DESTRUCTION OF THE NILE BRIDGE.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1166, 10 April 1874, Page 2

DESTRUCTION OF THE NILE BRIDGE.

The Charleston Herald gives the following particulars of this mishap : The length of time elapsing since the last flood, had caused immense quantities of driftwood along the course of the Nile River to become perfectly dry, the consequence being, that on the rising of the Nile immense quantities of it floated, and was borne down stream by the hourly increasing current, until an obstacle was opposed to its further progress by that especially constructed trap for snags—the Nile Bridge—where the drift was brought up "all standing," through the uprights or supports of the bridge being placed so close together, that unless a waif came down " end on,', it was sure to come foul of one or more uprights. The accumulation of drift kept increasing with the rapid rise of the river, until the bridge, which had previously shown symptoms of distress, gave way by the centre bulging in, which was followed by a crash and the drawing of the two ends of the fabric from the approaches to the bridge; which then drifted en masse to sea. This occurred at 11.30 am. on Sunday, and no accident fortunately happened, the last passengers having crossed the bridge half-an-hour before it " cleared for Guam." As the loss of the bridge is a serious matter to this community, who are now virtually cut off from communication with Westport, it is absolutely necessary that the Provincial Government should at once take steps for the construction of a new one, and we would advise the inhabitants of the district, if any unnecessary delay is shown in the matter, to take action to get the work proceededwith. It will be remembered that his Honor the Superintendent, previous to his election, had bound himself by promises that he would be more energetic than in times of yore if once more elected, and having that in remembrance, the inhabitants should keep him to his word. In the construction of a new bridge public opinion is divided as to the best site, some, and they appear to be the majority, are in favor of a bridge being thrown across the gorge near Jones's Hotel, and a road to be made from thence to pass near the cemetery and join the present, road at the top of the Nile Hill. Others urge the construction of a new bridge on the site of the one juat washed away, but with wider span between its pilea or up^-

right than in the last structure, the piles to be driven deeper into the bed of the river, so as to avoid the " scour" —always violent in times of a heavy fresh-and the formation of stone buttresses on the upper side of the bridge for the purpose of strengthening the supports and turning the driftwood and timber " end on'" so as to avoid undue pressure and enable it to pass through the spans.