Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 May 1891 — The Set of Steel Wire. [ARTICLE]

The Set of Steel Wire.

Gr. Leverich, of the Brooklyn Bridge staff of engineers, was associated with the late Colonel Paine for over twenty years, and relates some interesting reminiscences of his connection with the big structure. Wheb the big sustaining cables for the bridge were being constructed considerable difficulty was experienced with the coils of steel wire, which, being pretty hard, had a strong tendency to spring back into coil form after being straightened out. This wire in the manufacturing process is reduced to proper size by being drawn through holes in a steel plate. Colonel Paine found, that the coiled wire was not so strong by ten or fifteen per cent, as if it had been kept straight, and he tried to get the manufacturers and Colonel Boebling to have the defect remedied. One day Colonel Paine drove up to his house in Jersey City, and taking a box of coiled wire out of the vehicle stretched it out straight, and lo! it remained as it was, without -any tendency .to coil up again. The Colonel had discovered an extremely simple method of accomplishing the desired result, which was, instead ol coiling up the wire close to the perforated steel plate after it had been drawn through, aod thus making it set, to draw it out some considerable distance before coiliDg. The suspension of Colonel Forsyth, of the Seventh Cavalry, during the Pine Bidge campaign seems to have been uncalled for. The investigation proved nothing whatever against him, but much in his favor. In this world misery constantly peeps mockingly over the shoulder of happiness, and just as we are about to grasp her bv the hand he knocks her roughly aside and with a strong grip grasps our outstretched hand in his own.