Wikipedia:Peer review/Plunketts Creek Bridge No. 3/archive1

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Plunketts Creek Bridge No. 3

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This peer review discussion has been closed.
I've listed this article for peer review because I believe it is almost ready for WP:FAC, but want more eyes to look at it critically before then. I had a lot of information from the article on Plunketts Creek, which the bridge crosses, and from the bridge's National Register of Historic Places and Historic American Engineering Record entries - hopefully the article does not go into too much detail. I have been the main author on several covered bridge articles (which served as models), but this is my first article on a stone arch bridge. Sadly the bridge was destroyed after a major flood in 1996 and is no longer extant. Thanks in advance for any input, Ruhrfisch ><>°° 06:34, 26 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Finetooth comments: This is highly readable, interesting, well-organized, and comprehensive without unnecessary detail. In fact, I really enjoyed the detail, including the information about masonry and bridge construction. The maps and images are good, and all of the image descriptions and licenses, including the fair-use rationale for one image, look fine to me. I could find only a few things to suggest for further improvement, and I would have to call them nitpicks.

Geobox

  • Should the "TR" be part of the MPS redlink?
    • I am not sure - will take it out for now to be consistent with the title in the article itself. TR stands for "Thematic Resources" and is the older version of the current Multiple Property Submission (MPS). I will ask someone from the NRHP WikiProject for some input on this. I plan to write an article to take care of the red link. Thanks, Ruhrfisch ><>°° 04:05, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Early inhabitants and name

  • "the first president judge of Northumberland County" - I'm guessing that lots of people don't know what a "president judge" is. Would it be worthwhile to link to Chief Justice rather than plain judge?

Villages and road

  • "These employees lived in one hundred twenty company houses" - 120
  • Is "sole leather" a literal description or a technical term that includes leather other than shoe leather?
    • The source just says sole leather. I assume it is the literal description, although I do not know for sure. Thanks, Ruhrfisch ><>°° 04:05, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • old growth hemlock" - Would a link to Old growth forest be appropriate?

20th century

  • "The bridge had needed repairs and reconstruction done." - Suggestion: delete "done".
  • "In 1931, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania passed legislation which gave the state responsibility for the costs of road and bridge maintenance for many highways which belonged to local municipalities." - Double use of which. Suggestion: "... passed legislation giving the state responsibility for the costs of road and bridge maintenance for many highways belonging to local municipalities."
  • "This came into effect in 1932" - Suggestion: "took effect"
  • "newspaper article on its thirty-ninth annual" - 39th annual
  • "a place for both lumber and tourism" - Delete "both".
  • "The opening weekend of the trout season" - Does "trout season" need explaining? Something like "... opening weekend of the legal trout-fishing season... " might do.
    • All done except for the last - I have mentioned "trout season" in three stream FAs and it made it through OK, although User:Ben MacDui said it sounded better as "the trout season" to British ears once, hence The The ;-). Thanks, Ruhrfisch ><>°° 04:05, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Description and construction

  • "This parapet construction led to the bridge and its appearance being unique among the 58 Pennsylvania stone arch bridges..." - Suggestion: "The parapet construction and appearance made the bridge unique... ".

References

  • I switched the format to two-column for Firefox users. If you prefer one-column, please revert the change.

I hope these few suggestions are helpful. Finetooth (talk) 22:20, 27 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

  • They are very helpful - thanks for them and your kind words, Ruhrfisch ><>°° 04:11, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Dincher comments

Lead - looks fine.
Early inhabitants -
not sure about using whose as a pronoun for the drainage basin. Could be right and I can't think of anything that sounds better.
Changed it to ... in the West Branch Susquehanna River drainage basin, the earliest recorded inhabitants of which were the Susquehannocks. Is this better? Thanks, Ruhrfisch ><>°° 04:54, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
the last paragraph made me pause I think it could be expanded and split into two paragraphs one about Plunkett and one about the naming of the township.
Could you be more specific about what made you pause? I tried to keep the Col. Plunkett stuff to a minimum (there is a bit more in the Plunketts Creek article) - if more is wanted at FAC I can expand it then, I guess. I just worry about getting too much detail not related to the bridge, thanks, Ruhrfisch ><>°° 04:54, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I looked at it again - would it read better if all the Col. Plunkett material were in one paragraph? so add to the preceding paragraph so it reads at the end Plunkett's land included the creek's mouth, so Plunketts Creek was given his name.[2][5] During the American Revolution, Plunkett did not actively support the revolution and thus was suspected of being sympathetic to the British Empire. He died in 1791, aged about 100, and was buried in Northumberland, without a grave marker or monument (except for the creek that bears his name). Then the next paragraph would start with Lycoming County was formed from Northumberland County in 1795 .... Would that work? Some sources claim Col. Plunkett was the highwayman William Plunkett (highwayman), escaped to America! See page 339 here, spelled "Plunket". Not sure what that has to do with the bridge, but it is kind of interesting and could be added if an expansion is needed on the Col. Plunkett. Ruhrfisch ><>°° 17:21, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
The above proposed change should do the trick. I agree with the statement about getting into too much detail. Dincher (talk) 23:28, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Villages and road
...shingle mill, woolen factory and tannery, there. not sure if the "there" is needed there.
US$1.75 seems like it should just be $1.75. Again I am not sure on this one.
I.O.O.F. could be changed to the full name of the outfit.
  • The "there" is not there anymore, the dollar link is gone, and the Oddfellows are spelled out - thanks, Ruhrfisch ><>°° 17:21, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
20th century
Maybe explain why the turkey farm was converted to pheasant. I am guessing that there was no longer a need to farm raise wild turkeys in PA. They are most certainly a thriving species now.
The source does not say, but you're correct that turkey populations are self sustaining in Penna. and pheasant are not in many parts of the state. Not sure I can change it without a reliable source. Ruhrfisch ><>°° 17:21, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Description and construction
Final sentence of the third paragraph. How about using were built instead of used?
  • Changed to Many of the oldest stone bridges in Pennsylvania were built using rubble masonry techniques. thanks, Ruhrfisch ><>°° 17:21, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

This was a blue pen edit. I will now check the links. Dincher (talk) 23:21, 27 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

  • Blue pen thanks (and thanks for being gentle with me ;-) ), Ruhrfisch ><>°° 17:23, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Dincher's link check

Lead
I believe coal should be replaced with the more specific anthracite coal or bituminous coal. whichever is correct
pheasant should be Common Pheasant and for some odd reason capitalized.
HAER is a redirect
ALl fixed, thanks Ruhrfisch ><>°° 20:08, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Early history section
Susquehannocks redirects to the singular form
Not any more ;-) thanks, Ruhrfisch ><>°° 20:08, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
British links to United Kingdom. It seems that at link to British Empire would be better.
Colonel Plunkett. Was he really a colonel or a Colonel like Colonel Denning?
He was really a colonel,
I think American pioneer would be a better link than settler it's more specific.
Good catch, thanks, Ruhrfisch ><>°° 20:08, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Villages
The coal issue again
Water power is a redirect to hydrosomething.
Eastern hemlock is a redirect to the latin name.
Common pheasant is in place here but it's a redirect to Common Pheasant, again with the caps.
All fixed, thanks Ruhrfisch ><>°° 20:08, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Flood
HAER's another redirect
Fixed, thanks (and in the Geobox too), Ruhrfisch ><>°° 20:08, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Description
Frankford Avenue Bridge should be linked
Good catch, thanks, Ruhrfisch ><>°° 17:21, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Looks pretty darn good to me! Dincher (talk) 23:53, 27 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for your helpful comments and kind words, Ruhrfisch ><>°° 20:08, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
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