These were called, "penetration marks".
John Mitchell
--- glenehaug@m... wrote:
> --- In BRHSlist@y..., "Richard Patterson"
> <rpatter@t...> wrote:
> > While examining the underside of a former CB&Q
> bridge today (I
> often do such things) I noticed the Roman numerals
> "XXIV" impressed
> into the upper end of each concrete pier and
> abutment. Any chance
> that stands for the year 1924? If not, What?
>
> Richard:
>
> It more likely is the distance to the tip of the
> piles in the
> bridge. There should have been a horizontal line
> below the roman
> numerals. The distance in feet to the average pile
> tip was stated in
> roman numerals below this line. It was more common
> to see this on
> wooden trestles, but showed up on concrete trestles
> also, if the
> piers were constructed of concrete piles.
>
> On bridges subject to scour, this was a good quick
> way to determine
> how much piling remained below groundline.
>
> Glen Haug
>
>
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