GREAT TYNE BRIDGE

Hokitika Guardian, 3 December 1928, Page 2

GREAT TYNE BRIDGE

A TITANIC UNDERTAKING

OPENING BY THE KING

The King and Queen, cheered by 1,00,000 people over a route of L\ miles, visited Northumberland and* Durham on October 10th to declare open the great new £1,000,000 Tyne bridge, built for the Newcastle and Gateshead Corporations, and to take part in several other ceremonies. Before the opening of the bridge the King and Queen dime' to the Heaton secondary schools-'' where they woie greeted with thunderous cheers by 23,000 massed children. In the midst of the light-hearted display by the children a sombre note was struck when the King replied to the address of welcome. He said:— “ It. is a source of much grief to me to know that during the past few years men and women of this area have been living under the shadow of grave industrial' depression. Owing to the dislocation of trade caused by the war, the industries of coal, iron, steel, and shipbuilding, which have given world-wide renown to the lyne, have been struggling with adversity. “The erection of the new bridge is a characteristic act of courage, and demonstrates your belief in the power of these industries to recover lost trade and play again their former proud role in "the world’s markets. I am happy to observe that your dauntless handling of these, difficulties is achieving results. Already the coal industry of 'the north and the ship-building of the Tyne appear to be emerging from depression.” Meanwhile hundreds of thousands of people, including women in shawls carrying one or two children, had gathered on the route to the Tyne bridge. Every window was packed, every inch of pavement crowded. TRIBUTE TO THIS ENGINEERS. The great bridge, upon which 500 men had been working for more than three years, had two flags flying fiom the highest point of the mighty centre span. The gathering on the bridge included many of the finest bridge and steel engineers of the day and they saw their work completed as Sir Arthur Dorman, on behalf of Dorman, Long, and Company, Ltd., the constructors of the ibridgo, asked the King to accept a key for the opening of the bridge. With the key a barrier placed in the

centre of the bridge was raised am: declared open. The Koval Standard the great New North Road Highway fluttered from above, a salute of 21 guns was fired, aeroplanes fcwooped down and .ships’ sirens screeched and bellowed incessantly. In declaring the bridge open the King said:—“l congratulate you. most warmly upon this bridge, which hears lasting testimony to the unrivalled capacity of the British engineering trade and the workers ol all grades.” At the conclusion of the ceremony, many thousands of people, anxious t< be among the. first to cross the bridge became wedged in a solidm mass. Streams of people leaving the bridge were met by streams trying to forty their way on. A number of women fainted, and had to be treated by ambulance men. The King and Queen drove aimsthe bridge to Gateshead, where 10,(10' children, forming a huge circle, cheered again and again. Afterwards the royal procession drove for 12 miles through a great in dustrial and mining centre. All atom, the route were groups of cheer ins . people, while mining hamlets ant villages had flags and hunting a* decorations. A WONDERUL STRUCTURE. The new Tyne bridge is the mos spectacular piece of bridge engineerin' . in the British Isles. It .a 4000-ton steel arch, the largest in Britain, Iron which hangs a roadway which will b< part of the Great North Road. Tlu great structure is a few hundred yard east of Robert Stephenson’s historic High Level bridge. Work on the great structure began about three years ago.. The foundations comprise four masses of steel anc concrete, two on each side of the river, sunk by caissons under compressed air until they rested on the rock found 70 feet below the two quaysides. Thou the steel approaches were erected, from Newcastle and Gateshead, until thev reached the quaysides. The approaches are themselves great bridges of continuous girders, and contain together 3000 tons ot steel They are carried on steel columns and pass over lofty quayside offices. A\ he the approaches were completed tin most spectacular part of the huildin of the enormous arch was begun. U was laid down in the contract that n< support should be built up iliat woiih in any way obstruct the river. To* years the north wondered how ail arc! of this magnitude would be built out without support from below. The arch is a two “ pin ” crescent

structure, and the distance from the •• pin ” to “pin ” —the points at which the ends of the arch rest on the quayside—is 531 feet. The top of the arch is 201 feet above the water. GREAT ENGINEERING PEATS. At the commencement of the titani iiuderlaking the contractors built out a steel ; cradle ” which held the firs: section of the arch in position on th south hank. Then this small section of the arch was suspended iby eight powerful cables to the end ol tin Gateshead approach steel work. Ihe " cradle ” was dismantled and reerected at Newcastle, where the operations were repeated. Inclined rakci struts at the end of each approach took the terrible “ pull “ of the cable*, v hii li tended to draw the approach bridges into the river. As the Gatcslmad half arch grew u.t and over the river further suspension methods were adopted. 'Two huge steel masts were built above the cud ol ’be approach. Sixteen cables secured tlie tops of the masts to anchorages and eight cables suspended the ha I arch to the masts. Rater a final sc' >f [6 rallies rei'laned tlics". sei/.ing the ball’ arch at the topmost point. Similar operations followed on the Newcastle sde. 1 It was ail amazing sight waieliiim >teel erectors and engineers run out •-’.long these cables, over a sheer drop of 160 feet to the quay. For week’ the sight- of these masses ol steel hanging over the river attracted thousand' of people. When measurements were taken it was found that the two arehc —whiie 140 apart—were in Hue te within one-eighth of an inch. Cranes on top of the arch raised sections of steel weighing nearly 25 tons.