Ever See a Bridge Pull?

Special to FreeRepublic ^ | 25 May 2008 | John Armor (Congressman Billybob)

[Past Your Eyes]

I’ve been across your bridge there in New Brunswick.
The Graton family is a national treasure and they live right near me in NH. If some trees were cut, I’d be able to look out my office window and see a wonderful covered bridge that they built to replace one that burned. It is known as the Smith Millennial Bridge and it is over the Baker River in Plymouth, NH. Probably could find it by Googling.

[Chode]

yup... that one there is a big-un all right!!!

[Past Your Eyes]

Sorry. It's the Smith Millenium Bridge.

[Past Your Eyes]

I think that’s the only one I’ve ever driven across that’s paved.

[Congressman Billybob]

Thank you very much. I searched on the phrase "bridge pull" and didn't find any reference other than the local one, ever. The method of installing the bridge you found is identical to the one I watched this morning. Your bridge's write-up has the mechanical advantage that I didn't have here: that "two oxen can do the work of 180 oxen."

The blocks and tackle they used were the same as I remember from the US Frigate Constellation.

John / Billybob

[okie01]

Now, that one is a beauty.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Thanks! This would be very cool to see in person. Some of my background is wood technology and during my training, I participated in a study of one of the last covered bridges in MN by photographing nearly every inch of the structure.

All engineering feats performed before the age of the internal combustion engine are cool. Common use of block and tackle rigging was capable of lifting sailing ships out of the water, from their docking, and rolling them on their sides - on dry ground - for easier scraping of barnacles and re-plating with copper - titanic feats by any standards of the time and, until the tracked vehicles that transported the Apollo rockets, probably any other.

Treasure that memory and tell it to your grandkids. Cool is cool no matter what age...

[PGalt]

The Bridges of Madison County...

http://www.madisoncounty.com/bridge.html

Looking forward to your work, John. Thanks.

[dayglored]

> this one in NewField is the only one around here...

Gee, I didn't realize you were from these parts... (I'm over the other side of the City of Evil, out 79E by Slaterville).

Howdy neighbor!

[ThePythonicCow]

This is the covered bridge in the little town of Shushan, New York, where I grew up:

The sign on it says that the speed limit is no faster than a walk, which would be about five miles per hour. I guess that made sense when horses were the main means of locomotion.

[ADemocratNoMore]

> as long as the roof is kept in good repair, the wooden floor of the bridge will outlast an exposed bridge deck of concrete or asphalt.

Just an off the wall thought on my part, but in light of the Minnesota bridge collapse and the poor state of much of our infrastructure, especially in northern states that use salt on the roadways in winter, why not design new ones to be covered & retrofit existing ones?.

Of course, the roofs would have to be built in place, pulling becomes somewhat impractical when you're talking about something like the Lake Erie bridge between Cleveland and Ontario, (actually proposed in 1965 by Governor James A. Rhodes).

[STONEWALLS]

thanks Congressman Billybob that was a neat story....and very generous of the sponsors to pick up the tab on the project....I know....about 4 years ago I was slightly involved in a grist mill project...the new water wheel cost a cool $158,000! ....we had to bring in a team of mill wrights from upstate New York to do the job....in America you can still get “old time” work done, but it really costs.

[Chode]

howdy... yup, near Watkins

[Jeff F]

Have you ever seen a bridge pull?

I pulled my uncle's finger, once...

[Chuckster]

That is a great metaphor.

I have 38+ acres on the Missisquoi River, “A half mile South of the old covered bridge (There used to be two of them but the other one washed away in the flood of ‘27).”

[Gator113]

Sidebar: Greetings Captain. It is an amazingly small world.

We met last year at the boat store your wife was working at while you made repairs to your boat in PT. I had recently undergone heart surgery and was there to buy stuff for our month boating trip into the San Juan Islands.

We took your brides advice and purchased a coffee press, though we have not been required to live off of coffee for a couple of weeks while limping to shore, like you folks did. ;>)

Somehow I knew that you folks were conservatives when we met you. You were both friendly and very nice people. I loved hearing of your sailing adventures from your wife. I wish you and your bride well in your continued adventures. I don’t remember exactly what you said, but at that moment, it was something that made me want to dream even more of a life with such freedom...thank you. Funny how a short chat with a stranger can make a difference in how one might look at things.

While I still love my boat and I love every moment that I can be on the water, it’s a gas hog, it fast, it’s nice, but it really sucks up the gas..... I sure wish it had a sail nowadays. ;>)

God bless and good health to the both of you......

ps: I still have my Harley’s. ;>)

[Gator113]

I enjoyed your approach, very much.

Thank you for your post.

[Chuckster]

A small world indeed. It never ceases to amaze me.

Fair winds and following seas Captain.