GIGANTIC TUBE FOR THE MENAI BRIDGE.

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 370, 31 October 1849, Page 3

GIGANTIC TUBE FOR THE MENAI BRIDGE.

The tube for the bridge over the Menai Straits was floated to its place on the 19th June. The following; ii the account from ths Daily News :— The scene as early as six o'clock presented a very buiy appearance, mulitudes of men depositing the buoys, and shipping the enormous cables from the London and Manchester platforms of the works. The signals, consisting of different coloured flags, under the direction of Mr. Slephenson, were placed on the different capstans for the guidance of the process employed in navigating tLe great tube on the Anglesea shore, and at other points. Early in the morning; the tube was lowered three fest upon its piers, so as to enable it to start earlier and take odvantnge of the tide at high water. The lowers for supporting the tube are of a like magnitude with the entire work. The great Britannia tower in the centre of the Straits is 62 feet by 25 feet at its base upon the rock ; its total height from the bottom, 230 feet ; it contains 148,695 cubic feet of limestone, and 144,625 of sandstone. It weight 26,000 tons, and there are 387 tons of eas f iron built into it in the shipe of bsatiH and girderi. Its province is to sustain the four ends of, the four long iron tubes which will span the strata from shore to shore. The total quantity of stone contained in the bridge is 1,500,000 cubic feet. The side towers stnnd at a clear distance of 460 feet from the great central tower, and again, the abutments stand at a distance from the side towers of 230 feet, giving the entire bridge a total length of 1849 feet, the date of this present ysar of grace. The side or land towers are each 62 feet at the base, and IS)3 feet high. They contain 210 tons of cast iron. At 3 o'clock the spectators, by tens of thousands, had taken their place upon the piers ; the tubes and shores on either side, and the straits for a mile in, length, presented avast amphitheatre of human beings. The pilots, toa on the pontoons, to ply the gigantic the extent of 200 or 30J, took their stand tackle. A* many more stood ready for action on tha capstans. The cables, six inches in thickness and of league-Ion f lengths, were attached to the steamers that were to have the towing of the tremendous freight. Multitudes of yachts, small boats and other craft filled and gaily decorated pssse 1 up and down the stream, and ail eyes were fixed with mingled feelings of confidence and fear.on the gigantic fabric, upon which stood Mr. Stephensou and Captain Claxton. The utmost excitement ensued on the first signal, the f sudden, springing up on the Anglesea side o* a fl3a and a shrill strain from the trumpet of Captain Claxton from the top of the tube, a hint to the pilots to take the tide, and pipe all hands for the exploit. This was responded to by a loud burst of enthusiasm from the seamen, whose efforts united to thoie of the steam, tugs, told upon the screws and tackles, and upon the hitherto motionkss monster, which then glided very •Jowly and amid intervals of increasing cheers and salutations, without injury or jar, and with a majesty that could only hi compired to tint of a. mountain, moving on the wateiß to the site of ill fiaal resting place.

South Sea Whale Fishery —New Harpoon. —A. number of influsntial parties, captains and otheis conneciej with this important branch of commerce, assembled at Messrs. Green's dockyard, Blackball, London, on the afternoon of Thursday last, to witnest the advantages and power of an harpoon-gun, the invention of Mr. Greener, the w ell known gunmaker, To show the simplicity and power of the invention. Mr. Greener went into the whaleboat, and with a very small charge, only four drachms of powder, projected the harpoon, with a line attached, a distance of twenty-three fathoms, in a straight and unerring direction, and the raoult was stated by parties who had been engaged in whal^fishinT 1 , to be more than doublo the distance ever irquired.-— Morning Chronicle.

The " Valuables. "—Some years ago, a not very extensive farmer in lbs parish of Straaitoiij whose steading was neither \ery substantial nor ornate in the style of its a>chitect re» tbere being few stones, and cartu'nly m^re mud than lime in company with, t em, heard a rumbling sound as if the ea/th were 1 ughim? around him, which, on examination, proved that, the said steading hud, by the united influence of extreme fra.lty and a hurricane tumbled down in ruins. Jolm after his hair subsided, and he had his prayers laid, and a mug of spi ing water taken inwardly, addressed himself to rescue the few items ot furniture wMcli the houss contained. After the display of somewhat unusual exertion, he repaired to a neigh • homing farm, and related the suipriMng particulars to Jean, a person lo nhom John paid no trifling attention, and who, in consequence, felt considerable concern as to the safety of John's goods, gear, and chattels, and who anxiouily enquired if hII had been recovered from fie ruins. •' Aye," said John, " and a stair Btrussle we lud, but we go: out, a' th", valueablei at ony rare." " Gude pieserve me, John,' 1 interpolated Jean's mistress, who overheard the tale, and knew that John's mother had been bed titUWn for many veais, '• an' how gat ye oot yer mitlusr? " " Goih ; that's weel minded," qu >th John, '■ for she's no oot yet, I wusi!" And such proved to be the case ; for on the neighbours lep»irinjr thither, they found John's mother snug in bed, under roof and rafters, protected by one of the falling: bianoi, her chin re»ting on a swallow's nest.— Ayr jdvtrt/zer. Annual Cost of Artificial Light.— Eitimate of the hums expended annually in England and Wa'es for artificial li^hi :— Gas consntned in London £546,000 ; in c ities a'ld couutiy (owns, XJS,-10!),(JOO;X J 5,-10!),(JOO; o:l in lamps, £1,350,0 J0 ; tallow anl s'earine candles, £'21 ',0 0 ; camphier and other lamps, £80, 00. Total, £l 1 ,336,0 )(). Thto shows the prime cost only of the several materials, and on the price paid by the oiisuuicrt.— Leeds Meiany.

I.kgiioiin. — Tin: Papal Throne. — The following ppcr has been cxtensivly plaeaidcd at Leghorn. — <% We, the supreme pr one, by the grace of God, &c, linvf decreed, and do decor, that fill Popes, beginning with Pin* IX, shall be deprived of their trmpornl power, end especially those who shall exhibit themselvei as th' enemies <>1 the Italian union. We, the people, with the power which »a«, and always will be thnt of God «nd the people, giv^ to Pius IX our malediction, and, wit i >he most solemn anathemas, proclaim him to have fallen, in the name ol God and the people The powfi 1 of excommunication ii hcncefoith at an end and the College of tlic Cardinals shall for the future be styled the College of Hull (Colltgio dell Inferno.)" New Manufacture. — We are g^d to hear that Mr. Turtihull, of New Norfolk, contemplates the munufuciure of linen from flax grown by himself. The looms, we unders'and, will soon be at work, and one step in the right direction will then be taken for the true advancement of the interests of the • olony. We also hope soon to see a woollen msnnfae.tory at work, aR we understand a hiphly respectable and wealthy individual is in expectation of the arrival of the necessary machinery. — Colonial Times, Oct. 2. Sunni n Dfath of L\dy TU.kssington. — Our Par h correspondent, announces tins ilistiessinpr event us follows ; — "We have all been much shocked this affeimon by the sudden death of Lady Blsssington. Her Ladyship dined yesterday with the Duchess of Gratnmonr, and returned home late in her usual health and spiritt. In the couiseot the morning she felt unwell, and her homoeopathic mediatl adt sp r , Dr. Simnn, was went for. After a thort consultation the doctor announced Hint his patient wa-; djing of np'%plexy, and his prediction was unhappily verified but too rapidly, as hei Ladyship expired in hit arms' about an hour and half ago. Poor Lady Ble,isington She was loved and admired by nil who had the happy pririlege of knowing her, and of joining in thoie social circles of the worthy and the wise who congregated around her hospitable board. It was but th,> day befoic yesterday that she got into her new House in the Rue do Ceicle, where her delightful rduniom were eagerly lcked for ns an oasis in this republican desert, where the few good and great men who yet linger in tliis distracted country hoped to find a biief respi>e from the turmoil of pnrty strife. It was but last week that Lady Blessington W ai dining at the Elyge*, and remarked to Louis N.ipi.leon with how much pleasure she looked forward to her residence in Paris, and now More salafatclur quavtnla suni hominum corpuscula. Every one will attrihu c thii gad occurrence tocholeia. But Lady Blessington died of apoplexy. Cliole ah ■ had enough laid to its charge, and even now it the present moment it Ii is affected poor Carlotta Grin, who ii seiiously ill, but it ii hoped that she may re* cover as she is better than »he was last night. Last night it killed ten deputies nnd Madame Vißcnnii. Poor Lord Walhcourt was carried offian dly la?t week, as be did not rend for advice in time, lady Noimanby ii also vciy unrell, and is goin* to Chuntilly to-morrow, to escape from the intolerable heat which is now raging.— Morning Post. A FoRTUNATr. Puuchasr.— .Some time since a brig at present called the Cailelon, was put up for public sale at the London Docki, and was purchased by Mr. Scott, a chain lighterman, residing at Wapping, for the sumof £750.—- Aftei undei going considerable repairs »t the New Ciane Whaif, Wupping, (he vessel put to Hea under Captain Bacon, who h»d become part ownei. After leaving thu port it win found necessary to put to at Hortlepool, where whilst the vetsel was undergoing *omu repairs at the hulk head, sixtein thousand Spanish doll in were found secreted in a plnce pur posely hollowed out for the reception of the piecious deposit. The dollar*, as our reporter was informid, are of old mintage and very pure silver. When or by whom the treahure was deposited it is impossible to fillet; but at nil eien's Cnptain Bacon has reaßOn to congratulate himself' on the suce,es»ful result of his first »hort v»y,ige in the Carleton. The vessel used to trade orl the coast of Guinea, and the treasure to curiomly discovered was probably the ill-gotten gain of sorre of^tbe heartless wretches engaged in that abominable liafilc. Frauds in the Timbkr Tuadc— A Rystem of the gnweit fraud, we are informed, greatly prevails in connection with ihi« tiade in this colony, ami which, if not checked, will seriously interfere with the profits and increase of the liade. It appears th»t it has become a too common practice of unprincipled splitten and gaw\ers to ciimp in quantity whenever they can the articles supp'ied by them, as for instance as referred to by the following extiuct, bundles of laths that i-liould run 200, aie found afterwards not to exceed )5l) to 170; and shingles, that should bo 100 are moie frequently from 70 to 90. Such proceedin^o are grois frauds and we should advise, for the sake of the character of ihe port, that some of our merchants seriously take the mutter up, and by a few convictions put a gtop to such nefarious transactions. It the baker and the dea'er are liable to heavy penalties for giving short weight, the timber teller is equally liable for short quantity. The respectable members of the trade should meet and deviie measures for their own protection and the system now adopted at Port Adelaide should be also adopted here ; and at 'he same time they nliou d remedy the unjust qy Mem tint ha* obtained here in the measurement of timber, by which there is a great loss to the exporter and to the ship- ■ owner ; for according to the present practice, a piece of timber sold here as thice feet square, will only run, according to the English meiwui merit adopted in Adelaide and eUcwl'ere, about two feet six. If a Chamber of Commerce cxistul a» it Should do, these things could be easily remedied: — Extinct fioma Ma candle Letter fiom sldclaule —"The limber I ri'civid (his tn;> is in respect to lath* and uhmnlc's, so short, tl'at I biv<; '>e.isi obi eed to make the purchaser a heavy ail.ivv.iuce. We counted ninny bundles, an I lound tlie litltei running from 7') to ()') iufetcod f 100 ; Ihe former from IGO to 170. »t is get Lin? the fashion r,m ncr/ lo tnke out of a Vim Dieonen's L»iud cargo Jivi- o< ten bundles, and tako tliem as an ate 1 ago of th" lot ; u?ik'Hs some »uen rule be also adopted i>n your • ide, the impoiter '»ill be mad" to pay a heavy price for ihe ai'ide.' I—Cohnial1 — Cohnial Th/iei.