The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-21 00:00:00

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n:bers of the Metropolitan Boar 4•S'arintfndod.
-IEZTr chairmen, the-general visitors •••
circle, workmen stood along the er.;', )I..tpearzq7a;.:::
the coffer-dam, and the platform at the top" Was
crowded. As Mr Thwaitcs cleclarte' the first
stone duly laid, a cheer rose from below, and
was taken up and continued by the hun-
dreds of mechanics and navvies in the yard. A
sketch of the scene was taken by more than one
artist. Mr Thwaites addressed the a,s2,embly at
some length, tracing the progress of the idea of em-
banking the Thames from the time it W 3.9 first pr()-
pounded until Mr Cowper gave it effect. Mr Cov7..
per, in proposing a vote of thanks to Mr Thwaites,
described the work as one of the great undertakings
of the day. He observed that, when the Embank.
was completed, from Blockfric,rs to Ai-este:in,
star there would be a magnifieeßt proznenadc, hc,v
ing the principle object at ono end
with its unrivalled dome, and at the other the Pai• Ice
of Westminster, which, notwithctanding its f lts,
was, he maintained, the finest Gothic buildin g
Europe. Lord S. Mann-:s seconded the vol sand a
i'
11N-
coot: sr\ 1,7: upassedontheMrwarmly dispial-ell by
him as engineer of the Embankment. Thanks were
subsequently voted to Mr Cowper and Lure]. John
Manners. and most of the party prcceedeit to a
marquee and partook of a luncheon provided by Mr
Furness, and supplied by Mr Lucas, of Parliament.
street

nucF .4d. 1
STAMPED ....53.

there will be steamboat landing-places. The dun
mies for these piers will be partly concealed witlei
recesses formed by massive granite pillars projectimt;
into the river in front of the general line of Embark'
ment. These pillars will have moulded pedestal?,
and will rise about 30ft above the roadway, and it
is part of the design that they shall be ornamented
with statuary. Half way between Hungerford: and
Waterloo Bridges there will be a flight of landilng-
steps GOft wide projecting into the river, and fleet ke I
at each end with massive piers, rising to the level of
a few feet above the roadway, and hereafter to be
surmounted with colossal figures of river deities or
other appropriate groups. There will be an approach
for foot passengers from the high level roadway to
the river by a second flight of steps, descending to
the level of the lower or Embankment roadway. As
the plan at present stands, it is proposed to construct
the Embankment from the Temple to Blackfriars-
bridge on arches, so as to give an access for boats '
from the river to the wharves; but is not likely that
thin design will be adhered to, because it is expected
that the Inner Circle Railway Bill will pass into
law this session, and, if so, it will cut off all water
approach to those wharves, and the Embankment
will be continued in the solid, the roadway ascend-
ing by a gradual incline to the level of Blackfriars-
bridge. Besides the low-level sewer, there will be
a sub-way for gas and water pipes and telegraph
wires beneath the road, and if the Inner Circle
Railway be adopted, this line will also pass under
the entire length of the roadway or the space be-
hind it. From end to end the Embankment will be
faced with granite. It will be enriched with mould-
ings of a simple character down to the level of
high-water mark, but the line ofeeroulding will be
broken by the introduction at intervals of massive
blocks of granite to bear ornamental lainps and by
occasional recesses for seats. Behind the embank-
ment wall the reclaimed space will be filled in to a
level of 4ft. above Trinity high-water mark.
Owing to the uncertainty to which we have al-
luded as to the way in which the embankment will
have to be constructed between the Temple and
Blackfriarte bridge, that portion of it has not been
contracted for; but the remainder has been divided
into two contracts, and since early in the month of
March the pile-driving "monkey' has been heard
day and night from the Temple to Blackfriare, and
piles have been driven and the dams lowered,with,a
rapidity marvellous in the case of an English public
work. Perhaps it is that the Board learnt a lesson
from the railway companiei, arid determined notto
be outdone by Mr. Hawkshaw, who throws an iron
bridge across the Thames in a few months. Be this
as it may, they have bound their contractors within
short and narrow limits as regards time, and
since the present session of Parliament opened
they have greatly changed the appearance of the
river. The work from Westminster to Waterloo
Bridges, 3,740 ft. in length, has been contracted for
by Mr. George Farness, at a sum of £520,000,
and he is bound to complete it in two years
from the 16th of February in the present year. Mr.
Ritson is the contractor for the 1,970 ft. from
Waterloo-bridge to the east side of the Temple. His
contract price is £229,000, and his work is to be
completed in two years from the 9th of March.
Each contractor is proceeding on a different prin.
ciple as regards details, though to the public eye
their work when finished will present an uniform
appearance: Mr. Ritson commenced on the old
coffer-dam system. It may be observed that the
river mud and sand average a total depth of 7ft.,
below which :there is a bed of gravel, varying
in coarseness and character, and averaging from
;bout 15ft. to 25ft. in thickness. Beneath this is
the London clay. The foundation of the embank-
ment wall is on the lower portion of the bed of gravel,
at a depth of about lltt. below low-water mark.
The old coffer-dam principle would require a vast
number of piles for a wo;:le like this, and in driving
these Mr. Ritson found that many of them split to
pieces in consequence of the hnedness of the ground.
He, therefore, abendoned that plan and resorted
to iron caissons. His present plan is to sink caiteone
20ft apart. These caissons are joined with gir:dere.
On the top are iron plates, from which the Embank-
ment wall rises, The spaces between the caissons
will be filled with concrete. Mr. Furness is pro-
ceeding on a different system. He is using a caisson
invented by Mr. Joseph Phillips, of the Charing.
cross Ironworks. Unlike the ordinary caisson,
which is circular, this is oval in shape, 12ft 6in
long, 7ft. wide, 4ft Gin deep, and having a groove
Gin square at each end. These caissons have shelves
inside, on which weights are placed to fix them as
they aro put one over the other 'till they rise from
the foundation to the required height. They are
sunk to an average depth of 36ft below Trinity
high-water mark, and never less than 3ft into the
clay. The process of sinking them is partly by the
" bag and spoon," where the nature of the strate is
open and full of water, or by a simple process of
dredging by steam-power, and partly by excavating,
where a water bearing strata is found and the
pumps can be got to work. Each column of caissons
is sunk end on to another as nearly close as possible.
A key of timber is driven down the groove, and this
makes up for any opening between the caissons and
tightens and holds them together. It makes a
water-tight joint by the pressure of the water on
the outer side of the timber, so that the greater the
pressure the tighter the joint becomes. When the
caissons are all in their place they will form an iron
dam or wall along the whole length of the Embank-
ment. As the work proceeds the coffer-dams are
formed at intervals of from 100 ft to 300 ft, and of
such size as is desirable for building the Embank-
ment wall itself within. The caissons below low-
water mark remain as a part of the permanent work,
and, being filled with concrete, form a solid basis to
the wall; but those above are removed and fixed in
advance to serve their former purpose over again,
while the wall and Embankment above low-water
are being constructed. The facing of the wall will
be of granite ; the rest of it is to be of the best
brickwork. The wall will recede gradually upwards
from the point where it is to leave the caissons
immediately under low-water mark. The space
behind the wall will be filled up with ballast, Mr
Phillips's system has been found to answer admi-
rably, and the Government have determined to use
caissons on his principle for some of the fortifica-
tions at Portsmouth. One advantage in having the
cylinder of an oval shape is at once apparent. A
caisson of this shape presents a greater surface to
the water in front of the wall than would a round
one of similar cylindrical dimensions.
The preliminaries having been sufficiently ad-
vanced for the purpose, yesterday was appointed
for laying the foundation-stone of this gigantic
work. The company invited to witness the memor-
able ceremony entered on the scene from the con-
tractors' yard in Cannon-row, whence they emerged
on tramways, which run here and there and every.
where over what in a few weeks will cease to be the
muddy banks of the Thames. The workmen were as
thick as bees in a hive, and steam-engine, travelling
platforms, dredgers, and pile drivers were scheech-
ing and rolling and scraping on all sides. Mr
Cowper, the First Commissioner of -Works, Lord
John Manners, Mr Doulton, M.P., and other gen-
tlemen inspected the works, accompanied by Mr
Thwaites; Chairman of the Metropolitan Board, Mr
Bazalgette, Mr Furness, and Mr Phillips. The first
stone was laid at low water mark, so that the com-
pany ware obliged to descend to some depth
in a
coffer-dam, though the tide was rapidly coming in
at the time. The stone was a large block of granite
a d bottle
forming a portion of the facing
eceive a the wall. In its
centre a square cell was cut to r
ent,onseale which some
containing a parchment datum
account of the ceremony
was inscribed, a copy of
the 7imes, and several coins of the realm.
When
this bottle was deposited, Mr Thwaites, 'who had
Mr Cowper on his right and Lord John Manners on
his left, duly fixed the block with the aid of a wind.
a very beautiful silver trowel which had
to by the contractors. The
blaesesnanpdreeented

If no unforeseen accident should occur, thero is
every reason to believe that both Mr Furness and
Mr Ritson will have finished their contracts within
the stipulated time. Happily, no unexpected diffi-
culty has hitherto presented itself. The forte ation
of the railway under the Embankment will make
some alteration in the works necessary, and will
affect the terms of the contracts, but not to a serious
extent. Since the commencement of the present
summer one-third of the entire sewage of the north
side of London has been diverted from tho Thames.
The construction of the low level sewer is at a stand,
awaiting the further progress of the Embankment,
but there is every probability that before three.
years hsys passed we shall sea the Thames an ure.
polluted river, and that we shall be able to look at
it, as it flows through the heart of the metropo.ii s,
as one of the most magnificent promenades of
which Europe will be able to boast.