The main contractor for the St. Louis Bridge was the
Keystone Bridge Company of Pittsburgh, of which Andrew Carnegie was
vice-president. Soon after the contract was signed, Carnegie formed the
Carnegie-Kloman company, which sub-contracted to supply all the iron and
steel for the bridge. Eads had very rigid specifications for his bridge
materials, and he rejected much of the iron supplied because it did not
meet strength specifications. This brought him into head-to-head conflict
with Carnegie, who protested strongly to the directors of the Bridge
Company that Eads was being overly picky. Carnegie’s protests were in
vain. Only iron and steel that met specifications was accepted.
Through-out construction, inspections were rigid and continuous. As a
result, the erection of the bridge proceed without the usual problems
caused by inferior materials. And the bridge still stands.
The illustration of the Carnegie-Kloman Union Iron Mills is
from a trade catalogue published by the Keystone Bridge Company. Such
catalogues are quite scarce today, since they were printed to be used, and
not preserved, but they can provide a vital look at contemporary
engineering practices.
