THE MOST WONDERFUL BRIDGE IN THE WORLD.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2500, 14 January 1887, Page 2

THE MOST WONDERFUL BRIDGE IN THE WORLD.

: As a Grenadier Gaarldsman is to a new-born infant, so is the Forth Bridge to-the largest railway bridge yet' built in this country." That is the "(apMc.comparison by which Benjaratti Baker, C.K., illustrated' the -extraor'dinar,y clmraolbf of tlie structure. no'v in progress at .Qii- eniiferry,- of which Sir John Ko'vler and he «re tho engineers. But he did .not confine the comparison to bridges in this ooimtry only, fid' in the' paper read to "the British. Association, from which that description i« token, Mr Baker added: "Bridges a fow feet larger in span than the Britannia. have bean built elsewhere,imt they are baby bridgta after all." There is thus a deliberate claim inudo on behalf of the Forth Bridge by one of its designers, that it is the most wonderful bridge in the •world; • that the greatest existing bl idgeß are but child's play in eompari aon: wiih it;:

What in it that gives the Forth Bridge thjs pre,eminence ? It is offfniinly not its length, la that repecfi it is far excelled liy the Victoria Bridge iii Mon trralj and 'also'by tlii «nfor» tunate 'fay Bridge at. Dundee; is ,uor 'being rebuilt. ' Viutoria Bridge is-i0;38& feet long, or within 'lSO.t'eet. of two miles, •• The Ttty bridge if, or will be, 10,612 feet long, or 62 feet-over two'miles. The length of . the Forth, bridge, is otily 8,091 feet, of 2289 feet less than the 1 Victoria, and 2521 less thkn'the Tay Bridge* _ Neither,is the height of its roadway its distinguishing feature.; "In this respeot, though nearly twice the height of'the Newcastle High .Level Bridge, it is exolle'd by many others abtoad. • .The striking and' unprecedented feature, in t.be forth .Bridge is tho length.of its greatest ' spans,' The two greatest ipatis of the Britannia Bridge over Menail ' Strait .measure i 6 5! feet' each. v.. The Forth.Bridge has two spina of 1710 feet is not far shdrt of four 'times as great. • ; This is a fair oor6parisoa betoose tho Britamiii atid the Forth Bridge are are both fixed oi Bt'abla bridges, Other brides exist which, have longer spans than the Britannia can. boast of, but, they are suspension bridges, and ate therefore swinging arid unstable. Tha Niiigara Suspension Bridge Ims a singl t span of 820 fret, The.central, span of the Brooklyn Bridge, at New York nii'atiiros 1600 feet, which is approach to the uiant strides'of the Forth Bridge, But.these, as'l haw said, are auajiemnioti bridge,which have a certain nobility and elasticity, I'hn Forth Bridge will lie aa solid and hi a i 'ln as the Britannia Bridge,' or «« \\ aterlui) Bridal) in London, or as tho North Bridge in Ktlmlinrgh, and vet its great spans will be greater tliuu those of any Bridge in existence! WelJ, ilieref.ire, may Mr Baker boast that the ■■greatest of' fxiatiug .bri(l>;oa will bo but as a, baby in ooinpaiiuou with hia giant. !

J lie hiiililinjr of such a bridjjo is a during. exploit. Whcit, it may bo «>keil, lim lull the to attempt it i Is it the love of aij ventiiro—the mare di'hireto luipass iheir prdwes* Hors, and to ''lick citation," as tb Amoriumis say, by tlie production of fhw t'iggoßt.l»riUjfo;on record? Considnring the enormous capital involved in ilih vonturo,. in the "'coat of, material and labor, and consideriji" . still mora the risk to human life wliiol) it'entails the engineers would not have been warranted in enturing on any .-merely hei-oio or ambitious ■ enterprise, The simple answer. the question or motive is, that tbe.ehgineors had really no choioe in . the; matter. : -Tbey hud either to Hqcept the ooaditionfc on them byvNatiire, and oiroanißUnlSp or deuh'no ijifl tiskj altogether.' They are requirecl to ptepare plans for a bridge ona site inoludiagtwqppanß of 1710 feeteaoh^ovflr.'iidepth-, of water sogreat aß.tp^Mlude^s'cbtßtrnotioß 'of hoqhd eithertofac«,ilia.gmpple with Me to be - ' th'a former alternative, and Bridge is the >..

. iba.bridge is ; .£1i600,000, of which of Has plant,, • uuinhet^; in tjiei various' r Tii? w6rk has f or least" must elapse beftireit is completed, It cari scarcely be safd, pßrha& l that the Fourth Bridge will b'e a'beautiful ol'ject. To those for; fines, of beanty in sticli wUl ai>pe*r eccflijtt'ib, extravajjanfc,, odd, : liarhabsotjtiageout, Bat- .to those .whow sewe' of the/lieuutif»l dopends on tioni of the useful, the daring grandeur' 9} iind its, ( adsp*? ; Hon of moans to ends/will .appear lomarvellous, iriumpli of .enginee ring; • skill; of I'Stjeiit laimiy aijiioif «ial entei;[iria«, —"W. Scott Ddlgleisb/ M.A, .