Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "William Donald Scherzer" in English language version.
The first rolling lift bridge was the Van Buren Street bridge, located over the Chicago River, Chicago, IL, and was opened to traffic on February 4, 1895. It consisted of two arms meeting at the center of the river, which when open provided a clear channel 82 feet in width, measured along the line of the stream. Each arm consisted of three trusses that carried two roadways, each 18 feet wide, and two sidewalks, each eight feet wide. The bridge was operated by two 50-horsepower electric motors on each side of the river. The total construction cost was $169,700. The bridge's construction was patented by William Scherzer of Chicago.
WILLIAM SCHERZER, C.E., the inventor and patentee of the Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridges, was born at Peru, La Salle County, Illinois, on January 27, 1858.
the peculiar problem which had to be met by the Metropolitan Elevated in crossing the Chicago River that led to the design of the Scherzer rolling lift bridge, and this was the first one of the kind constructed.
