The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-06 00:00:00

-Thicondeetion between the New York Central Rai'

road and that of the Great Western, in Canada, was not
completed until late on the 17th inst., but at halt-past
ten o'clock on the morning of the 18th the first train
started from the British side, and crossing the bridge at
moderate speed, ran on the track of the New York

Central Railroad. Consisting of a locomotive, tender,
and 22 heavily laden freight cars, it covered the entire
bridge. The weight of the train was about 350 tons, but
neither this nor the furious snow squall by which its
passage was inaugurated caused the slightest per-
ceptible vibration in the structure. Scientific observation

detected, however, a depression of about nine inches,
which was less then had been anticipated.
Crossing the Niagara river at a height of 245 feet from
its surface, commanding on one side a full view of that
mighty waterfall, the wonder of the world, and on the
other a partial one of the renowned whirlpool, whose
fearful eddies defy the approach of the boldest navigator
and the most fearless adventurer, the Suspension•bridge
presents one of the most imposing sights the eye ever
rested on. Viewed from a distance, its elevation and
great length, as it stretches over the river in an unbroken
span of 822 feet, give to it a fragile appearance ; but a
near approach reveals its enormous strength.
It is supported by four wire cables, which are carried
over four stone towers ; the ends of these cables being
strongly anchored and firmly secured in a solid bank of
masonry, into which they are sunk from 25 to 30 feet.
The height of the two towers on the Canada side is 78
feet, while that of those on the American side is 88 feet.

The diameter of each of the four great cables is 10 inches,
and they each contain 3,640 wires ; in the four there
are, consequently, 14,560 wires. The weight of the su-
perstructure is 750 tons ; that of the supporting strength
of the cable is 7,000 tons, while their ultimate strength is
12,400 tons. From each of these cables there hang, in
nearly a vertical direction, and at a distance of about
four feet apart, smaller wire cables of about one and a•
half inches in diameter. By these the superstructure is
suspended ; and one of the most interesting features in
this portion of the work is, that it forms a double bridge ;
for directly under, and sixteen feet below the platform
on which' the track of the railroad is laid, is another
platform forming a bridge for foot passengers and. for
vehicles of all descriptions. This is connected with the
upper platform or railroad bridge, by a trusswork of
wood and iron of extraordinary strength. A few feet
at each end of the lower or carriage bridge rest on
stone abutments. It is braced in every possible man-
ner, and so completely stayed by heavy lateral cables
attached to the under sides, secured in the cliffs and in
the rocks at their base, near the edge and on each side
of the river, that the most furious winter gales do not
cause the slightest perceptible vibration. The railroad
bridge is crossed by a single track, on both sides of
which is sufficient space for foot passengers to-pass.
is laid with four parallel rails, so arranged as to form an
equal number of gauges, which is a novel and valuable
arrangement, as it is thus made available to locomotives
and cars of roads having gauges of various widths.
For the above particulars we are indebted to Mr.
John A. Roebling, the engineer by whom the work was
projected, and under whose supervision it has been con-
structed. He is a Prussian by birth, but has resided
many years in America. In the conception and execu-
tion of this great undertaking, and in the production of
what had been pronounced by eminent scientific contem-
poraries an impossibility, he has greatly distinguished
himself, and has erected an enduring monument of fame,
on which millions will yet gaze with wonder and de-
'ight.

Of its kind and as a work of art it is unequalled. It is
the only railway suspension bridge in the world
.now
completed. It is, moreover, a double suspension bridge.
The celebrated bridge at Friburg, in Switzerland, is
beautiful ; but is a carriage bridge only. Stephenson's
famous Britannia railway bridge is a stupendous work,
but that, too, is a single one, and built on piers, between
which the greatest span is but 460 feet.

ELECTION OF RECORDER OF SEAFORD.-..-At a Court
of Assembly of the Corporation, held at the Town-ball,
Seaford, Sussex, on the sth inst., Mr. Henry Simmons,
Mayor, in the chair, William Wakeford Attree, Esq.,
barri.iter-at-law, was unanimously elected recorder of
the ancient town and cinque port in the room of the late
Mr. Sergeant D'Oyly, deceased.