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Show TIIR V. P. n. R. II III DOE AT OMAHA. OMA-HA. We lake tho following from the ! Omaha Herald of Thursday: , Yesterday at 11:30 a. ui., the operation, oper-ation, of applying tho heavy tests to the lirst span of tho Missouri river bridge was commenced. Six cars, whoso gross weight was 70,000 pounds each, one car weighing 74,000 pounds, ; and one weighing SO.OOO pounds, making ma-king an aggregate weight of 574,000 pounds, wore moved to it. The bridge dofl'jcted exactly two and a half inches and then stood firm. After the cars were removed it sprung back half an inch. The experiment was repeated with precisely tho same result, thus showing thrt the permanent deflection is two inches. This was perfect ly-a t-is t-is factory. This morning another test will be made for a special purpose Two cars loaded so as to weigh 100,000 each, will be brought on and so placed as to test particularly the strength of tho floor beams. One of the iron hangers Cracked vesrerdav-.-and ibis covim-l it is supposed, will show whether this was done directly by tho weight imposed im-posed or by the leverage. The second span will be ready to test in the first part of next week. The i steam shovel, which moved tho earth , that built up the long fill in the approach ap-proach on the east sido, has been brought over, and now stands ready for work. It will bo employed from j next Monday in moving earth from ! the summit to fill in an embankment j which will take the place of the wooden j trestle west of tho stono abutment on 1 this side. I In the test yesterday the wooden work did not give an inch. It is strong and reliable, but it was never meant for permanent use, and its place will soon be supplied by an earthen bank. Tho wooden false work which was reared just beneath the iron of the bridge proper, is built to within a foot of the track, and would have supported . the train yesterday had the iron been j defective. 1 |