“Pedestrians Must Not Shake the Bridge!”

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 134, 27 August 1927, Page 24

“Pedestrians Must Not Shake the Bridge!”

The Old Grafton Span

(Written for THE SUE Inj

H.I.M.

NDER the magnificent arch of the Grafton Bridge, born of necessity and mothered by engineering intrepidity, there is a wraith of the

old Cemetery Gully foot bridge. Like many of the pieces of furniture of individual memory, it has no history and its short life did not'permit it to gather the moss of tradition. No battles were fought across it; no patriot blood ever bespattered the city end. In fact, it has left no 'mark unless it be the memory of fears now half forgotten. For it was a rickety old structure and the more timid of the citizens always commended their timid souls to Heaven before setting foot upon it. Beyond the recollections of its tremblings and the fact that it has a ghost down in the gully, there would seem to be no reason for writing about it. But this is no ghost story. The Domain then was the sSene of all the big festivities and the old suspension bridge was often tested severely by the droves of folk coming and going. Usually a policeman would be posted at each end to see that too many did not herd.on together. But the old bridge bore its burdens successfully though with many a heave and sway. Above the city end of the old bridge was a notice board bearing a legend after the approved pattern of legal cautions: —

Altogether it was rather a desper ate warning calculated to strike feai into the heart of the most venture some. And so it did. * * * This is how it is recorded in the archives. The City Council called foi designs in ISB4 and Mr. Alfred Wrlgg, afterwards city engineer, but then temporarily employed by the municipality, offered designs which were adopted. A contract was let at £1,250 in the same year. After 20 years of service the old bridge gave its designer a fright when, on examination, he found structural weaknesses which made it a danger to the public. So, in 1904, the council accepted Mr, Wrigg’s advice to demolish it. Its passing was unlamented until it was “fait accompli,” and then a howl went up from a section of the public which used to cross by it into town, but now became as isolated from the city as if the seas divided. To pacify these, a small foot bridge was then erected at the bottom of the gully, but they soon tired of plodding up the long steps at either end. When loan proposals were put forward suggesting £30,000 for the present Grafton Bridge, or £2,000 for a new footbridge, both loans were carried. It was indeed a storyless old structure —the old Cemetery Gully bridge—marked only in memory by the thankful prayers sent up as the timid mounted Grafton Road and left it in their wake. But being of no antiquity and in danger of being forgotten, the accompanying picture will interest Auckland citizens of to-day and remind early residents of Parnell and Newmarket of times that are past.