that township. It is now paved to the county line.

1 "Early History of Cleveland," p. 468.

2 Western Reserve Historical Society Tract No. 49.

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Independence road was opened in 1820, from Cleveland through Newburg, Independence, Brecksville and Hudson to Akron. Today it is a favorite route for automobilists. The picturesque covered bridge that spanned the Cuyahoga in the '3os was partly maintained by a state tax. Mayfield township was organ- ized in 1819 and Mayfield road was opened. In 1826, Halsey Gates built a saw- mill on Chagrin river at Gates Mills and in 1834 a tavern with a ball room in it, which was a great attraction. The road to Gates Mills was much traveled. In the '70s, it was planked from East Cleveland, through Euclid and Mayfield townships. Some of these planks are yet in place, much to the annoyance of the multitudes of automobilists who continually pass over the road. The mill, the old tavern and the highway have renewed the popularity of their youth.

The settlement at Newburg, then the most important one in the county, was early provided with two roads, one following the ridge northward to Doan's Corners, which later became Doan street, and the other following the river valley northwestward to Cleveland, and southeasterly to Hudson. The latter road was made a state road in 1822. It is told of Nehemiah Marks, who came to Newburg in 1820, that he walked back to Connecticut in thirteen days, re- turning with a team of horses, the return journey occupying a month.3

To the west of the city the ridges formed a natural highway. Detroit street follows one of these ridges along the old Indian trail to Sandusky. The exten- sion of this road westward formed the first highway between Cleveland and the Huron river. In 1809, when the region was still a wilderness, the legislature pro- vided an appropriation for opening this highway and appointed Ebenezer Murray of Mentor, Nathaniel Doan and Lorenzo Carter of Cleveland, to supervise the work. It crossed Rocky river near its mouth and followed the lake shore west- ward to Huron and Sandusky. Until 1814 it was the only road west from Cleve- land. It was known as the Cleveland and Huron, and later as the Milan, state road.4 The road to Rockport was a favorite pleasure drive thirty years ago. In 1822 the route to Sandusky was shifted to the ridge road, following it to Black river at Elyria, thence by North ridge to Sandusky.

A second road was early developed through Dover Center after the settlement of that township in 1810. This was Coe ridge road, named after A. M. Coe, an early settler. It remains the most important of the ridge highways. It was early extended to Elyria and was a post road of importance.

During the War of 1812 the route from Cleveland to Pittsburg for the con- veying of supplies and the mails, passed through Newburg, thence southeasterly to Solon. The road was practically abandoned in 1820 when the more favored road through Independence and Hudson was opened. With the settlement of Solon the road was repaired. In 1833 it was made a state road from Aurora, Portage county, through Solon and Newburg to Cleveland. Philo Scoville and James S. Clark acted as commissioners for Cuyahoga county and Ahaz Mer- chant surveyed the road. In February, 1833, the legislature appointed a commis- sion to survey and "lay out" the state road from Chardon "to the most convenient point between Cleveland and Chagrin." This was a continuation of the state road from Chardon eastward that had been opened some years before.

& Johnson's "History of Cuyahoga County," p. 482.

4 See N. B. Dare, "Annals Early Settlers Association," Vol. 3, pp. 539-42.

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The Warrensville road was opened about 1817. In 1825 the state authorized the surveying of a road through Kinsman township in Trumbull county to Cleve- land, passing through Orange and Warrensville. About 1850 a company was formed to grade and plank it. But it was soon abandoned by the company, and until 1876 was a public road. In that year the Cleveland and Warrensville Plank Road Company paved it with planks from the city limits to within a mile of the center. Later the county assumed charge of the road and it is now paved with brick.

The road from Brooklyn through Strongsville southward to Wayne county was one of the most important in this part of the state. It passed through the village of Albion, which was settled in 1830 and assumed some importance, the turnpike bringing its taverns a brisk trade. "Many four horse and six horse teams traveled the road, drawing big wagons with tires six inches wide, heavily loaded with farm produce, destined for Cleveland, or with merchandise from that place for use in the country." 5 The toll gates were removed during the war and the road became public property. The railroad attracted the traffic from Albion to Berea.

In 1822 Columbiana, Portage and Cuyahoga counties petitioned the legisla- ture to establish a road from Lake Erie to the Ohio river, fortifying their posi- tion with facts showing that the cost of transportation from New York to Cleve- land would be reduced to one dollar per hundred pounds, and from Lake Erie to the Ohio, from fifty to seventy-five cents per hundred pounds.6 Later a mass meeting was held in the Cleveland courthouse, urging haste upon the legislature. The following year a commission was appointed to lay out such a road but the building of the canal made it unnecessary.

These roads were not very well built. Occasionally in their despair the citi- zens appealed to congress for aid in road building. In 1821 the conditions of travel to Columbus were so discouraging that the citizens of this section peti- tioned congress for aid, but the national government confined itself almost en- tirely to the Cumberland road, that passed through the heart of the state. In 1824 congress provided aid to a road from the Western Reserve to the Maumee river, through the great Black swamp. But Cleveland got virtually no aid from congress.

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A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume I, Part 86

Author: Orth, Samuel Peter, 1873-1922; Clarke, S.J., publishing company Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Chicago-Cleveland : The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1262

Author: Orth, Samuel Peter, 1873-1922; Clarke, S.J., publishing company
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago-Cleveland : The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1262