The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from Brooklyn, New York • Page 95

Page 'Three Modjeski, Builder of World's Biggest Bridges, Reveals His Simple Rule for Success Had Two Narrow Escapes From Death From Chunks of Flying Steel By William R. Shields WHEN I interviewed the "Little Napoleon of Engineering," Ralph Modjeski a few days ago, he bad just returned to New York from New Orleans, where he closed a contract for the construction of largest and longest railway bridge in the United States. It will span the stately Mississippi near "the Crescent City" and will be built Son of Famous, Tragedienne Showed Early Bent for Career as Engineer "It's a well-known fact getting back to my true line that the engineer who designs and builds large bridges is often confronted by problems which are beyond the contents of text-books and which he must solve out of his own ingenuity and resourcefulness. The intimate history of the construction of almost every large bridge contains such unusual problems. They occur in every phase of the work, form location and design, on ttirough all the work of building, sometimes seemingly unimportant, at other times becoming the fundamental point of the whole project." When I asked for illustrative details Mr.

Modjeski reminded me that the location of a bridge is often determined by existing roads of access or by natural conditions which make any other crossing of the stream or gulch less advantageous or quite impracticable. under the auspices of the State of Louisiana. It will cost about $15,000,000, and therefore be the most expensive railroad bridge in this country. The distinguished designer is even now at work upon the plans for the colossal undertaking. I glanced at the numerous framed diplomas hanging on the walls of his office, and quoted the old saying about some persons being born great, some achieving greatness and some having greatness thrust upon them." "The last part of that reminds me," he rejoined, "of the fellow who was sporting many decorations on his expansive breast a large medal and a number of small ones.

Somebody asked him how he got that way, and he candidly admitted that he received the if 7 mil "Such is not always the case, however, he continued. "The location of the bridge at Celilo, Oregon, over the Columbia River, for instance, presented an unusual problem. The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway occupies the north shore of the river. The Oregon Trunk Railway was then under construction through Des Chutes Canyon, along the river of that name which runs from the south and flows into Columbia River a short distance above the town of Celilo. "The bridge had to be constructed in a 'location as near the mouth of Des Chutes River as possible, to provide the shortest haul to the junction with the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway and at the same time in such a way as to make the bridge structure as economical as possible.

Just above Celilo the formation of the bed of the river is very unusual and interesting. The river narrows down to about 2,700 feet from shore to shore at high water. At low water the bed of the river consists of a number of basaltic islands separated ty violently rushing water. The main channel near the Oregon shore is about three hundred feet wide, while the other channels are quite narrow. "Once a year, at high water, all these islands are submerged.

The number of islands and their irregularity furnished quite a study for the proper selection of the crossing, and several trials had to be made in the immediate vicinity before the final location was decided upon. Unfortunately, no location could be found at this place hih would enable the crossing of the main body of the iiwer at right angles to li.e current at high water, and therefore a slight skew had to be contended with. On the other hand, the location selected allowed an arrangement of the spans by which six of the through-spans between the main channel and the beginning of the could be made of equal length, each pier beinsj placed on rock above ordinary low water. Therefore, the foundation problem was made quite easy. As a result we have an unusual bridge, where all foundations of the river piers may be seen and examined each year.

To speak more correctly, the foundations have been built above low water by nature, and it only remained for the engineer to place the piers on them, thus saving all expensive foundation work." Mr. Modjeski reads and speaks fluently four languages Polish, English, German and French. He is intimate acquainted with the literary masterpieces of his native land (he was born in Cracow, Poland), of Great Britain and the United States, of Germany and of France. He knows and loves the best works of Sienkewicz and Rayniont, of Shakespeare, Dickens and Thackeray, of Mark Twain and Bret Harte, of Schiller and Heine, of Victor Hugo and Paul Bourget. His offices are in the Boro of Manhattan, but he's here, there, everywhere.

The widespread and insistent demand for his services obliges him to visit commonwealths in every section of America. His colorful but controlled personality, his vast experience, his remarkable knowledge of his profession, win for him the affection and esteem of all with whom he comes in contact in his business and in his social life. His practical working philosophy is comprehended in the succinct advice: "Don't worry; do the best you can but be sure it is the best. If satisfactory resITT don't follow, crnscience-onimendation will; and your next effort ma; be entirely successful. At any rate, you'll have learntl how to build better, arvd, if you have the right stuff in you, will fight all 'he harder because of your temporary setback Ralph Modjeski tween us, having passed a' few inches from our heads.

A second later shouts reached us from above 'Look out below! It was a close shave; evidently our time to shuffle off this mortal coil hadn't arrived. Once, while I was superintending some blasting operations at Rock Island, a fragment of steel plate weighing at least twenty pounds flew past my head, missing me by a hair's breadth. That piece of plate didn't have my number, I'm thankful to say, or I wouldn't be here talking to you now." "Is it true," I inquired, "that you and your friend Ignace Paderewski exchanged ambitions in boyhood you determining to become a pianist, he resolving to woo and win fame and fortune in engineering?" "No, no; that' fiction pure and simple. I came mighty near not being an engineer, but only because happened to be deeply discouraged and had reached the point where I was about ready 'to give up the ship. "It was in 1880.

when I was but nineteen. I was one of a hundred applicants for admission to the Ecole des Ponts et Chaussees in Paris, a Government school. I stood the examination with fear and trembling and awaited the result nervously. My heart sank when I learned that I hadn't qualified, being twenty-ninth on the list instead of making the requisite place in the first twenty-four. "I was almost 'all in' to use a little forceful slang so far as courage was concerned, because of my failure.

But I got a good grip on myself and decided to make another effort to come back. "Next year I stood the examination again, and passed with flying colors, standing fourth on the list. I knew now what I wanted and what I could do, and pressed forward zealously in the right direction, graduating at the head of my class in 1885. "It doesn't pay, I found, to give up too quickly. 'Be sure you're wrong before you quit' is just as good a slogan as 'Be sure you're right, then go "As for music, I play for my own pleasure and for the entertainment of those who are near and dear to me.

I've been a student of the great composers ever since I was ten years old, but none the less I've wanted to be an engineer since I was six. big medal by mistake and the little ones because he had the big one. That's my idea of having greatness thrust upon you." Honors of all sorts have come, unsought, to Mr. Modjeski. He is eminent also both by birth and by painstaking, tireless, long-continued achievement.

He is the only son of the late Helena Modjeska, a famous tragedienne, and he has risen to eminence in his profession entirely through his own efforts; and he bears his laurels thick upon him with the unfeigned, becoming modesty that is the keynote of his character. He was one of the three members of the board of engineers who designed and constructed the great cantilever bridge over the St. Lawrence River at Quebec, whose span of eighteen hundred feet is fifty feet longer than that of the Delaware River bridge connecting Camden with Philadelphia. In this notable work Mr. Modjeski represented the United States, at the express desire of the Canadian Minister of Railways and Canals.

His associates represented the Dominion of Canada and Great Britain. Mr. Modjeski is now chief engineer of the Delaware River bridge, which possesses the distinction of having the lengthiest suspension span in the country. He was chief engineer of the railway bridge across the Willamette River in the City of Portland, Oregon. This structure has the longest draw-span in the world.

In the makeup of this field marshal of engineering marked ability and brilliant accomplishments go hand-in-hand with charming personality and democratic simplicity. He is unquestionably the Corporal" of bridge building, for he has to his credit feat upon feat of difficult stream-spanning. "What is the first large bridge you designed and constructed?" I asked this quiet little man, who never raises his voice above the lowest conversational pitch. "The Government bridge at Rock Island, Illinois, over the Mississippi. It is a double track railway and highway and was finished in 1896.

Then followed the reconstruction of the Bismarck bridge Bismarck, North Dakota, over the Missouri River, and later thfi Thebes bridge over the Mississippi at Thebes, Illinois, which was commenced in 1903 and completed in 1905. "In that year 1905 work was started on the Columbia River bridge and the Willamette River bridge, both in Oregon, for the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway. These structures, costing over 54,000,000 were finished in 1908. I also designed and constructed many other bridRes in various parts of America, the aggregate cost of which exceeded 540,000,000. "The work of a bridge engineer is necessarily hazardous, since a chief engineer must be present not only in the office but frequently at all places where construction is in progress.

I had several very narrow escapes while making such visits of inspection. "On one occasion, during the building of the Rock Island bridge, the resident engineer and I were standing on a piece of timber under the 'traveler' and talking while the men were working fifty feet above our heads. Suddenlv we heard a dull, sickening thud at our feet. A heavy pointed steel bar was sticking in the timber be-.