Timber Bridge Design Contest Announced

Washington, D. C.. January 21-A timber briclge design coutest ttncler the joint anspices of the National Lttmber Manufactnrers Association, American Forest Products Inclustries. Inc., and the Tirnber Engineering Company, in rvhich the latter company is offering prizes of $1500 in cash, was annotlnced here today.

Open to students of architecture and engineering as tvell as graduates of both schools, the contest is aimed primarily at providing suitable designs for short span timber bridges for secondary highrvays.

The rules require that the design submitted shall be of a high',r'ay bridge constructed of timber and employing the timber connector method of construction. The live load may be H-10 or H-15 and the span may vary from 3O feet to 70 feet, measttred from center to center of bearings. but using only spans divisible by ten. The roaclrvay must be 18 feet in the clear. Piers of sup,ports neecl not be designed beyond the anchorage of the briclge to a coucrete pierwhichshall be assumed to have alreatly been clesigned. Assumption for dead loads shoulcl lte stated or.r the drarving and the design should be predicated on the use of American Standard sizes of dressed lumber and timber surfaced on fottr sides.

Beside pro'i'iding suitable bridge structures for highways the purpose of the contest is to acquaint designing engineers rviththe latest developments and design practices of modern timber construction. As an added incentive to students the prize money has been divided into two classifications: (i) forall contestants and (2) for students only.

The grand prize 'ivill be $50O in cash and will be awarded to that contestant who submits, in the opinion of the judges, the best design for secondary highway use. In addition there will be six other prizes in this division from $40 for second best design dor,vn to $50.

The student submitting the best design will receive $200 in cash, unless a student design is selected for the grand prize. Seventeen other student prizes totalling $300 will likeu'ise be awarded, making trventy-five awards in all, amounting to $1500.

The decision of the judges will be final. Judges are:

R. G. Kimbell, Director of Technical Service; F. J. Hanrahan, Structural Engineer; L. M. Stevens, Architect, all of the National Lumber Manufacturers Association; J. E. Myer, Chief Research Engineer of the American Forest Producers Industries, Inc., and J. H. Carr, Jr., Structural Engineer for the Timber Engineering Company.

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Henry S. Patten Passes

Henry S. Patten, president of Patten-Blinn Lumber Co., Los Angeles, passed away suddenly at the Stl,ehurst Hotel, Auckland, New Zealand, on January 16. Mr. Patten was on a world cruise with his wife, Mrs. Mary H. Patten, sailing from Vancouver, B. C., on December 21. He had been ill for the past four months and took the trip in the interests of his health. He was 58 years of age and resided in Alhambra.

Mr. Patten was born in Redding, Kansas, coming to California with his parents in 1886, who established a residence in Pasadena. He graduated from the Pasadena High School and attended the 'University of California at Berkeley. His father, George D. Patten, with Ed Davies, formed the Patten-Davies Lumber Co. in Pasadena in 1894. After his father's death, he became president of the company. He was then 22 years of age.

In June, 1931, a merger united the Patten-Davies Lumber Co., Russ Lumber & Mill Co. and L. W. Blinn Lumber Co. as the Patten-Blinn Lumber Co. The firm has head offices in Los Angeles, and is one of the largest retail lumber concerns in the state, operating 35 yards in Southern California.

Mr. Patten was one of Southern California's outstanding lumbermen. He was one of the eight dealers who organized the Lumber and Allied Products Institute of Los Angeles and was its first president, and also served as treasurer and a trustee.

He was president of the Retail Lumber Code Authority for Southern California under the NRA and rendered a notable service to the retail lumber dealers. In this capacity, he made a number of trips to Washington and devoted a great deal of his time to this work.

He is survived by his wife, a son, George D., a member of the lumber firm;two daughters, Mrs. Henry Keyes of Palo Alto and Mrs. Louis Crevelling ef Alhambra; two brothers, Fred Patten of Alhambra and Walter Q. Patten of Los Angeles, both associated with the lumber company; and a sister, Mrs. Thornton Hamlin of Pasadena.